Is the Baby Bullet really worth using vs. jar food?

Nikki - posted on 08/19/2011

Having the baby eat the same foods you do, only pureed is better for you and them because you don't risk having to adjust them to your eating style after jar food.

Rebecca - posted on 08/18/2011

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/...

This is the storage I got. They are great as well.

Rebecca - posted on 08/18/2011

I got this, http://reviews.williams-sonoma.com/3177/... , as a gift. I think it is superior. Its steamer is awesome and it makes great baby food.



The only complaint I might have is I wish it was bigger.



I think the BB is a bit of a gimmick. You can get cheap storage solutions for the food and use your Cuisinart - pretty much the same thing as the BB.

Tyrae - posted on 08/18/2011

Using baby led weaning is a good option too. It's better in the long run, because the babies learn to chew before they learn to swallow food, which in itself is just better. When you feed purees first they learn to swallow and then when you give them chunks of food they have a higher chance of choking because they just try and swallow the food before chewing it.

I did do the blender and ice cube tray for a month but it was a fight every meal time because my daughter hated it and wouldn't eat it, she would just spit it out all the time, she LOVED finger foods though. Now that she is 9 months old, she does like rice cereal and mushy food. She usually just eats whatever we are having for dinner though.

Stifler's - posted on 08/18/2011

I have always had a stick mixer (it's like an electric masher) and used it to make baby food. It's way cheaper than jar food. I used jar food when we went away though if we were staying at someone's place who didn't make baby friendly foods.

Caitlin - posted on 08/18/2011

regular blender all the way. I did vegetables in the blender and when she was old enough for meats, I tossed in a bit of what we were having for dinner and she's have the puree version of our meal. She had issues with lumps, so the blender was best - with added water for consistency. I use the commercial jars for when we were going out, or emergency i don't feel like cooking rations.

As long as you buy a good quality jarred food though, they dont add anything extra in there to make it last over a year. For the most part it's just like canning in mason jars, it's sterile and vaccum packed, and that's how it lasts that long (I make my own jams - they last 18 months and i don't add anything except the fruit and sugar..)

Alahnna - posted on 08/18/2011

it is definitly cheaper. I dind;t use the baby bullet, just a plain old blender and ice cube trays, and it was very cost effective and didn't take long at all. I would make a batch all at once then freeze it. When we went anywhere, I would just plop a few ice cubes of food in a container and go. It would thaw well before my children needed to eat it and was much healthier with no preservatives or added salt/sugar

Krista - posted on 08/18/2011

Yeah, I think you'd be better off with a food processor. You'd get a lot more use out of it. I recommend them over blenders, because they're easier to clean.

It's fairly easy, really. I would just steam a bunch of frozen peas, throw them in the food processor with a bit of water, puree them until they were the consistency I wanted, and then spoon them into ice cube trays and freeze them. Once frozen, throw them in a Ziploc with a label and the date. That's how you track when it was processed -- with a Sharpie. :)

Each ice-cube compartment is 2 ounces, FYI. When it's time to eat, you pick out some cubes, zap them in the microwave, stir to distribute the heat, test it on your bottom lip, and off you go! I used to just do a crap-load of food every third Sunday night: peas, sweet potatoes, roasted parsnips, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, chicken and beef, etc. And you'd be surprised how long it'll last!!!

Sal - posted on 08/18/2011

any blender will do, or even pushed through a seive.and i just gave my babies what ever veg we were having, made enough for a couple of spares...very simple, but used the bagged food with a nozzel (rafterties garden i thnk) when out. and used instant baby custard mixed with formula and fruit, again in my blender or thrugh a seive....too easy

Jenni - posted on 08/18/2011

Good point Nikki, they really only eat baby food for a few months anyways... if at all. My daughter wouldn't eat babyfood for more than a month or two. She refused it and preferred fingerfoods.

Jenni - posted on 08/18/2011

Whenever I've seen that commercial, I would laugh my arse off. ;)

I think it's a waste of money.

All you need is a blender (which I'm sure you already own) and icecube trays or freezer bags. I actually use to use my nursing freezer bags.



I honestly don't trust any infomercials. My inlaws always buy those things from a store in our mall called "As Seen on TV." Most of the stuff is a waste of money.



We do have a couple shamwows! Gotta dig that commercial. But yeah, the only thing they're good for is washing your car.

Kelly - posted on 08/18/2011

We used a regular blender. Homemade baby food is much healthier, and it costs a lot less too.

This is how I did it.
Fruit I just tossed into the blender and pureed. Then I poured it into ice trays to freeze. When I needed food, I just popped out a few blocks (2-4 blocks make a meal) and thawed for J.

Veggies I steam first, I just steamed them in a pot right along side the dinner I was cooking (so it took no extra time). Then toss them in the blender and do just like the fruit.

I had different colored ice trays for different weeks, so I could tell how old the food was and what to use first.

Nikki - posted on 08/18/2011

I think they are a waste of money, you would only need to use it for a couple of months at the most. I am not a fan of jar baby foods, they look and smell disgusting and are over priced. I only pureed my daughters foods for the first week or two using my magic bullet, after the novelty wore off I just mashed everything by hand or she was eating finger foods.

Erin - posted on 08/18/2011

I wouldn't bother with it. Just use whatever blender/food processer you already have. Like Heather, I also never pureed my daughter's foods. I was able to mash it up to a smooth-ish consistency with a hand held blender after steaming it.



But I would definitely go homemade over jar. If you are organised you can spend one morning preparing, cooking and freezing, and not have to think about it again for weeks. It saves money and has the added bonus of ensuring your baby eats fresh and preservative free.

Vicki - posted on 08/18/2011

I'd never heard of it. I didn't use commercial baby food and I never mashed either. I waited until he could pick up and eat food off my plate... by far the easiest option! Babies don't actually need mush of any variety, homemade or commercial.

Becky - posted on 08/17/2011

I kind of think it's an overpriced gimmick. Any blender or food processor would work just as well - I used my blender and Magic Bullet, and you can use ice cube trays for freezing. (although I did buy some of those baby cubes, which are nice, because they're portable. Pop one in the diaper bag when you're headed out and you've got dinner for babe.)

I do think it's worthwhile and healthier to make your own baby food, I just don't think the Baby Bullet is a necessity to be able to do it. If you have no other blender-type aparatus, then it might be worth the money.

Editted to add, IMO, a vegetable steamer would be a better investment, if you don't have one already.

Lady Heather - posted on 08/17/2011

You can just mash the food or use another processor/blender that you might already have.

For guides: www.wholesomebabyfood.com

To keep track, just label the containers you freeze or refrigerate in.

Honestly, I never pureed unless I was making prunes or something like that that basically needed to be pureed. I usually just mashed and only bothered with that for 1 month. I just think it's a lot to buy a whole new appliance for a month or two of pureeing.

Leslie - posted on 08/17/2011

I really like that it comes with a guide & a way to track the date it was processed.

Tyrae - posted on 08/17/2011

Any food processor would work, I used a blender, or sometimes even just a masher. It is definitely worth it for money saving purposes, and depending on the food it can be quite quick too. Some things you do need to steam/boil/bake first then you have to mash/blend it up for the baby, but you can get MUCH more food out of it, then you would from a jar.

It is also much healthier for babe to have home cooked foods. Can you imagine what they must put inside baby food to make it last over a year? I bought 1 jar of baby food (sweet potatoe) and I have hardly used it, my daughter just prefers home made.