As parents become increasingly concerned about the quality of
the nutrition being provided to their infant or toddler, the use
of a baby food processor to make meals is becoming more common.
As companies like SMA work to improve the quality of their
formula, and others like Heinz, Bounty, Cow & Gate, and Holle
offer organic, developmental options, the movement to home
preparation is still gathering momentum. Homemade food offers
parents many attractive options from cubes for easy storage to
an effective method of weaning their children off of milk-only
diets. Furthermore, as companies offer coupons to help aid
parents in bearing the financial end of things, they are
increasingly offering recipes as well. Overall, the shift to the
use of homemade food is having a definite impact on the market.
In an effort to achieve greater market penetration, some
companies have begun manufacturing special devices that can
steam food, puree it, and then be used for storage. While not of
particular note by itself, the fact that so much focus is being
given to devices targeted at babies is a significant commentary
on the shift that is taking place. Coming in varieties from
electric to manual to the Beaba Babycook mentioned above, the
range in price and complexity is significant.
The most important features to look for when considering
purchasing such a device are the thoroughness with which the
food is pureed and the ease of cleaning the product after each
use. While every parent would love to be able to personally feed
their child each and every time, because so often this task is
left to others, one wants to be sure that choking hazards, like
unprocessed chunks in the baby food, are avoided. Not everyone
entrusted with the feeding of one’s children is quite as
conscientious as mom and dad; if the potential hazard is simply
eliminated, so is the concern that may accompany the problem.
The ease of use and cleanup is also of paramount importance. As
parents struggle to face the challenges of busy lives, demanding
jobs, and the realities of parenthood, the need to struggle to
clean baby devices should be avoided. The specific features a
product offers will be quickly forgotten if cleaning it is such
a chore that at each use, a parent must weigh the effort it
takes against the benefit of the finished product. Overall,
homemade baby food has wonderful advantages and finding the
right product can make a significant difference.