I'm thinking about researching baby led weaning, but also interested in making my own food. I will admit I am a complete novice in the kitchen when it comes to some things, and the Beaba looks fantastic - one dial and it steams AND purees??
On the other hand, an "adult" food processor would last us longer, perhaps. However, some foods would have to be prepped/steamed ahead of time.
For the sake of time and/or money, what would you get? We are not looking to spend more than $100 on either item.
GOLD / wonderful grape / 20289 posts
We already have the magic bullet, a blender, and a hand blender. So I didn't buy anything new. I made LO's food in big batches and froze them. It's so easy, just steam (my mom gave me a steamer that does two foods at a time), process, and when LO was littler I would strain it too. Then put into ice cube trays to freeze.
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
@artbee: hmm..should I buy a steamer instead and just use our blender to mash it up?
GOLD / wonderful grape / 20289 posts
@sorrycharlie: I would. LO only ate purees for about 3 months, and it probably would have been even less time if she had more teeth sooner, so I don't think it's worth it to buy something specific to baby food. You'll be able to use the steamer later on in life too.
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
I plan on using a Kitchenaid food processor because I don't want to buy anything else! ( wedding gift, still unopened)
hostess / eggplant / 11068 posts
I have the Baby Brezza, which steams and purees, as well. It's like the Beaba but cheaper! I love it!
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
My family was incredibly generous, my aunts/grandma went in on a baby bullet with baby steamer, then my friend bought me a hand blender and another friend bought me the ninja (and "adult" processor). So far, we definitely use the Ninja the most, because we use it for our cooking too!
But the baby bullet steamer has been amazing because I can sterilize all his pacifiers and small toys. He isn't old enough for solids yet, so I'm not sure which I will use most often... we'll have to see.
But i think you would be fine with just an adult item.
GOLD / wonderful coffee bean / 18478 posts
Definitely get a normal one. Your LO may not be eating purees for very long at all so I think you will be better off getting a regular one.
persimmon / 1465 posts
As pp have said, go a normal one. I just used a bullet that I already had. LO was eating straight purees for maybe 2 months max ?
blogger / nectarine / 2010 posts
Microwaving is steaming - so all you need to do is pop your veggies in the microwave with a little water and then puree in the food processor. All my girlfriends who got the beaba cook as gifts returned them because they were just not worth the cost. Plus, BLW doesn't do any purees, so you may not even need either! I can't wait to give baby Stroller a wedge of avocado in a couple of months 
grapefruit / 4049 posts
I had a Beaba for DD1... Why I didn't use it again was because there was no way for me to scrub down the well that you put the water in for steaming... To clean it, the instructions say you should steam vinegar I think... I forgot! But I just would've felt better wiping/scrubbing it down and there was no way I could do that, so I just used pots for steaming and a regular blender instead. Anyway, we didn't do purees for long, though! We quickly went to BLW because she hated purees!
honeydew / 7589 posts
I was thinking about this too... I'm even less sure what I want to do after reading these replies though!
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
The Beaba is perfect for people that don't want to make huge batches of stuff and don't have the space to store it. I believe it was made for Europeans, who have tiny kitchens (some apartments don't even have real kitchens) and even less freezer space. It was perfect for us because of this and I still use it to this day to steam veggies for dinner. I also use it to steam and puree fruits to make ice pops.
We also don't have a microwave, so defrosting is a PITA.
grapefruit / 4649 posts
@Looch that makes sense because the small size was my biggest issue. It took me four rounds to do one butternut squash stop I swore never again BUT if you were just taking part of your meal and doing it for baby and storing a small amount of leftovers out makes more sense.
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
thanks guys! sorry so long to respond. I am thinking now perhaps of just using my existant blender and picking up a cheap steamer, if I get lucky on a sale, or just using the microwave or stove! I really didn't even thinking how quick puree-period can be, so I'll wait and see how she does!
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
We'll probably use the microwave to steam. It's cheaper than buying a steamer and there won't be another gadgets for my hubs to get annoyed with. We have an awesome Cuisinart food processor that I plan on using for her solids.
bananas / 9628 posts
I think some people are also drawn to using the baby food specific makers because they are BPA free and if you own a food processor already it likely has BPA in it. Prior to this year almost all of them had bpa. Now more are coming out with bpa free bowls. Your not storing it in there, but some people choose to avoid bpa as much as possible.
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