I registered for this because I remembered my mom grinding my "baby" sister's food 20+ years ago. I figured it could not hurt to have.My little one is almost 1 year old and still doesn't have teeth. She gums things very well, but meats are a little harder to tear apart. (Note, this was great when we started solids... it mashed bananas and took the strings out of sweet potatoes to give them a smoother texture than just mashing with a fork.) We're introducing her to meats slowly, and anytime I've tried to give her canned commercial meats, she has scoffed at them and pushed them away. Well, tonight she eyed my pork chop jealously, as if her cooked mixed veggies were not enough. I ground up between 1-2 ounces and added some water to it to smooth the texture, and she LOVED it. She could have eaten more, but she had plenty to eat in addition to the meat. Although it took a little longer to grind the meat, I did so sufficiently.
This grinder washes up well.. I rinse it off, take it apart, and throw it in the dishwasher. I have had no problems with this grinder. It does it's job as well as I would expect any non-electrical grinder to work. I wish I had the tote, but a ziplock baggie works fine.
I would also like to add that I had to contact Kidco's customer service regarding finding replacement hardware for a baby gate, and they were prompt and professional.
Please note that this grinder is to be used for first foods (not chunky foods). Because fruit and vegetables naturally have a lot of water some of them might need a thickener add (i.e. Thick-it) if you find it too watery. Also foods with a lot of fiber or meat may need be harder to push through this is a manual grinder. I find it useful to add some broth/soup/gravy to meat after it has been ground to make it more pleasing to eat.
I also recommend Ellyn Satter's books "How to Get Your Kid to Eat ... But Not Too Much" and "Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family" for guidelines on how and what to feed children. The first food I wanted to use was broccoli. It would work wonderfully, then seemed to get jammed, work again, etc. It does work, but with more effort than I had expected. I tried preparing the food to be softer, but I encountered the same problems. I tried nectarines another day, and it made it very soupy. I guess I wish there was a way to adjust the mechanism to grind the food to different consistencies. My 9 month old son can handle chunkier foods, but with this mill the food is very liquidy. The size and minimal amount of parts/assembly make it very convenient and very easy to move. Also the entire mill can be cleaned in the dishwasher.
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Every time I pass the baby food display in a store, I think of how many millions of dollars parents could be saving, if they would just make their own baby food, rather than paying top price for those cute little jars! I take every opportunity to tell parents about using a hand baby food mill. The $10 I paid for my baby food mill was definitely one of the best investments I ever made! I purchased it for my first of six children, and just LOVED it! I found that it was much, much more convenient than a blender, for several reasons. A blender is fine for preparing large batches of baby food to freeze, but not a bit practical for making a single serving for your baby. The blender is much more difficult to clean, not very practical to take to the table, and it is difficult to get all of the food out of the bottom of it. The noise of it doesn't make it especially handy for table use, either. The hand grinder is perfectly quiet, makes use of every bit of food that you put into it, and can be taken and used anywhere! It is very handy for feeding the baby out of, directly, and the parts are easy to hand wash or can be thrown in the dishwasher. Also, it is very easy to feed the baby some of the same foods that you have prepared for your whole family. The food does not come out pureed, like with a blender, but I found that my babies preferred to have a little texture. It can be used on almost anything except for hard, dry foods, like chips, or taco shells. Many harder foods, like fresh apples, should be diced first. Some foods come out better with the addition of a little water or other liquid.My grinder is in retirement now, after 14 years of use, but it is still in good working order. I am saving it for the day when I will have grandchildren to use it for! I just can't say enough good about it, and hope that many parents will try it. It makes an excellent baby gift, too!
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This isn't the best for babies under 6months... it doesn't get foods as smooth as the step 1 foods you buy in the store. But keeping that in mind...This comes in very handy. I started grinding foods in this with my 6 month old. It is easier for me to grind some food for him right at the table so he can eat some of the things we are eating, rather than prepare and store his food in advance.
I decided that one isn't enough. I prefer to run things through the dishwasher so they are more sterilized than washing by hand and I tend to use this for two meals a day. I don't like to feel pressed to load and run the dishwasher before dinner... It usually isn't a problem, but things are hectic at times. Its also nice to have one clean for traveling.
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