Pricey for what it does.
Storage/space issues: For a cramped freezer or refrigerator, this 4-cup tray is fine. The oz., ml and tsp measurements etched onto the silicone cups could be useful. The uppermost marks etched on the sides of the cup are 2oz., 60ml. and 12tsp. For my 7-month-old who started solids only a month ago, these cups hold more than enough food for each meal; he only stomachs about 1oz of food after having his fill of breastmilk.
Storage uses: I've used these for defrosting and storing individual servings of pureed food that's been frozen in cubes. I haven't tried freezing food with these yet, but it is nice to know that I can. The Munchkin packaging recommends that you "remove lids and fill cups with baby food. Insert cups into tray and place tray in freezer. To thaw, let stand in refrigerator." It's not clear that you can screw the lids back on before putting the filled cups into the freezer. Maybe there's a concern that the expansion of the baby food in the freezer will cause the lids to pop out and wreck the threads. I don't know.
Cleaning/maintenance: For those lucky enough to have a dishwashing machine, these are dishwasher safe, top rack only. The three parts can be washed separately. The silicone cup easily pops out of the white collar, and the lid unscrews. Bits of food that somehow get stuck in the crevices can be cleaned off this way. The cup openings are wide enough for me to clean using bottle brushes, or soft sponges. As for staining issues, I've stored pureed avocado, parsnips, and butternut squash, and so far, the silicone, white collar and lids remain clear. When my kid moves onto beets, I'll update my review on the staining issue.
Transporting (i.e., any leakage?): The lids screw on tightly, very tightly if you want. There is an arrow (and the word "close") on the lid indicating how tightly you can screw the cup shut, but I never screw the lids on that much because I'd have a hard time unscrewing them back open. I've stored purees only in these so far. Nothing's leaked despite being lax about transporting them upright or across smooth roads.
However, there is a slight leakage risk: If you fill them with liquid only, the tight lids don't prevent leaks. I noticed they do leak a little bit when they're shaken vigorously. It looks like liquid seeps out when the silicone cup is not carefully positioned into the white collar (there are two tiny notches to guide the fitting of these two components). If you squeeze the silicone cups which is easy to do since the material is so pliable you could inadvertently cause the cup to detach from the white collar and thus, the liquid to leak.
Serving: These cups are about the right size for me to hold in one hand while the other hand spoons the food out or wipes away messes. They're soft and grip-able too, so if my baby had less of a knack for flinging things across the room, he might be able to hold onto these cups and feed himself without splattering his poor old mom. However, even if he were to fling these cups across the room, nothing would shatter. My heart might shatter at the sight of him throwing away the food I slaved in the kitchen to make, but that doesn't reflect on this product's construction.
Other notes on materials and construction: BPA free, and although I know the cup is made of silicone, the packaging doesn't say what the white collar or lid is made of. The silicone cups are clear enough for me to see what's inside and how much of it is left (or how defrosted the baby food puree is), although it would be nice if the lid had a clear window so I can quickly see the contents from the top. If you care about where this product was manufactured, this product is made in China.
Price: Minus one star due to the cost of this product. For this price, I wish these cups were entirely leak-proof or that they'd come in batches of six. Or both! The price is a major factor keeping me from buying another set right now. The other factor is I'm eyeing a similar product that will be released soon by OXO.
I don't usually write reviews but needed to for this product. I purchased 4 of these (16 cups total) to freeze my homemade baby food. This product is exactly what i was looking for. It's very durable (even in the freezer) and holds 2oz per container. When my son was 6 months old, I would use 2 feedings per container (1oz each). I thought purchasing 1oz containers was a waste since I knew I would eventually need 2oz per feed. Now that he's 7 months old, we use the whole container during a feed. Its plastic container is bendable so it allows you push and "pop out" the frozen food easily and store them in freezer bags. I have various food frozen in my freezer labeled in ziplock bags and when I'm running low on a particular fruit or vegetable, I whip up some more and freeze them in the containers again.
The reason I gave it 4 stars and not 5 was because the food was difficult to pop out at times. Leaving them on the counter for 5 minutes solved this problem and when making 'thicker' foods like sweet potato, I felt it was difficult to clean after being frozen for a few nights.
I have tried many food containers and I'm most please with this one. One more note, make sure not to fill them too high because the lid will often freeze onto the food which makes turning the lid to open them difficult. :) Overall, I am very pleased with this product and would recommend it to my friends! A great product for storing homemade baby food in the freezer or on the run!
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I make my own baby food. These work great for portion storing bc of the measuring lines. Not so great for warming up food, even in a cup of warm water. As someone else stated they stain at the first sign of Sweet potatoes, carrots... most babies first foods. I tried everything to get then clean, even washing them in boiling vinegar. For the price of approximately 2.5 a container, I would expect these not to stain.
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Maybe a little expensive for my budget, but I'm very happy with my purchase! The size is perfect for baby's first foods, they close well, are easy to use and clean. The only issue I found is that some foods stain the silicone, so if it bothers you, keep that in mind. I've done it with carrot puree, the silicone yellowed. I can see tomatoes do it as well, in case you plan to use them to save your remaining tomato paste.
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We bought these with both the pink and the blue lids. We make our own baby food so they get used on a daily basis, and after 4 months of use I am very happy with them. I love that they can go from the freezer to the fridge and I especially love that they're durable and don't break if dropped. The size is perfect for the 'stage 1' foods since the portions are typically just 2 oz (the same size as these containers) and once our baby bumped up in portion size we just started using 2 of these containers for a single feeding. And the containers are small enough to where having to take multiple containers for a feeding doesn't cause a problem when traveling since they don't take up that much more room in the cooler.
My only con with this product is the screw on lid sometimes it doesn't seem to 'catch' properly and I'll think I'll have screwed it on tightly, but it turns out that it's not. I wouldn't consdier this a huge problem, however. After the first time or two, I just became more aware of it and made extra sure it gets tightened properly and it hasn't been a problem since.
Overall, I really like these containers and have recommended them to some friends as well.
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the apple/grape combination is another munchkin approved product. we've tried apple-apple, apple-banana, apple-peach, apple-mango, apple-strawberry, apple-cinnamon and they are all wonderful. my daughter is allowed to pack her own lunch which usually consist of a either lunchable or a sandwich, her apple sauce pouch, vege(carrot sticks or grape tomatoes) and juice. the lunch + recess schedule for 1st grader is only about a total of 15 minutes so when she wants to play, she'll eat her main meal, some vege and drinker her juice in the cafeteria. since the pouch is self contained, she takes it outside and eat it on the go.
