BabySteps: Complete System to Make Your Own Baby Food Review + Giveaway (Closed)

I’m pretty proud of the fact that I made Toddler Boy’s baby food when he was little and, so far, have made most of Baby Girl’s. While the actual task of making the food it quite simple, the process can be a little daunting and overwhelming to start from scratch. That’s why I was so very excited to find the KidCo BabySteps Natural Feeding system. The system is as easy as 1-2-3 and has everything you need to make baby food from start to finish.

About KidCo Natural Feeding products, from the website
In 2001, KidCo began manufacturing the Food Mill. A portable, non-electric food processor, the Food Mill has exploded into the infant feeding market, making it easy and convenient for moms to prepare fresh, home-made baby food anywhere. And in 2005, KidCo expanded this single item line into a full line of natural feeding products. BabySteps was introduced to help parents feed their infants fresh, healthy, homemade baby food.

Making baby food is easy with the BabySteps system. It includes products to help you with
1. Preparation, 2. Storage and 3. Feeding.

Preparation
The Complete Natural Feeding System includes three products to help you prepare food for baby. The BabySteps Guide, BabySteps Food Mill with Carrying Case and BabySteps Electric Food Mill.

The BabySteps Guide is an informative spiral-bound book that walks you through every phase of making baby food. It includes everything from tips on buying organic and picking good produce to recipes based on age-appropriate food. The Guide is perfect for use with the BabySteps system as it walks you through all three stages of natural feeding.

Prior to using the BabySteps System, I’d never used a food mill. The BabySteps Food Mill is great for travel. It requires no batteries or electricity and relies on good old-fashioned elbow grease to puree fresh food for baby.

Developed by a pediatrician, the BabySteps Food Mill has several great features and extras:
* 4 ounce serving cup – you can serve food right from the top of the Food Mill
* Carrying Case with serving spoon – perfect for travel, you have everything you need
* Strainer and stainless steel blade
* Dishwasher safe!

Like I said, this was my first time using a Food Mill and there was a bit of a learning curve. It took my husband and I a couple minutes to get it situated and working right. The instructions were helpful, though, and pointed us in the right direction. Once we got the Food Mill figured out, it was great and took literally a minute to go from a bowl of peas to spoon-feeding Baby Girl.

For larger food batch preparation and home use, the Electric Food Mill is awesome. A few of its important features:
* 2 cup bowl
* Non-skid bottom allowing for one handed use
* Turbo bottom to kick your prep into high gear
* Blending attachment that fits onto the blade and helps to mix the food
* Dishwasher safe!

I recently prepared pears for Baby Girl using the BabySteps Guide recipe and the Electric Food Mill. The Electric Food Mill is awesome! It’s small and very easy to use. It was simple, simple to put together and as soon as I put the top on the Mill it was grinding the pears. I used the blending attachment to help move the pears around because I wanted a very smooth consistency since Baby Girl is new to solids.

I am really pleased with the Electric Food Mill. I like that it’s small, not overwhelming to set up and easy to clean – a nice contrast to using a food processor.

Storage
The BabySteps System comes with 2 Freezer Trays. Each tray is separated into 7 2-ounce single servings. I am totally impressed with these Freezer Trays. I’ve used others and the tops do not stay on the bottom securely which causes freezer burn and general ickiness. The BabySteps lid actually locks on and totally seals closed. I also think it’s super cool that you can write info on the end of the Freezer Tray so you know what’s inside. And, like the other BabySteps products, the Freezer Tray and top are dishwasher safe.

Feeding
The final stage of the Natural Feeding process is the best part, right? The actual eating! The BabySteps Feeding Dish is very cool. It is really perfect for on the go eating and I can’t think of anything better for sending homemade baby food to daycare.

The BabySteps Feeding Dish is ideal for use with the Freezer Tray because the three section match the size and shape! Literally, all you have to do is pop a serving of frozen food into the Feeding Dish and heat it in the microwave and you’re ready to feed. The lid also seals each section so if you can put a fruit, veggie and a protein in the Feeding Dish and they will stay in place (rather than ending up with a giant mess).

I have to admit that I haven’t ventured out for meals much with Baby Girl since she started eating solids so I have only played around with the Feeding Tray. But, I know we will get a lot of use out of it.

To Buy… The BabySteps Complete Natural Feeding System has everything you need to preapre baby food at home. I love the Electric Food Mill and the the Freezer Tray is the best I’ve used.

Or Not to Buy… My least favorite of the System is the Food Mill at home. I know people love them so I’m going to stick with it and I do think it will be great to take on the go when I have the hang of it.

Shop! The BabySteps Complete Natural Feeding System retails for between $65 and $75 and can be purchased online. If you’re not looking for the complete system, the Natural Feeding products can also be purchased individually. KidCo also offers other great products to keep your kids safe, including Safety Gates and Bed Rails.

Win! KidCo is generously offering one reader of The Shopping Mama a BabySteps Complete Natural Feeding System!

How to Enter: Visit the Kidco website and take a look around and leave a comment with a product you’d like to try.

Bonus Entries – leave one comment for each you complete:
* Leave a comment on a non-giveaway All About Eating series post and let me know in a comment on this giveaway. You may leave a bonus entry comment here for every comment you leave on other posts!
* Register to receive KidCo email updates
* Follow The Shopping Mama on Twitter and Tweet this: Win a BabySteps Complete System for making baby food @TheShoppingMama http://tinyurl.com/m9q7gu #giveaway
* Follow The Shopping Mama
* Subscribe to The Shopping Mama in a reader or email
* Post the All About Eating button on your blog
* Blog about the All About Eating series, including a link to http://www.theshoppingmama.com/ for FIVE bonus entries into every All About Eating giveaway.

Fine Print: Please leave a valid email address in your comment so I can contact you. If you prefer, leave a comment and then send me an email. Open to US and Canadian mailing addresses! Contest ends 11:59 pm July 15. Winner will be chosen via random.org and has 48 hours to respond or the prize will be awarded during a live giveaway.