A major aspect of a baby’s ability to chew and digest properly depends on how homemade baby food is prepared, from cooking to blending– and luckily, this baby food processor is here to help. Once your little one has reached the 6-month mark, it’s time to start implementing baby food into their diet– at this point, food should be steamed and blended in the baby food maker to a complete puree, making it as smooth as possible for easy swallowing and digestion. As they age and become more familiar with chewing, you can start blending foods a little less to give baby a little more to work with. Remember that babies’ teeth start coming in between 4 and 7 months, so they’ll be more ready to chomp down on delicious meals made in the baby food processor once they’re closer to a year or older. 

When steaming food for baby in the baby food maker, there are two aspects to consider: the amount of chewing baby can do and the temperature of the steamed vegetables themselves. To get fully softened vegetables that are easiest for baby to digest, you simply press the “steam only” option and wait until the cycle finishes. If baby is ready to chew more, you can try steaming the veggies for a shorter amount of time. However, parents should always let the steamed vegetables cool down before serving. Give the veggies time to cool, and test them yourself before letting baby try their next meal. If it still feels hot to you, it will feel even hotter for your little one! We recommend letting the steamed veggies from the baby food maker get to a lukewarm– or even completely cooled– degree before serving.

While store-bought baby food can last a little longer due to preservatives, it’s important to remember that homemade food will not last as long in the fridge or freezer– but the plus side is that homemade baby foods are much healthier, and this baby food processor makes it easy to blend meals quickly and conveniently. If you’re planning to store leftover baby food in the fridge, you’ll need to use it within 72 hours– for even less risk of bacterial growth, a 48-hour window is even safer. If you want to freeze the food from your baby food maker, remember that homemade baby food will only last about a month in the freezer.

Parents will always want to avoid the risk of germs and bacterial growth by keeping their baby food processor as clean as possible for every use. The baby food maker is designed for easy cleaning with a fully accessible steam tank that can be washed and wiped down after every use; the bowl and blades are also completely dishwasher safe, making cleaning even more convenient. After that, simply wipe down the LCD control panel and make sure your storage containers are clean!