Overview
Giving your baby their first solid foods can be an exciting milestone. If you’re planning on preparing your baby’s foods at home, we’re here to cheer you on, mama.
Choosing the right baby food maker can be overwhelming, considering the many brands and models available. Plus, there are many factors you might need to think about.
For example, do you want a deluxe, all-in-one food maker with both a steam cooker and blender or just a food processor for making purées?
BÉABA baby food makers are among the most popular kitchen tools for preparing homemade baby food.
You can use any of these kitchen tools to prepare your baby’s first solid foods, but which BÉABA Babycook is the best baby food maker? Are these kitchen tools worth your money, and are they dishwasher safe?
Learn more about them below.
Are Baby Cookers Worth It?
Yes, baby food makers can be worth your money if you regularly prepare your baby’s foods. These kitchen tools can make food prep easier and quicker for you.
High-end, more expensive baby food processors usually have a steam cooker and a blend feature, but budget-friendly ones might only offer blending or puréeing options.
Kitchen gadgets like baby food makers can be a great addition to your countertop.
You might have peace of mind knowing that your baby is eating freshly prepared healthy foods with no additives, preservatives, or other questionable ingredients.
As many as 95% of commercial baby food products can contain harmful chemicals and heavy metals. Yet despite being called out for their toxic content, baby food recalls weren’t issued for most of these products. (1)(2)
Regular exposure to these toxic chemicals can cause IQ decrease, antisocial behavior, cognitive and reproductive problems, diabetes, and other health problems. (1)(2)
Is The BÉABA Babycook Worth It?
The answer depends on your needs, mama. But if you plan on regularly preparing your little one’s food, then the BÉABA Babycook can be worth your money.
Although veggie prices can vary, it can be cheaper to prepare homemade baby food. For example, a 3-lb bag of sweet potatoes can cost around $3-4.
In contrast, a jar of 2.5 oz Gerber baby food costs around $1 while organic baby food meals (4 oz) from Little Spoon BabyBlends start at $2.75 per meal and Yumi at $3.00 per meal.
You could save money if you prepare your baby’s food.
All the BÉABA Babycooks cost over $100 up to $250, but they can steam and blend your baby’s food in minutes, with minimal inputs from you. No wonder they’re best sellers on BEABA USA’s online store.
That kind of convenience can be a huge deciding factor in choosing these products for many moms, even if these might be more expensive than regular kitchen appliances.
Aside from making purées, these baby food processors can also steam fruits and vegetables for making finger foods.
So, they can be handy even if your child is past the purée stage in traditional weaning or doing baby-led weaning.
Are BÉABA Baby Food Makers Dishwasher Safe?
Yes. All the non-electronic parts of BÉABA baby food makers are dishwasher safe. For many time-strapped moms like us, this feature is heaven-sent.
Still, after washing, be sure to double-check for foods stuck in nooks and crevices to reduce the risks of contamination or possible food-borne illnesses.
Residual food can build up in these hidden crevices, possibly leading to mold build-up or other safety issues.
However, it’s something that can happen to any baby food processor, not just to this brand.
Common Features
All the BÉABA Baby Food Makers have the following features:
- Capabilities: Each one is a 4-in-1 baby food processor that can steam cook, blend, defrost, and reheat baby food or warm stored breast milk and formula.
- Meal stages: They’re designed to help you make any stage of baby or toddler food from purées to solids.
- Quick meal preparations: You can use these food makers to prepare fresh and healthy meals for babies and toddlers in around 15 minutes.
- Cooking from raw: All of these gadgets can make cooked and puréed baby foods from raw ingredients, including fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish.
- Advantage of same-container steaming and blending: The leftover nutrient-rich liquid from steaming can be used to make the purée.
- Safety: All the food makers are free from BPA, lead, and phthalate (toxic chemicals that can affect your baby’s reproductive organs, brain development, or might cause cancer and other health issues). (3)(4)
- Cooking timer: These products have an automatic shut-off timer that makes a signal tone at the end of each cooking cycle.
- Warranty: One year
- Graduated bowls: These come with levels in mL/cups to help you check the amount of baby food you’re preparing.
- Included accessories: Spatula, multilingual recipe booklet, mixing lid, and instruction manual
This brand has been producing all-in-one baby food makers, marketed under their BÉABA Babycook line, for over 25 years.
They also have other baby gear and products, including high chairs, insulated jars, feeding sets, baby spoons, baby food containers, and bibs.
Main Differences: BÉABA Baby Food Makers
BEABA Babycook Neo
- Glass jar
- It might have the safest jars of all these baby food processors because the rest have BPA-plastic jars.
- Glass is a safer option than plastic because it doesn’t contain toxic chemicals that can contaminate food. It can also be safely washed and sterilized at high temperatures. (5)
BÉABA Babycook Original
- Smaller, budget-friendly option
- If you prefer a baby food processor for preparing smaller batches, then the BÉABA Babycook Original can be ideal for you.
- It’s also the cheapest of all these baby food makers.
BÉABA Babycook Solo Baby Food Maker
- Mid-range option
- It has more features than the Original and is similar to the Duo but with half the capacity.
BÉABA Babycook Duo 4-in-1 Baby Food Maker
- It has two jars that you can use for simultaneously preparing different batches of your own baby food.
- It has the highest capacity (9.1 cups) among the BÉABA Babycooks.
Learn more about each BÉABA Babycook below.
BÉABA Babycook Neo
What Makes It Special?
- It has a glass jar that can be safer than plastic. (5)
- It features easier accessibility to the water reservoir compared with the other BÉABA Babycook models.
- It also has a large reservoir opening for easy cleaning.
Key Features
- Material: Glass jar
- Capabilities: Steam cooks, blends, defrosts, and reheats
- Cup Capacity: 5.2 cups
- Portability: Not portable
- Timer: Yes, automatic switch-off with a signal tone at the end of each cooking cycle
- Dishwasher-safe: Yes, all the non-electronic parts
Safety Features
- It features a double safety lock on the bowl to ensure that all the parts are properly locked before any operation starts.
Other Specifications & Special Features
- Dimensions: 14.37 x 11.85 x 10.67 inches
- Available Colors: Cloud gray, midnight blue, and eucalyptus green
Product Recall
- BÉABA recalled the Babycook Neo steam cooker and blender combo (midnight blue and cloud gray colors) for potential injury or laceration hazard in 2019. (6)
- The company received as many as 300 consumer reports of the product’s detachable glass bowl shattering.
- Three of these shattering incidents led to minor injuries.
- The recalled products have the following UPCs (universal product codes): 812995013206 and 812995013213. (6)
- Affected customers were told to check for this 12-digit code located under the barcode on the bottom of the product box, under the “North America” section.
- The code can also be found on the purchase receipt or the order email for online purchases.
- The reference codes 912645 and 912646 can also be used to identify the models that might be affected. These reference codes are only a part number that indicates the unit’s color.
- This recall only affected products sold in the United States and Canada from July 2018 and February 2019. (6)
- This recall is no longer active or in effect.
- The company has replaced at least 5,000 units of the affected product.
- BÉABA assures customers that the current Neo baby food makers have a new and improved glass bowl. They claim that it’s designed for increased strength and resilience.
- There hasn’t been any new recall of BÉABA Babycook products. These baby food processors are still on the market.
Cons
- It had a recall over safety issues.
- It’s the most expensive of all the BÉABA baby food processors.
What Customers Say
Positive Reviews
“I also love that the glass and metal doesn’t get stained or just worn down like maybe plastic would so it def worth the upgrade. Thank you!” – Reviewer on BEABA USA’s website.
Negative Reviews
“I don’t like the following: the steam reservoir accumulated a dark brown like liquid, blender slides across counter when pressing blend button, the pour part of the glass container is open while blending and food spatters all over the wall and table it’s on, and the white plastic top stains easily.” – Reviewer on Amazon.
BÉABA Babycook Original
What Makes It Special?
- It’s the smallest (only 3.7 cups) and costs the least among the BÉABA Babycooks.
- This food maker can be a good choice if you prefer cooking your own baby food in smaller batches.
Key Features
- Material: BPA-free PP (polypropylene) plastic
- Capabilities: Steamer, blender, warmer, and defroster
- Cup Capacity: 3.7 cups
- Portability: Not portable
- Timer: Yes, automatically shuts off
- Dishwasher-safe: Yes, top-rack for bowl and basket
Safety Features
- It features a safety lock on the bowl to ensure it’s properly locked in place before the operation starts.
Other Specifications & Special Features
- Dimensions: 7.8 x 7.8 x 2.2 inches
- Available Colors: Gray and white combination
Product Recall
- None
Cons
- Unlike the other BÉABA food makers, this one isn’t designed for a one-handed operation.
- It’s made of plastic. Although it’s BPA-free, studies show that even BPA-free alternatives can leak toxic chemicals which might still affect your baby’s development, reproductive system, or cause cancer. (7)
What Customers Say
Positive Reviews
“I was so stupid to not have gotten this sooner! It takes 15 mins-20- it’s so so easy with a newborn and 2 kids. If you are thinking of buying this, stop thinking and buy it asap!” – Reviewer on BÉABA USA’s website.
Negative Reviews
“I had to steam carrots, potatoes and veal for 2 hours refilling the water every 20 minutes since food barely got cooked through after few times. The blender didn’t blend, i had to throw everything in my ninja blender even the food was cut into 1inch pieces.” – Reviewer on Amazon.
BÉABA Babycook Solo Baby Food Maker
What Makes It Special?
- It’s a medium-sized, mid-range BÉABA Babycook with a BPA-free plastic jar.
- It’s designed for one-handed operation.
- It features a removable power cable for easy storage.
- It has a double safety lock on the bowl to ensure that all the parts are properly installed before you can use them.
Key Features
- Material: Stainless steel water reservoir and BPA-free plastic jar
- Capabilities: Steam cooks, blends, defrosts, and reheats
- Cup Capacity: 4.5 cups
- Portability: Not portable
- Timer: Yes, auto shut-off cooking timer
- Dishwasher-safe: Yes, steam basket and cooking container
Safety Features
- It features a double safety lock on the bowl to ensure that all the parts are properly locked before any operation starts.
Other Specifications & Special Features
- Dimensions: 10.75 x 10 x 7.83 inches
- Available Colors: Cloud gray, eucalyptus, charcoal gray, pine green, black, navy blue, rose gold, and white
Product Recall
- None
Cons
- It only has one jar for food preparation.
- It’s made of BPA-free plastic. Although BPA-free is often considered safe, studies show that even these BPA-free alternatives might still leak toxic chemicals. If that happens, then they can still affect your baby’s growth and development, reproductive system, or cause cancer. (7)
What Customers Say
Positive Reviews
“I was so excited when the pediatrician gave us the go ahead to start introducing solids to my daughter, because that meant I could finally use the babycook! The first meal I made her was a sweet potato and carrot purée. She LOVED it! Making it couldn’t have been easier.” – Reviewer on BEABA USA’s website.
Negative Reviews
“It can only steam small amounts, thus making it time consuming to make multiple batches. There is only 1 blade “level”; trying to purée foods was a pain. If too much food was added, it wouldn’t purée.” – Reviewer on Amazon.
BÉABA Babycook Duo 4-in-1 Baby Food Maker
What Makes It Special?
- It has similar features as BÉABA Babycook Solo Baby Food Maker but has double the capabilities, thanks to its two jars.
Key Features
- Material: BPA-free plastic jar with a stainless-steel water reservoir
- Capabilities: Steam cooks, blends, defrosts, and reheats
- Cup Capacity: Up to 9.1 cups of food
- Portability: No
- Timer: Auto shut-off cooking timer
- Dishwasher-safe: Yes, steam basket and cooking container
Safety Features
- It has a double safety lock on both bowls to ensure that all these parts are properly locked before any operation starts.
Other Specifications & Special Features
- Dimensions (in inches): 14.5 x 9.5 x 7
- Available Colors: Eucalyptus green, white, charcoal gray, rose gold, and cloud gray
Product Recall
- None
Cons
- It’s made of plastic. According to studies, the materials from these BPA-free alternatives can still leak toxic chemicals. These might affect your baby’s reproductive system or cause cancer. (7)
- Some customers complain about leaking containers.
What Customers Say
Positive Reviews
“Holy grail of cooking healthy baby food and snacks for the whole family. This does it all.” – Reviewer on Amazon.
Negative Reviews
“The plastic is so flimsy. And the blender jars are already leaking water when I use it to measure water. And now after three months (I only used it 3x a month) and the machine is already making an odd sound. I would not suggest anyone buying this machine.” – Reviewer on Amazon.
Summary & Recommendations
Which BÉABA Babycook Is The Best?
Each of these baby food makers has its strengths and weaknesses. You can choose the best BÉABA Babycook, depending on your needs and budget. Here are our recommendations:
Most Efficient
If you want the most efficient option, the BÉABA Babycook Duo 4-in-1 Baby Food Maker might be the best choice.
It has two jars that let you simultaneously prepare different batches of your own baby food with the highest capacity (9.1 cups) than the other BÉABA Babycooks.
Safe Jar
Made of glass, the BEABA Babycook Neo might have the safest jars of all these baby food processors. The rest have BPA-plastic jars.
Smaller, Budget-friendly Option
If you prefer a baby food processor for preparing smaller batches, then the BÉABA Babycook Original can be ideal for you. It’s also the cheapest of all these baby food makers.
Mid-Range Option
The BÉABA Babycook Solo Baby Food Maker has better features than the Original and is similar to the Duo but with half its capacity.
Other Baby Food Makers
The following are other baby food makers to consider:
Multi-Function Food Makers
- Babymoov Duo Meal Station Food Maker
- Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker (Glass)
- QOOC Mini Baby Food Maker Pro
Budget-Friendly Baby Food Processors
Baby Food Pouch Makers
Baby Food Storage Containers & Accessories
- Baby Bliss Eco-Friendly Silicone Baby Food Freezer Storage Tray
- OXO Tot Baby Blocks Storage Containers
- Kiddo Feedo Baby Food Storage Container & Freezer Tray
- QOOC Baby Food Freezer Storage Container
- Mumu & Bubi Solids Starter Kit
- Sage Spoonfuls Glass Snack Pack
REFERENCES
(1) http://www.healthybabyfood.org/sites/healthybabyfoods.org/files/2019-10/BabyFoodReport_FULLREPORT_ENGLISH_R5b.pdf
(2) https://www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/heavy-metals-in-baby-food-a6772370847/
(3) https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/documents/Pubs/210-090E_BPAandPhthalates.pdf
(4) https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/leadpoisoning/index.html
(5) https://www.usgbc.org/articles/why-glass-better-plastic
(6) https://beabausa.com/recall/
(7) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4063249/
