Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Baby Product Review: Beaba Babypote - Reusable Food Pouch (Recipes included!)

Back when I bought all of my baby food making supplies, I came across this silicone reusable food pouch.  I didn't have a lot (well, any) experience with the disposable food pouches, but several friends had raved about how awesome they were for older babies and toddlers on the go, so I decided to give this reusable one a try.  Well, about a year later, we finally got to give it a shot! 
 
 
Beaba Babypote - Reusable Kids Squeeze Pouch
 

This past weekend, Michael & Annalyn picked me up from work and we had a little Target date to get some much needed baby proofing essentials.  Annalyn had just woken up from her nap and hadn't had a snack yet, so I bought her one of the disposable pouches at work.  I was amazed at how natural and easy it was for her.  Within minutes, she had it drained!  Which brings us to today and our experiment with this guy...



Washing the Babypote was super easy - all the pieces come apart and our bottle brush even fit inside the silicone pouch.  I decided to use a puree I know she loves - Avocado & Banana, but added some applesauce and milk to thin the puree to a consistency that could be easily sucked through the spout.
 
Avocado Banana Applesauce Smoothie

since I used the MB, I pureed
1/2 banana, 1/2 avocado, and about 1/2 c. applesauce
at a time, then added about 1/4 c. milk


 

 


Once the puree seemed right, I spooned it into the pouch (which holds 4 oz.), screwed the top piece in place, handed it to Peanut, and hoped for the best!  Once again, this little lady amazes me at how simple she makes everything seem lately.  She slurped and squeezed her way to the bottom (and really did a great job of emptying it) like she'd been doing it for months. 


 
 I refilled the pouch with a little more puree, and watched to see what she would do once she was actually full. (This is where we see what can go wrong.)  Note, just like the other pouches, all baby has to do is squeeze, and out comes the puree.  With the first serving, she didn't stop long enough to try, but as she got full, she started to investigate.  Am I going to hand this to her in my new car?  Probably not.  Can she handle it on her own?  Yes, but with supervision. 

 



Now for my favorite part - the pro/con list!
 
Pros:
- silicone makes it easy to clean, store, take along
- reusable, so much cheaper than buying the disposable ones (in the long run)
- I can continue to control what goes in the purees
- wonderful and healthy on the go snack for toddlers
- great way to add fruits and veggies - I made a second batch with some steamed kale added to the above mixture.  She loved it just as much!

Kale, Apple, and Banana'cado Puree
steam and kale then transfer to blender
along with cooking liquid

add some applesauce to help make it smoother

then add the banana'cado puree and water as needed


perfect, healthy green goodness!



Cons:
- the lid is not attached, so may be easy to lose
- with homemade purees, must be refrigerated until ready to use
- can get messy
- drinking purees can contribute to tooth decay, just like juices (which is why I'd recommend saving this for snacks and on the go... make it a special treat, not an every meal addition)
- expensive - right now the price on Amazon is $15.95 for 1!  I think I got mine on sale, but it was still around $11-12 if I remember right
 

 
Mama's verdict:  This is a great idea and a wonderful way to pack healthy homemade snacks on the go.  It's so much cheaper (after the initial cost), and babies seem to like the pouch concept.  The Babypote is easy to clean and handle, and Annalyn seemed to figure it out quickly.  However, there are many more resuable pouch options available now and most of them at a more reasonable price.  They come in packs of 2, 4, 6, 8, and so forth which would make it nice to plan ahead (maybe even freeze directly in the pouch - just be sure to allow extra room for expansion!).  I'm not completely sold on this product, but I do like it and will continue to use it.  In the meantime, I think we will try some of the other products available.  Here are a few I'm considering... any input? (all are BPA, PVC, and phthalate free)
 
1.  Squooshi Reusable Food Pouches - two different sizes (2.5 oz. and 4.5 oz.), dishwasher and freezer safe, refillable zipper seal on the bottom, cute animal designs, and about $36 for 8.  These also have replacement caps available for purchase - I can see that being helpful!

Squooshi Reusable Food Pouch (8 pack - assorted sizes)
2.  Yummi Pouches - holds about 6 oz., dishwasher and freezer safe, refillable zipper seal on the top, set of 6 for about $15.
Yummi Pouch (Set of 6)
3.  Little Green Pouch - holds up to 6 oz., dishwasher and freezer safe, top zipper seal, about $20 for 4 pack.
Little Green Pouch (4-pack)
 



4.  GoFreshBaby pouches - Another option I found with the top spout (seems more natural to me, not sure if baby would care?).  Not available on Amazon, but on their site, they are about $10 for 3 pouches, hold 5 oz., dishwasher/freezer safe, and have replacement caps available.
GoFreshBaby Reusable Food Pouch
 
5.  The Sili Squeeze - This looks like a more durable silicone squeeze pouch, similar to the Babypote.  Two sizes - 4 oz. with spill-proof spout (a nice feature!), and 6 oz. with free-flow spout.  Dishwasher/freezer safe, two pack (one of each size) is $29. 
 
The Sili Squeeze - Leaf Ultimate Sili Pack: 4oz Original Sili Squeeze & 6oz Sili Squeeze with Eeeze

14 comments:

  1. I am curious, does the lid totally screw on? I would love a mess free way for my girls to have applesauce/yogurt on the go!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, the purple part screws on, then the orange lid goes on top of that. I think pretty much all of the different types seal completely so they can be stored/toted around. Even the disposable one we bought in the store had a lid that screwed back on. Definitely nice for snacks on the go!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Did you try any others after this? We bought some with zippers on the bottom and had them come apart in the fridge or during feelings. :(

    ReplyDelete
  4. We've tried a few actually - we've probably used these Squooshi ones the most (they also have a zipper bottom, but I've never had an issued with them coming apart.
    http://makingmamaskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/02/baby-product-review-squooshi-reusable.html

    I also bought one of the Sili Squeeze silicone pouches that is non-spill. It's really good for times when you don't want to give them full reign (like in the car) but that being said, it takes longer and is a little harder for her to eat from. She still finishes most of it, but takes a lot longer and the puree has to be thinned more.
    http://makingmamaskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/03/baby-product-review-sili-squeeze-food.html

    I've seen (but not yet tried) the little green pouches on Amazon that have a zipper at the top and a spout on the side. That might be good if you have trouble with the bottom coming apart. Also, just be sure not to overfill the pouches. I do this all the time and then it squishes out when I try to close it. It can be deceiving! Good luck and let me know if you find a new amazing one :)

    Thanks for the comment,
    Ashley

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi - I think we have the amazing feeder that you are looking for! It's called Sucup Teeny-Weany and there is also a Sucup Toddler version. It addresses all the above problems
    Easy to fill
    You can see how much food is inside
    Absolutely NO waste
    Cannot be squeezed - clean to use
    Re-usable - can be put in the dishwasher
    Go to www.sucup.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I ordered one of the Sucups and LOVE IT! Thank you so much for the tip :) You can read my full review on it here: http://makingmamaskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/10/baby-product-review-sucup-feeder.html

      Thanks again!

      Delete
  6. Chris, Thanks for the tip! I'll have to check it out, looks like it could be cool! Besides, I always love trying new gadgets :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a fantastic review. I love the recipe you have provided also. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome! Glad it helped. I was so overwhelmed with all the options out there, but we found several we really liked. My daughter is now 2 and still uses some of them (especially the sucup). I'm looking forward to making more purees again with baby #2 though

      Delete
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