I will be the first to admit that I am a lazy parent. It is not just that I am lazy — but I am busy too. I have a full-time job and with the volatile conditions of our world right now, I have become a full-time-work-from-home mum. That means I have to reply emails, get on conference calls and do whatever it is my job requires me to do WHILE also ensuring my one-year-old son gets fed on time, is bathed and clothed as well as whatever else it is he demands.
I used to just buy food pouches for him. That’s what he would eat for lunch and dinner.
Until my paediatrician warned me that it was not sufficiently nutritious for him to have only food pouches in his diet. She asked me why I don’t cook for him and my reply was “too busy”.
Yes, she said, she understands. But I had to switch him over to freshly cooked food in order for him to get the nutrients he needs and put on weight.
The thought of cooking for him every time… and the amount of cleanup I would have to do afterwards just made me dread adding on yet another task onto my busy plate.
But I had no choice. I love my son and I want to give him the best. So I started cooking every day. I would spend an hour in the kitchen cooking every morning, waking up extra early to make sure his meals are prepared ahead of my workday.
Then I saw the Philips Avent 4-in-1 Healthy Baby Food Maker in a video shared in a mummy community group on Facebook one day. And by sheer serendipity, I was given a unit for review. So here’s what I think about it:
Philips Avent 4-in-1 Healthy Baby Food Maker Review
Let me start off by saying first that I was already sold on the idea of this food maker when I saw that video circulating online. The mum was putting her cut up vegetables into the steamer, then just closing the lid and letting the machine do its job for 20 minutes. She would go off and spend time with her child, come back after 20 minutes, flip the container around and blend the vegetables into a puree in 5 seconds. Et voila! Her child’s food would be ready for consumption.
But as any sceptical mum would also think, “Could it really be that easy?”
So I tried it out myself. I cut up some broccoli and carrots (basically whatever I had in my fridge at the time). I put it into the container, filled up the steamer with water and let it do its job.
15-20 minutes later, I came back, flipped it upside down and pureed it. And true enough, there is was. A perfectly pureed combination of the steamed vegetables.
One of my favourite features of this food maker is also that it allows multiple layers of steaming at the same time. The set comes with one extra layer of “container” where you can add in other vegetables you want to steam.
Since my son is more into whole steamed foods nowadays, this was perfect because it meant that I could steam different types of vegetables at the same time and not have to mix it up.
I could use that main container for puree and the smaller extra container for the whole foods. It was brilliant!
The verdict
Of course, this was the easy part. What about cleaning? Since cleanup is hardly any parent’s favourite thing to do, it is quite clear that Philips Avent has thought this process through and made it as easy as possible for parents in this product.
From the 2-in-1 steamer/blender function (not having to clean up two machines), to the minimal parts the machine contained, the product is incredibly convenient for the busy working parent.
Cleanup did not take long because all I had to do was wash the main container and the blender blades, drain out any remaining water from the machine and that’s it.
From prep to cooking time to cleanup, the entire process took me half an hour. That is half an hour saved every day and bonus points because I get to sleep in a little extra.
I wish I had found this sooner, rather than only when my son turned one. This would have been super useful when he was starting to take solids.
The Philips Avent 4-in-1 Healthy Baby Food Maker also comes with a quick guide with recipes for weaning and that’s very helpful for parents who don’t know where to start with weaning.
Overall, I have to say I am very impressed with this product and priced at only RM659, I would say that is a steal.
For more information on Philips Avent 4-in-1 Healthy Baby Food Maker, visit their website here.