Recommend: Beaba Baby Food Maker

Price: $149.99

I used this machine for several months back when I was making purees for my son, and I loved it. I love that it does everything all in one (steams, purees & thaws). It's easy to clean and easy to use. The only downfall I can see is that you can not make large batches at once.

Pros:
-steams & purees all in one device which means less to clean
-steamer automatically shuts off when veggie is done
-easy pour spout
-comes with a great spatula
-dishwasher safe
-doesn't take up too much space
-can be used to thaw frozen foods


Cons
-expensive
-can not make large batches
-doesn't serve much purpose once baby no longer eats purees

Overall I love this machine and will use it again for my next child. It's a great way to make purees or even to soften harder foods (carrots, etc). It is expensive and pots & pans will do the same job (and in larger portions), but if you are looking for a baby food cooker and can afford this one, I would definitely recommend it.

Do not recommend: food trays

Kidco Babysteps Freezer Storage Tray

Price: $9.99

I bought this product on a whim from babies r us. I kept reading how people freeze baby food in these trays and simply thaw one or two at a time for the baby. The set comes with 2 trays and each tray has seven 2oz cubes.

Pros:

-freezes individual portions

-writing surface (if you have a dry erase marker) to mark dates & foods

-dishwasher safe

-stackable

-BPA free

Cons:

-when I measured each compartment I found that they are actually 1 ounce each, not 2 like they say

-my food was getting freezer burnt

Recommend: I could get over the fact that each compartment is only 1 ounce, but I did not like that the food was freezer burnt after just one night. If someone asked for my recommendation I would probably steer them in the direction of the Stay Fresh Baby Food Containers instead. For almost the same price you get more storage and less ice crystals.

UPDATE: Stay Fresh Baby Food Containers

Yesterday evening I sent One Step Ahead an email asking if these food containers are BPA free. I assumed they weren't since they are not marked as such, but being that almost everything is BPA free at this day and age, I had a hard time believing these weren't. I got a response this morning and I am very happy to announce that this product IS BPA free!!! Now I feel totally confident recommending them!!!!

Here is the email:

Dear Barbie,

Thank you for contacting us. Item #14361 Stay Fresh Baby Food Containers 12 pack are BPA free.
Please let us know if you have any additional questions.
*Please include original message with reply
Thank you for choosing One Step Ahead & Leaps and BoundsJanCustomer Care RepresentativeOSA Sales (800)274-8440 Open 24 HoursLAB Sales (800)477-2189 Open 24 Hours Customer Service (800)950-5120 or (888)203-2265 M-F, 7 am - 6 pm CSTFax One Step Ahead Orders (847)615-7236 Leaps and Bounds Orders (847)615-8478

Torn: Stay-Fresh Baby Food Containers

Stay-Fresh Baby Food Containers 12-Pack
Price: $9.95 for twelve containers and a tray

Since I make all of Trent's foods, I knew I needed a way to store it all. At first I used ice cube trays but they just weren't cutting it. I did some research and found a few different options, but they all seemed to be very poor quality. The Stay_Fresh baby food containers, however, really caught my eye. I got them in the mail in no time at all and was very pleased when I opened the package. The containers are stackable, dishwasher safe, freezer safe and microwave safe. Each container has a mark at 1 ounce and at 2 ounce. I put a piece of scotch tape on each container and label it with the contents. The tape comes off easily when its time to wash.

Pros:
-stackable, dishwasher safe, freezer safe and microwave safe
-the lids screw on!! this is a huge plus
-marked for 1 ounce or 2
-very portable
-inexpensive
-I've been using mine for only 2 months but they seem to hold up really well
-they do not take up alot of space in the freezer
-the tray is great for the freezer (our freezer has slatted shelves, so the containers would be off balance and take up more space if it weren't for the tray)

Cons:
-if you fill them above the 2 ounce line there is a good chance the lid will pop off in the freezer
-it's hard to read the 1 ounce/2 ounce marking
-exclusively from One Step Ahead - which means you will always have to pay shipping costs and wait for them to arrive
-they "only" hold 2 ounces. This could become an inconvenience if you're child is eating more than 2 ounces at a time
-they are not marked as being BPA free

Recommend: If they were BPA free I would definitely without a doubt recommend them. Since they aren't marked as being BPA free I have to assume they are not, and for this reason I would not recommend them :-(

I have an email into the customer service department of One Step Ahead. I will update if/when I get a clear answer.

UPDATE: Yesterday evening I sent One Step Ahead an email asking if these food containers are BPA free. I assumed they weren't since they are not marked as such, but being that almost everything is BPA free at this day and age, I had a hard time believing these weren't. I got a response this morning and I am very happy to announce that this product IS BPA free!!! Now I feel totally confident recommending them!!!!

Homemade: Laundry Detergent

This is a homemade laundry detergent recipe I got from the Duggar Family website
How Much Does it Make: 10 gallons
Cost: Approximately $10 to get you started but breaks down to approximately $2 for every 10 gallons of detergent

Ingredients Needed:
4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

(I found these items in the laundry aisle of my local grocer)

Recipe:

• Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.


• Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.


• Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)


• Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
  


• Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.


• Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)


• Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

(you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars in place of the Fels-Naptha. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. Alicia and Barbie used only the main 4 ingredients)

Alicia's Take: I have been pleased with it! It's so cheap and easy to make! When we first made it, I had a bunch of my previous detergent to finish up, so never got around to using it for awhile. It's not very appealing to the eye if it's been sitting awhile (can be a little clumping and starts to separate) so when I ran out of my old detergent, I was hesitant to give it it's first go. But since then I've been using it exclusively. With a baby in cloth diapers (and with a baby in general) you go through more detergent than ever and it's been fine to use on his clothing and linens as well.

Barbie's Take: I have been very pleased with our homemade detergent. It was quick and easy to make, and easy to store. We keep the main 10 gallon bucket in our garage and we simply fill up an old laundry detergent container whenever we need to. I love that it has only a mild scent to it....nothing overwhelming (by any means!!). It definitely get our clothes clean and it saves us so much money. I will continue to make this detergent in the future.

Pros:
-very inexpensive
-fairly easy to make
-it works
-good for the environment

Cons:
-could potentially be a pain to store the left-over detergent