My baby boy, Josh, is almost 14 months, so he’s pretty good at chewing foods now. However, he still needs/prefers some things to be pureed and I’m more than happy to oblige if it means he’s eating healthy fruit and veg without a fuss.
What’s in the box?
In the Squeeze Station box:
- Squeeze Station
- Three filling tubes
- One press
- 10 pouches
Magnet indicating how long pouches can be stored in the fridge and freezer
In the Steam & Smush box:
- Steamer container with lid
- Colander
- Hand masher
Any additional extras?
- Couple a Spoons (can be attached to the pouches to make feeding a smaller child easier) £4.99
- Fresh squeezed Squeeze Pouch Pack 50 - £14.99
- Keeper Squeeze Pouch (reusable pouch) - £7.99
- Fridge & Freezer Sleeve (for storage) -£8.99
- Stay Cool (cool bag) -£19.99
First impressions?
I couldn’t wait to try these products. I’ve been pureeing my son’s veg by boiling it on the stove first, then whizzing it up with an electric handheld blender.
It gets the job done but using the blender is a bit of a messy faff (parsnip up the wall anyone?) Not to mention tricky to clean as it can’t go in the dishwasher.
The Steam & Smush and Squeeze Station makes pureeing look simple, mess-free and, above all, fun (who doesn’t love the word ‘smush’?).
Was it easy to use?
First up, I prepared sweet potato. The Steam & Smush doesn’t come with instructions on how to steam food so a bit of a trial and error in terms of how much water to use and how long to microwave it for.
A word of warning - be careful when you remove it from the microwave as you could, as I did, get burned from the steam.
After a good smushing with the very effective smusher, (can you tell I love saying ‘smush’) I spooned the potato into a filling tube. It was harder to push the press down than I had imagined – it’s definitely a two-handed job.
On my first try I overfilled the tube so some food squidged up the side and over the top. A marker on the tube would have been helpful to curb my overzealous filling.
Still, when I prepared a second batch of food, banana (no steaming required, just smushing), I’d figured out how much was enough and the process was more seamless and much cleaner, and only took about five minutes.
What about portion sizes?
The portion size of the pouches is great! Small enough for Josh to hold, but big enough for him to get a decent feed. Having said this, the steamer is quite small so if you want to make a big batch, you’ll have to do it in stages. That’s fine if you’ve got time on your hands; a bit of a performance if you don’t.
How were the food pouches when out?
The pouches are fab to take out and about, and can be frozen for up to two months in case you want to prepare batches in advance.
There’s a dedicated space on the pouch to write the date and label what tasty treat is inside.
I also filled one of the pouches up with a yoghurt, which will mean I don’t have to discard the unfinished pot when we’re on the move – Josh can simply eat as much as he fancies as we can save the rest for later.
Is the kit good value for money?
Sadly, the pouches aren’t reusable, so you’ll need to buy more once you’ve used all 10 that come in the pack. And at £14.99 for a pack of 50, this could be a deal-breaker.
Alternatively, you can buy a reusable pouch for £7.99. I plan to use the pouches throughout the rest of the weaning period but not for every meal.
At home, I’ll use a pot and spoon; when we’re out I’ll take the pouches. I’ll need to bear in mind that they’re not microwave-safe, however, so will have to remove them from the freezer in plenty of time so they can defrost.
Is it easy to clean?
Yes, cleaning the components is easy peasy if you’re putting them in the dishwasher, but a bit more fiddly if washing them by hand. You may need a small brush to thoroughly clean the necks of the filling tubes.
Having said this, the sweet potato did stain the steamer container after being in the dishwasher so now sports an orange hue. Thank goodness I wasn’t trying beetroot.
MadeForMums Verdict
If you want to prepare fresh, healthy, homemade purees for your little one using fun, fuss-free apparatus, this is the weaning kit for you.
Consider, however, that you’ll need to buy additional pouches as they are not reusable.
