My baby is now 9 months old--9 months! Where does the time go?? I thought I would start giving Jacob solids when he turned 6 months old, but he really didn't start eating solids regularly until he was about 7 months old. One thing I knew from the beginning was that I wanted to prepare fresh food for him myself, and that's where Sage Spoonfuls comes in!
I could find no better way to describe Sage Spoonfuls than how it is summarized on their Facebook page: Sage Spoonfuls is a grab-and-go homemade baby food system for today's busy moms! I might be a "stay-at-home" mom, but that certainly doesn't mean that I stay home every day, or that I'm not extremely busy! We all know that making your own baby food vs just buying it premade from the grocery store is going to take you more time, but Sage Spoonfuls helps to make it as quick and fun of a process as possible!
I was sent the Sage Spoonfuls "Let's Get Started" Set for my review (pictured above). Here is what is included in this set:
- "Sage Spoonfuls-Simple Recipes, Healthy Meals, Happy Babies" written by Liza Huber, Winner of the 2012 Mom's Best Literary Gold Award!
- Immersion Blender and Food Processor – puree 2 week's worth of baby food in just seconds!
- 12 BPA-free 4 oz Storage Jars with 60 Labels – make and store your baby's food in large batches and easily take it on-the-go. Made in the USA!
- 2 Stackable Storage Trays – keeps your fresh baby food organized and easily accessable. Made in the USA!
- 1 Pocket Guide – learn about age-appropriate foods, foods to avoid, organics, infant CPR and more
Let's start out by talking about the cookbook. A cookbook for baby food is not something I probably would have thought to go out and buy. I mean, it's just a couple of fruits and veggies, right? Well, to put it simply,I was wrong. Now that I have the cookbook, I really like it! The cookbook starts out by offering tips for starting solids. It talks about foods that are and are not appropriate for babies (such as honey being a no-no before a year old) but also goes into detail about different herbs and spices that can be added to your babies food to help make it a little tastier for them. For instance, Liza mentions adding mint and cinnamon, among other things. I would have never thought of this on my own! It seems so simple, and yet I just would not have thought of it!
The cookbook also talks about the best way to prepare fruits and veggies. Ever wonder which things are best to steam, bake, or need no prep work? Liza has broken the book up by foods and she helps you to know just how to prepare it for your little one. At the back of the cookbook, she includes recipes that the whole family can enjoy. She even includes some blank pages in the book for notes.
I'm really impressed with the cookbook and would recommend it to any mom who plans to make their own baby food!
Next lets talk about the Immersion Blender and Food Processor. There is one unit that plugs into the wall that you then attach to either the food processor or immersion blender, depending on what you'd like to use that time. I have found that generally I use the food processor but occasionally the immersion blender is nice (smoothie anyone?!). Both units are very easy to use and work great. *Small note--both of my kids hate loud noises and although neither of these are as loud as my blender, the baby still cries and my daughter runs from the room. I try to use them when my husband is home to cuddle with them while I am being loud.*
The "Let's Get Started" set comes with 12 BPA-free 4oz storage jars, plus 2 trays to hold them and 60 stickers so you can label your food. Now, since I'll be making a lot of baby food, I wanted to find the best way to make my storage labels last. Because I normally fill up 3 containers with each food I make, I have started a system: I put 1 sticker on a container and then put the other 2 containers with the same food in that row. Then, when I take them out for my son I start at the bottom and work my way up, using the container with the sticker on it last. So, instead of using 6 stickers, I just use 2. I also write small enough that I'm going to be able to reuse the stickers a few times by crossing out what I've written and putting the new food on the label. Extra labels are available for purchase separately however from the Sage Spoonfuls website, should I (or you) run out.
These storage jars are great for using at home or taking them out. So far I haven't had any problems with spills when I toss one in my diaper bag from trips out.
The last thing that came in this set was the pocket guide. The pocket guide is a quick reference to let you know what foods are recommended for ages 4-6M, 7-9M, & 10-12M. It also contains information about which foods you should purchase organically (due to high pesticide content), foods to avoid in the first year, and CPR and choking first aid. We keep our pocket guide right on the refrigerator!
Overall, I love this set! It has been fun thinking of different combinations of foods to make for Jacob. He's had everything from bananas and peaches to spinach and quinoa--I can't say he's liked everything he's tried (I tend to have picky eaters) but it's nice introducing him to so many flavors and textures!!
Buy It: You can purchase this set, titled the "Let's Get Started Packaged" for $99.99, and it's available directly from the Sage Spoonfuls website. Now, maybe you already had a food processor but you'd like to purchase the cookbook, storage trays and jars--well you can do that too because everything is also offered for individual purchase! You can also purchase from Amazon for as low as $89.
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Disclosure: Janessa received this item to facilitate this review. I did not receive any compensation for hosting this giveaway. Amazon links are affiliate links which contribute to the cost of maintaining this website.
Maya Hoehne says
Rice cereal for its iron content.
Courtney Wallace says
Rice cereal because of iron and the Dr said that was an easy transition.
Bri says
First coming in August, so unsure what we'll start with when the transition to solids comes along. Unsure of rice cereal due to all the controversy surrounding it and those that say it's not good for baby. More research to be done here!
Christa Lopez says
we started with rice cereal because the doctor recommended it.
jenniejn says
we started with rice cereal because less stuff than others and dr said start with that
Beth R says
We started with avocado because it is easy to eat and also has a mild flavor
Nicole says
Rice cereal.
raceracegirl says
My baby loves fruit puree.
Thanks for the chance!
raceracegirl at yahoo dot com
Charity says
I plan to start with some veggies, probably sweet potatoes and peas.
barnold barnes says
Beef, because the pediatrician recommended it. It's better than fortified cereal for iron because babies absorb it in a natural food better than they absorb it as an additive (according to research).
Molli Vandehey says
ive followed my kids lead on things, making all our regular foods babysafe... my oldest first ate a pierogy off my spoon when i wasnt looking, my middle child snagged blue cheese at christmas dinner with his hands, and my youngest helped herself to some pickled beets... wondering what the next one will do!
Jessica says
Rice cereal or a fruit
Allison Downes says
Rice Cereal
Thanks for the chance to win!
Sarah Hull says
I think I started my first son on sweet potatoes...I can't believe I forgot! Our second son is only 2 months, so when he is ready for food, I think I would start with sweet potatoes or maybe avocados.
latanya t says
rice cereal
Wendy Mastin says
First Cereal and then the fruits.
Katherine D. says
We started with bananas
Stephanie says
I started my son out on avocado! We will do the same with our next baby too 🙂 I started out on this fruit because it's such a healthy, full fat (healthy fats!) fruit and it has a very low allergy rate. It's easy to puree and you can mix it with so many other things!
rosie says
bananas or carrots
Ruth V. says
We started with pears and oatmeal. My little guy doesn't love sweets. He loves Greek Yogurt though 🙂
bellsam says
beets and broccoli
Meg Whelton says
Love her receipes!!
Rebekah says
We started with avocado for all the same reasons the other avaocado-first mamas have said: it's easy to smash, mixes well with other foods (little man's favorite is what we call applecado 🙂 ), has a mild taste, and is full of good, healthy fats.
Karina says
usually cereal but after reading some of the comments i might try something else when my 7 week old starts eating solids.
asexual says
I think we will probably start with sweet potatoes because thats what I started my little brother with.
asexual says
I think we will probably start with sweet potatoes because thats what I started my little brother with.
meegan whitford says
home made rice cereal then bananas and apples