Creating a baby registry for anyone can be overwhelming – it doesn’t help that they generally provide you with a checklist of 1000 items, of which maybe only 10% are really useful.  That being said, I thought I’d share some of my favourite food related products and personal opinions on why we stayed away from certain gadgets.

1. OXO Tot Feeding Spoon – these are my favourite spoons – I like that they were long and narrow, and the silicone made it really easy to scrape the bottoms of a small container or bowl.  The handles are also really long, which was great for my little one once she wanted to try feeding herself
2. Bumkins 3 Pack Waterproof SuperBib – I love these bibs because they are easy to wash and dry very quickly.  I was able to make do with only a 3 pack because they dried so quickly, which meant less clutter around my kitchen (and trust me, there’s enough of that even without having kids’ stuff around).  I also fell in love with the cute girl’s and boy’s patterns.
3. Bormioli Rocco 5oz Canning Jars – I used these jars to serve and transport my baby food purees.  In the morning, I would add a variety of frozen puree cubes to the jar and allow them to defrost – I would then be ready for lunch and dinner in one quick shot.  These jars were a bit big for the early weeks of feeding purees, but once my daughter was eating 3 to 4 tablespoons in each meal, I found it helpful to have a jar with a wide opening, so I could add larger cubes of food.  I also like the fact that canning jars are heat resistant – no hesitation  when placing the whole jar into some boiling water to heat up food.  The rubber seal makes these jars leak proof as well, which is an added bonus.
4. Mastrad Ice Cube Tray – I didn’t buy this tray especially for baby food – I happened to catch them on sale at Crate and Barrel years ago.  However, out of all the trays I used, this was my favourite.  Each cube fits a tablespoon of puree, which is a perfect portion multiple.  This tray has plastic walls, but a silicone base, which proved to be a much better design than a completely silicone tray, because the food popped out so easily, without having to let the food defrost at all (which was a problem I found with my Lekue tray.
5. Skip Hop Bento Mealtime Kit – I received this kit as a gift – these little containers with  the perfectly sized cooler bag that goes with it have gotten a lot of use.  Perfect for snacks and I love that they fit together so nicely.  They have literally gotten a lot of mileage on them, as we take them on vacation wherever we go – it is nice to have an organized cooler kit when traveling by plane, and great to have when you arrive at your destination if your host doesn’t have small enough containers that you can use.

Here are a few items that fell into the unitasker category for me (Alton Brown would not approve):

1. BEABA Babycook – basically this is a steamer and food processor in one.  But if you already own a food processor and/or Vitamix, at this price point, it just doesn’t make sense to me.  Also, my daughter only ate purees for about 5 months because she got her teeth so early – by the time she was 1, she was eating whatever we ate. I’m sure there is a convenience factor associated with a single machine, but I didn’t make baby food daily anyways.  I did everything on Sundays (usually because that was the day I’d go to the farmers market) and in larger batches so I could freeze them for the week.
2. OXO Tot Baby Blocks Freezer Storage Containers – I didn’t like the thought of heating up baby food in plastic, regardless of whether they were BPA-free or not.  Also, there is no way my freezer had enough room to nicely arrange these containers as shown in their product images.  I found that my ice cube tray method worked best, and I then stored the frozen cubes in a freezer bag.  Also, I would have no use for these itty-bitty containers in the future – another unitasker.

I’d love for you to share any great food related gadgets that you absolutely loved in the comments below!