I never thought to try this product with my first child - honestly, I was too afraid to feed him fresh fruit in the first place. But I eagerly purchased it for my second child, knowing that I wanted to expose her to a wide variety of foods at a young age, but wanted to also make sure she was trying these foods safely.
The Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder is the only product I know of of its type - a mesh like pouch made with a small child friendly handle. The bits of food go in, and the child chews on the mesh part and gets the right sized food they need while experiencing a variety of foods. The mesh bag attaches to the handle and clips securely closed.
From the company:
"Ideal for fruits and vegetables. 6 months+
Healthy: give baby whole, fresh food safety
Safe: reduces risk of choking on large food pieces
Easy to use: place food into mesh bag - snap shut to secure
Ideal for home or travel - the Fresh Food Feeder will become baby's best friend. Baby will enjoy the great flavor, nutrition and goodness of whole food - while reducing the risk of choking.
To Use: Great for any food that is age appropriate for your baby including: frozen grapes, frozen melon, ice chips, carrots, squash, turkey, chicken and more. Place food into mesh bag, and snap shut to secure.
To Clean: Wash in warm soapy water and rinse thoroughly, or place in top rack of dishwasher. Use a toothbrush to remove food particles from mesh bag. While the bright colored mesh will help hide food stains, certain foods, such as carrots or berries, may cause mesh to discolor. Discoloration will not affect the performance of the feeder."
Sounds ideal right?
Well a product is really only as good as you can get your child to use it, and my daughter never did really get used to the idea of eating through this thing. Me, I though it was a wonderful idea - safe and not very messy. I thought it would let my child try foods on a fairly independent level, and cut down on my worrying about getting appropriately bite sized food, as well as on the mess of holding and squishing actual food.
But she never would really "eat" through it. I tried a variety of soft fruits and veggies around the home, as well as many meats, and still I could not find a single food that she seemed to want to eat using this thing.
I had visions of taking the Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder on outings, so when I needed to purchase food I wouldn't have to worry about if a store or restaurant diced things small enough, etc. But it never really made it out of the diaper bag any time we traveled with it - and the few times I attempted to use it while out, I just got a now messy Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder tossed back at me.
Though I was able to clean it by scrubbing really well as the directions stated, it did seem like a lot of work (as opposed to just rinsing) for a product that my daughter just really wasn't taking a liking to.
In trying a variety of things with her we finally just gave up and started presenting her with bite sized or mashed food - without the feeder - and our daughter ate it just fine. So I feel comfortable in saying, in our case, it was clearly the feeder and not the food.
As stated before, a product is only as good as the user, well, uses it ... and our daughter just never would.
Warnings
"This item is not a toy. Never leave child unattended while eating or drinking. Always inspect Fresh Food Feeder after each cleaning and before each use. Always check that the snap-tight lock is secure. Discard and replace item at first sign of wear or damage. This item is not a pacifier and should not be used as one. When baby is finished with the feeder, take the feeder out of reach."
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