Fresh Baby So Easy Baby Food Kit Review and Giveaway

I don't know if you have been following all the news surrounding baby food from stores being recalled recently. In France they had a voluntary recall of Nestlé Baby food in glass jars, P’tit Pot Recette Banana baby food by Nestlé France, following the finding of glass in one jar by a consumer. Also, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning people not to consume certain Heinz Strained Meat baby food products because some jars have a glass deformity that could break off during normal use.

This is not a new problem it seems though because back in March of 2006 H-E-B brand products in Texas recalled their entire line of H-E-B baby food products from the shelves due to a few customer reports of pieces of glass being found inside the baby food jars of H-E-B peas, carrots and applesauce. It also happened in June of 2004 in Washington with Organic Baby and Naturally Preferred brands which were also recalled because of glass shards found. Even in February 1986, March 1986 and Sept. 1984 the well known Gerber brand of baby food had glass shards found in their jars, however; in 1986 Gerber never recalled the jars because the FDA instead dismissed the it saying they didn't plan on any action.

Over the years other things have been found in baby food and/or baby food packaging sold in stores across the country. Some of which are: Lead, mercury, mold, botulism, metal shards, BPA and Semicarbazide. No one wants to ever feed their baby hazardous things. For me these news stories only reinforce how much better and safer homemade baby food is.

Homemade baby food is not only safer but it is also very easy to make too, especially with the Fresh Baby So Easy Baby Food Kit. With this kit you can make fresh, natural baby food in less than 30 minutes a week. This kit is super convenient! Just open the box and get started! Everything you need is all right there for you. This award-winning all-in-one kit includes cookbook, freezer storage trays with lids, how-to DVD, and nutrition tip card. It is recommended by pediatricians and a perfect baby shower gift. The So Easy Baby Food Kit takes all of the guesswork out of making baby food. Nurture your growing baby with a balanced diet and provide the right start to a lifetime of healthy eating with the So Easy Baby Food Kit guiding you along every step or the way.

Benefits of Homemade Baby Food:
- increased nutrition
- elimination of additives
- improved freshness
- additional variety
- enhanced control
- less waste created
- more economical

The cookbook is very helpful. It is hardcover and spiral bound so it opens up flat. It goes through and talks about healthy eating habits, benefits of home-prepared baby food, introducing solid foods, dietary guidelines for babies, making and serving baby food, kitchen tools needed, safety basics, food choices broken up by age, traveling with homemade baby food and managing your time. It also has places to record your baby's eating milestones and recipes depending upon development. The recipes also have variations, things that would be good to combine with it and nutritional information.

The reusable trays are great for freezing baby food and they have lids that go on snug so that nothing foreign gets into the food and everything is sealed so there is also no spillage. These are made of a BPA and phthalate-free plastic that washes up easily by hand or in the dishwasher. Also, I am glad the trays are reusable. I certainly don't have all the packaging waste now that I am not buying baby food in jars which is a bonus since my recycling program here doesn't take glass. Now to find cool things to do with my old empty baby food jars and lids :) Even though the So Easy Baby Food Kit is designed for babies making the transition from breast or bottle to solid foods (babies about 6 months old), I have found these trays to be great for storing and freezing breastmilk in before the baby is ready for solids and also for making your own baby rice cereal. After your baby has moved on from baby food these trays can be used a number of other ways too. These include flavored ice cubes, regular ice cubes, toddler snack tray or Bento box meal tray, single serving dipping sauces, soup stock cubes, etc.

The DVD is 22 minutes long. It goes through the basics and step by step takes you through the simple process of selecting the right produce to preparing and making baby food on your own. Very helpful for the visual learner.

The nutrition tip card is laminated so it wipes clean easily. It includes: 10 healthy eating habits, common baby ailments and foods, best sources of nutrients, choking, fresh baby food tips, first foods by age. Great resources to have right at your fingertips so you won't have to flip through the cookbook to find them.

I am glad that I have this neat kit to make healthy homemade baby food for my daughter, Zari. I now know everything that I am putting into the baby food I make her so I know that it is safe and nutritious. It has helped to have a baby food grinder and blender on hand also to help me make the baby food. She is enjoying the homemade meals even more than the store bought ones she used to have. I also have a mesh teething baby safe feeder that she loves chewing on with the frozen cubes of baby food in.

So Easy Baby Food Kit includes:

• Cookbook: covers introducing solid food, includes over 40 recipes, hundreds of serving suggestions, and is all organized by age. (Hardcover, 118 pages).

• Freezer trays: designed for storing baby food in pre-portioned one ounce servings to simplify meal time and reduce waste. (2 trays and 2 lids, spill-proof, stackable, dishwasher-safe). BPA and phthalate-free.

• How-to DVD: offers step-by-step instruction - from selecting the right produce - to making baby food - to serving it.

• Nutrition tips card: gives you tips on the best sources of nutrients, introducing foods by age, first aid for choking, and more. (Waterproof Finish)

BUY IT:
The Fresh Baby So Easy Baby Food Kit is $37.95 and includes: So Easy Baby Food Cookbook, 2 freezer trays with lids, how-to DVD, and nutrition card.

WIN IT:
Nannette from Fresh Baby has generously offered another Fresh Baby So Easy Baby Food Kit for one of my readers to win.

Mandatory:
1. Go to the Fresh Baby website and tell me another product you would love and why.

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog by feedburner or by email and let me know which way. (3 extra entries each)

2. Become my fan/like on facebook and write something on my wall. (1 extra entry)

3. Follow me on Google Friend Connect (GFC) on the left sidebar and/or Networked Blogs Let me know what your user name is. (2 extra entries each)

4. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide me with the link. Make sure you have the link to this post and Fresh Baby in your blog entry or it won't count. (2 extra entries)

5. Give me a brief POSITIVE review on Alexa and provide me with your user name. (3 extra entries)

6. Grab My Button (see sidebar to the left) AND/OR Put My Blog URL in Your Blogroll - Leave Your Link. (1 extra entry)

7. Technorati my blog and let me know your link. (1 extra entry)

8. List this giveaway on any giveaway listing website or blog Linky/Link-up and tell me where you listed it. (2 extra entries)

9. Follow me on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

10. Tweet this: @finamoon: @FreshBabyBiz #WIN So Easy Baby Food Kit #giveaway http://bit.ly/o1XkoK
(Daily Extras are Available)

11. Write about this giveaway with a link to this post on your Facebook wall, Kirtsy, StumbleUpon, or other social media website besides Twitter. Let me know where. (2 extra entries for each)

12. Fave me on Momfaves. (2 extra entries)

13. Comment on any of my regular posts (not giveaway posts) and let me know which post you commented on. (1 extra entry per post you comment on)

14. Fan Fresh Baby on Facebook. (1 extra entry)

15. Follow Fresh Baby on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. Don't forget to leave a comment for each task and the correct amount of entries for each task. This contest ends on Friday July 22, 2011 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open to all 18 years and over in the U.S. Only!!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure. I found all of the recall information from news stories online. This information is only correct to the best of my knowledge and understanding.

Medela Breastmilk Labeling & Storage System Review and Giveaway

Breastfeeding is best done exclusively for the first 6 months of baby's life and in my opinion is the best option for mothers with the support to do so. I feel there is such a strong need for this support and unfortunately a lot of the women today don't get the support they need to start or keep breastfeeding. Even the Surgeon General has issued a call to action to support breastfeeding.

I personally choose to breastfeed longer than the first 6 months because of the numerous benefits. Especially of continued immune support from sickness. Breastfed babies are healthier babies and I personally have seen this over and over again with my disabled daughter Tatiana after the doctors told me to stop breastfeeding her when she was 3. She was just not as healthy as she would have been if I had continued. Formula has most recently been in the spotlight for causing obesity and being recalled because bugs were found in it. Yuck!

I am so very thankful to be able to breastfeed and to have chosen to breastfeed all of my children when they were babies. My nursling Zari is exclusively breastfed right now and I cherish every moment I have bonding with her and feeding her my "liquid gold". In fact while I am typing this I am also nursing her. Three cheers for multi-tasking :)

I applause Medela for their longstanding commitment to promote what is best for our babies, breastmilk! Medela has just came out with a new wonderful product for breastfeeding mothers. It is a breastmilk labeling & storage system.

This storage system is unique because it has:
* two easy twist-and-lock lids that mark the day of the week the breastmilk was pumped and a.m., p.m., or midday so that you can track effortlessly
* two 5oz Medela polypropylene breastmilk bottles
* one organizer tray that can hold up to 6 Medela polypropylene breastmilk bottles, can also hold Pump & Save breastmilk bags (sold separately), has clearly marked "in" and "out" arrows to tell you which bottle is "next in line", has a handle so you can easily move it, and keeps the bottles organized and upright in the fridge or freezer.

All of this is 100% reusable, dishwasher safe and BPA free! No more searching through the fridge or freezer for your precious breastmilk and having to discard your "liquid gold" because it wasn't used quick enough!

I love Medela's products and am a Medela Mom Maven. As a Medela Mom Maven I love to constantly share information, opinions and ideas on parenting. I also strive to provide my baby with the very best by breastfeeding. You too can join. I am also a stay at home mother and so I find myself pumping very little, but I do pump so that I can have a backup supply so that my precious "liquid gold" is there for my baby in the event when I am not. This wonderful breastmilk labeling & storage system is a lifesaver. It keeps it all in one place easily and neatly and helps me know what is the freshest breastmilk so I can avoid waste. I am so glad to have this and to be prepared if needed!

Here is a handy little chart to help you with breastmilk storage:

BUY IT:
You can purchase this system for around $16 on Amazon.com or on Babies R Us for $16.99. Additional labeling lids can also be purchased separately also if you already have Medela polypropylene breastmilk bottles.

WIN IT:
MomSelect and Medela has generously offered another Medela Breastmilk Labeling & Storage System for one of my readers to win.

Mandatory:
1. Go to the Medela website and tell me by commenting on this post what other product you would like to have and why.

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog by feedburner or by email and let me know which way. (2 extra entries each)

2. Fan/Like me on facebook and write something on my wall. (1 extra entry)

3. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide me with the link. Make sure you have the link to this post and Medela in your blog entry or it won't count. (2 extra entries)

4. Grab My Button (see sidebar to the left) AND/OR Put My Blog URL in Your Blogroll - Leave Your Link. (1 extra entry)

5. Technorati my blog and let me know your link. (1 extra entry)

6. Fave me on Momfaves. (2 extra entries)

7. List this giveaway on any giveaway listing website or blog giveaway linky and tell me where you listed it. (2 extra entries)

8. Post this on your Facebook wall, Kirtsy, and/or StumbleUpon. (2 extra entries for each)

9. Comment on one of my regular (not giveaway) posts. (1 extra entry per post you comment on)

10. Follow me on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

11. Tweet this: @finamoon: @medela_us WIN Medela Breastmilk Labeling & Storage System #giveaway http://bit.ly/hp7pu4 (Daily Extras are Available)

12. Fan/Like Medela on Facebook. (1 extra entry)

13. Follow Medela on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. If you subscribed, blogged about this, listed it, commented on another post, or faved me on Momfaves leave 2 entries saying you did. This contest ends on Friday February 25, 2011 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open to all 18 years and over in the U.S. Only!!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to MomSelect, BSM Media and Medela for providing me the breastmilk labeling & storage system to test and review and another to giveaway for free. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Mimijumi Review

I admit that I am usually not a bottle fan at all. I dislike that most bottles out there are a breastfeeding Mama's worst nightmare when it comes to nipple confusion. Usually after a baby is given an ordinary bottle and then goes back to the breast the baby tries to use the bottle-feeding technique on the breast and has difficulty latching-on and sucking. Baby gets very frustrated, and so does mother. Nipple confusion can sometimes even lead to baby refusing the breast. This only pushes the mother even further to give up breastfeeding her baby and go to the unnatural act of formula feeding.

The Mimijumi Very Hungry Baby Bottle is so different from all others I have seen. I think it is the best yet. The Mimijumi company is made up of a team of designers, mothers, nurses, physicians and lactation specialists. The Mimijumi Very Hungry Baby Bottle is designed to mimic the look and feel of a mother's breast. The one-piece nipple screws on easily and is slightly angled on the bottle to make feeding easier and less formation of air bubbles. It also has a venting system to prevent colic. The snap-off cap it comes with protects the nipple from germs and dirt and leakage. The no-skid bottom helps make it possible to prepare the bottle with just one hand. The wide mouth makes it easy to fill...so less spillage of your precious "liquid gold". The nipple is made with the safest food and medical grade silicone and plastic. Both bottle and nipple are bisphenol-a (bpa) and latex free. They can be cleaned easily and sterilized using any traditional sterilizing method. You can sterilize by boiling them, using microwave sterilizing devices or alternatively they can be put on the top rack of the dishwasher.

I love that this bottle helps the baby to not have nipple confusion and when I do pump and use my Medela Breastmilk Labeling & Storage System to give my girls a break, this bottle filled with my breastmilk is the next best thing. However; this boob imposter will not take the place of my breasts anytime soon because I have the luxury of being a stay at home mom. Breastfeeding is best for my baby anyway!

Very Hungry Baby Bottle Set includes:
* 8 oz. (240 ml) bottle
* 1 cap - 1 nipple (slow flow rate, stage 1 for 0-3 months)
* 1 bottle care and use guide (instructions)
* 1 no-skid bottom

BUY IT:
Purchase one today for $18 plus S&H at Uncommongoods. You can find other places to buy this product here... http://mimijumi.com/storelocator
Additional nipple refill sets of two slow, two medium and two fast flow nipples sold separately.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to ChicExecs, a company which was created to promote small business campaigns, I was able to let you know about this product. Mimijumi provided me with the Very Hungry Baby Bottle Set for free to try and review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.