Baby Chef Ultimate Baby Food Maker (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

FIRST: We bought this for my son Aug 1,2012 (Jace just turned 4 months and we just started solids). 3 months later (end of October), the blender stopped working. The blender just wouldn't blend anymore. We only blend veggies: carrots, sweet potatoes, brocolli, and peas, fruits: apples, pears, and bananas. The steamer worked just fine. As long as everything is cut according to the direction (less than an inch in size). We were quite disappointed since we only had the processor for 3 months. We ended up returning it under Amazon's easy return policy.THEN: The next day after processing the return for the Baby Chef, we ordered the Beaba Baby Cook. We just barely received the Beaba yesterday (11/5/12) and turns out the processor feels more plasticky cheaper. It had a loose part inside the machine and the blender didn't work at all, the blades didn't move and made a weird sound. Just a few hours ago I packed the Beaba up and its going back. which kept clanking around. You would think if you spend twice the amount, there would be no problems "already!"NOW: We just put in another order and pretty much are back to The Baby Chef. For the last 3 months it worked fine. It's an all in one processor (blender and steamer in one machine), easy enough directions, a good size that don't take up that nuch space, quiet enough (not a weird sound like the Beaba), "SUPER" easy to clean, nice design and color. I titled this review "Husband approved" is because he did. After trying the Baby Chef the 1st time, we knew what to expect in a/and if there was gonna be another baby food processor in the future to purchase, 1) we agreed, we definitely wanted an open water tank where the steaming water goes so you don't get that surprise brown mold (as in the Beaba's 1 star reviews), 2) we like how it came with a measuring cup and a steamer brasket, 3) the steamer cap didn't have to be screwed on, just covered (pretty much in the steaming side EVERYTHING, I mean EVERYTHING from the water, to the basket holding the chopped veggie or fruit, and the clear lid with a cute handle are ALL DROP INS! How easy is that assembly?! 4) The blender is similar to the Bullet design and is clear and with the included spatula, it's easy to blend the food with the option of blend until we stop the process or pulse blend, and then remove most of the pureed food without wasting any food you can't empty out. It takes merely a minute or two, short and simple. Even the the blender cup is a drop in and twist, easy!Over all this machine works well. 4 stars for everything else. If you ask me, I reccomend you start with the Baby Chef and work the steamer, because that's always the 1st step before blending, that will help you decide if you change your mind and how you want the most important 1st step to be easy and as cleanable. But if you change, you might come back like us.***UPDATE (4/8/13)*** Today I make an editorial review that was way due since January. Yes and no! Yes, the blender stopped working again and now i know it isn't something we did and that it's a mechanical or whatever the technical term is used when there's just a fault in the product that needs more testing from the manufacture. No, I did not purchase another one (3rd times as charm you 'think?') Na, we're lucky our baby boy just turned one and did slowly phase out of purees since 10/11 months. When it did stop working, we borrowed my mom's Ninja and pureed the rest. Now everything is cooked soupish like and hand chopped. Now back to the issue at hand. The Baby Chef still has 4 stars because its over-all use, but if it was rated on longevity, it would have fewer stars. Happy Blending!

I received the Ultimate Baby Food Maker on February 12, 2013 and was so excited to just jump right into making baby food. We went through the usual progression of food items.....bananas, apples, pears, carrots......and the machine worked really well. Easy to assemble each time, easy to steam and blend and the food came out to a perfect consistency. Clean up was also a breeze!It was such a shame though that after less than 3 weeks I am having to return the product!On February 26, 2013, I was in the process of pureeing steamed sweet potatoes when I noticed a strange smell coming from the maching....almost like a melting plastic smell. I stopped the blender and felt around to see if any component was particularly hot and didn't feel anything. I restarted the blender and again got the smell of melting plastic after only a few seconds and then the blade started to sound funny....kind of like it was skipping inside the container. I immediately stopped the blender, took everything apart and noticed small bits of plastic in the base of the machine. I couldn't find where the bit of plastic had come from. I gave it one more try and the blender shook so bad that it almost walked itself right off the countertop.It could have just been my machine, because like I said, it worked like a charm up until the sweet potato incident. I am having to return the machine to Amazon in order to get a refund and am going to try the Cuisinart BFM-1000 Baby Food Maker. A more expensive option but the reviews on the other Food Proceessors (like the Brezza) are so mixed.I would also like to say that the customer service department at Amazon was a pleasure to work with. They were very responsive and it was almost a no questions asked return process. This is the first item I have ever returned so I was worried that it would be a hassle but it couldn't have been easier.

This is an amazing baby food maker, but we have ordered our third one as of tonight! The first one had the blender motor die. The second one would only beep after steaming for a few seconds, only to repeat the beeping process on and on. The manufacturer, while friendly, just said to let it sit and try again. If it repeated the issue, it's defective. Sooo, we have ordered a third one tonight. Hopefully the third time's the charm! When this thing is working, it's the best there is at making baby food. The fact that we have ordered yet another should tell you how good it is. Makes food perfect, steams fast, easy to clean, everything is well thought-out on this food maker. We love it, and cross our fingers that this next one will last more than a week or so. If not, I'm afraid we'll have to be on the look out for another brand/model.UPDATE 9/8/13: I wanted to post an update that the third one has been perfect! Our son is no longer eating baby food, but this third one prepared nearly every meal he ate! Can't say enough good about it. And Amazon's return policy is second to none! Makes returning a completely painless process and we really appreciated it.