If you're looking for a baby food maker that's suitable for making smaller portions, or one that's particularly practical for travel use, the Tommee Tippee Mini Blend Baby Food Blender is a good choice.
Is it one of the best baby food makers you can buy? Yes, within reason. Its cute mini size means it won't allow for batch-cooking, but you can whip up enough puree or mixture for one or two portions. With three settings - low, high, and pulse - you have the option to make both smooth and lumpy mixtures. It's not surprising, for the price, that it takes a little while to get ultra-smooth mixtures, and you'll need to blend bit by bit to avoid overheating the motor. However, if you're looking for something to help you get started as you experiment with weaning, this could work well for you.
Design
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Weighs: 0.9kg | Suitable from: 6 months+
Simplistically designed with a white unit, grey base, and black markings, Tommee Tippee’s mini blender has non-slip feet with measurements printed on the side of the jug in both mls and fl oz. The jug holds a maximum portion size of 50gs. This is about enough for one serving for a toddler, or two servings for a baby.
Both the console and the jug are made out of plastic. While the jug isn’t delicate, I certainly wouldn’t expect it to survive being dropped on a hard kitchen floor more than a few times. However, for the price tag, this is perhaps to be expected. The jug is dishwasher safe, however, and its small size means you don’t need to worry about it taking up lots of surface space in your kitchen. It can be popped into a cupboard and lifted down with ease too, as it's lightweight with just one short wire.
Comfort and features
This blender can handle fruit, veg, meat, and fish, but food needs to be added in small pieces. It only has two speeds - plus a pulse function for coarsely chopped food - and promises both chunky and smooth textures. However, even after thorough blending on the highest setting, it took quite a lot more pulsing (and extra milk) to get the smoothness I was after. As such, it might not be the right choice for the start of the weaning journey when you’re trying to make entirely lump-free mixtures.
On first use, I turned the blender to its highest setting for 30 seconds but noticed a slight burning smell. Some more expensive blenders come with a warning that a burning smell can occur if there is not enough liquid, or if the machine is used for too long without a break. Though the Tommee Tippee manual doesn’t suggest this, I tried using it for shorter bursts of time, and with more liquid in my mixture, and didn’t notice the burning smell again.
Value for money
This is one of the cheapest baby food blenders you can buy, in part because of its size and in part because of its limited capabilities. If you wish to steam items too, you’ll need a second piece of equipment, at an extra cost.
However, this machine has its place. It’s just what you need for quickly blending meals without the faff of extra bits and pieces, and it can be packed away into even the smallest of suitcases for travel. (If you’re going abroad with it, don’t forget an adapter, and check the wattage!)
As this gadget only blends, it's comparable to other items that aren't specifically designed for making baby food. However, since it's lidded, it makes less mess than a hand-held stick blender.
You might also like to read our other baby product reviews.
