The Fresh Food Baby Feeder

It is a life saver - truly. It is a mesh bag on the end of a nice handle that you can put any fresh food into - even meats. When the child chews or sucks on the mesh bag only tiny particles come out - not big chunks. So the baby can enjoy a huge world of tastes and you can enjoy watching instead of worrying about them choking.
I know it sounds gross, but it truly is amazing.

It teaches the baby to chew instead of biting off chunks of solid food and trying to swallow or inhale it down into the lungs or throat where it will cause choking, damage or worse.

Even before their teeth come through your baby can get all the taste and nutritional value of fresh food through the feeder.

It can also be used to aid teething. I used these during teething time always they love it. Fill the bag with ice or frozen fruit and it becomes an instant teether that, unlike so many 'place in the fridge' teething devices, your baby can actually hold without freezing his little fingers. Now that is a plus!!!

It is dishwasher safe and you can buy replacement bags for it as well.

Sometimes using certain fruits like strawberries would stain the mesh.

One of my favorite things my kids loved in this was baby cookies. It was a treat they enjoyed and I did not have to be so nervous they were gonna get a big piece of cookie and choke.

In my new research it seems these have come a long way since my kids were babies - wow my youngest now turning 8 - and they come in all kinds of colors and shapes, but the concept is all the same.

I HIGHLY recommend getting one of these if you are a new mom, know one or need to feed a baby or need a unique gift idea. You will be thanked for it that is for sure.

I remember always telling people about this and no one knew what I was talking about - so that is why I decided to make this - so I hope I have shared something new and exciting and saved some sanity for new moms.

Q At what age would a baby need the BABY SAFE FEEDER and what can I put in it?
A. From about 4 or 5 months old when a babies gums are sore, until approximately 22 months, they love frozen grapes, frozen chunks of melon, cold fruit, cold raw carrot etc. soothes teething pain.
As your baby gets older any age appropriate food can be put into the BABY SAFE FEEDER such as meats, teething biscuits, vegetables, fruits. Put a wedge of apple in the bag your baby will make applesauce. The skin and seeds will remain in the bag. When dining out your little one will enjoy their meal and you will enjoy yours. It is a fun, safe and easy way to feed your baby fresh food without added salt, sugar or preservatives.

Q. My grandson has 4 teeth, he can eat everything. Why would he need the BABY SAFE FEEDER?
A. When a baby has a few teeth that is when they can bite off a chunk of food and choke on it. Without molars to chew food properly chunks of food can easily get lodged in baby's throat or inhaled into their lungs. It teaches baby to chew his food, not just bite off a piece and try to swallow. He will have to chew and chew to get the food through the mesh bag.

Q. Isn't the BABY SAFE FEEDER messy?
A. No, definitely not! A baby will chew and suck at the same time and the food only comes through the mesh bag as fast as they can chew and suck on it. Your baby won't throw food all around on the floor or in the car. The food is contained in the mesh bag.

Q. What is the difference between the BABY SAFE FEEDER and a pacifier?
A. The BABY SAFE FEEDER allows you to give your baby good nutritional food of your choice, not just rubber or plastic that has no nutritional value at all. They love the texture of the mesh bag and the taste and feel of the food that you have chosen for them.

Q. Do babies like chewing on the mesh bag?
A. They love it. It feels great and it is better than letting them chew on a blanket, wash cloth, or stuffed animal.

Truly almost anything can go in there, but here are some great ideas:

One of the most popular foods given in a mesh feeder is banana - probably because pieces of banana can be as slippery as soap and very difficult for your poor baby to pick up! Frozen banana is great too. They love this.

Other great foods for putting in a teething feeder include

* chunks of melon. Try pureeing melon then freezing it - excellent relief from sore gums if your baby is teething.
* raw apple (apples are fairly hard and many parents worry about the choking risk associated with giving them as a finger food. This is a great way to enable your baby to enjoy fresh apples)
* uncooked pear
* frozen blueberries
* grapes (really yummy when frozen!)
* peaches / nectarines
* pieces of fresh or frozen raw carrot
* fresh strawberries (when appropriate)
* fruit popsicles (try freezing your baby's favorite fruit puree stirred into yogurt. A messy - but delicious and healthy - treat)
* crushed ice or frozen breast milk
* Cookies - I used teething cookies, but any would do - my kids really enjoyed this treat
*If you want them to try meat - then stick some in there - sounds gross, but my son liked steak in his

Remember - fruits that are placed in a mesh feeder don't need peeling, because the skin (and any seeds) will stay inside the mesh bag and your baby will just get the mushy flesh.

Some parents also put in soft cooked vegetables (such as sweet potato), although your baby should be able to manage these quite well anyway by just mashing them with his gums!

One last point - teething feeders can be messy, particularly if your little one takes to throwing one around. A way to combat this is to use a pacifier clip to attach the teething feeder to his bib - no more feeder flinging!

Clean them IMMEDIATELY after use so no food gets stuck in the mesh. Run water over the bag to clean - if needed use a small brush (like toothbrush) to brush the mesh to get food out.

Dishwashers do a good job, but some stuff will get stuck in the mesh bag if you do not clean right away. Even though you bags are replaceable - you want them to last as long as they can. Make sure your feeder is on the top rack.

If the bits are particularly stubborn try soaking the bag in a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water.

This is a true story...The BABY SAFE FEEDER was invented by a dad because he almost lost his 9 month old son due to him choking on a piece of food that was supposed to be safe to give a baby.

The biscuit was lodged in his throat and he started to turn blue because he could not get any oxygen. Fortunately, he was right there to see him and realized that Matthew was in trouble. Matthew never made a sound because he was unable to make a sound. He had no way of letting us know that he was choking.

After all normal methods failed to dislodge the teething biscuit he had to dig down into his throat several times; finally, he was able to dislodge the piece of teething biscuit. If he had been in the next room, on the telephone, doing dishes or driving the car with him in the back seat, he would have lost him.

Now that is scary

We had done everything right. Our baby was in a high chair, next to us at the kitchen table. We gave him a teething biscuit that was supposed to be safe for him. We knew what procedure to follow if a child chokes. In other words, we were being careful and yet we almost lost our child. We had taken every precaution as parents.

After extensive research, we discovered that far too many babies were choking to death on food that was good for them and soothing to their gums while teething. There was no safe way to give your precious baby fresh fruits, vegetables, foods or snacks regardless of how closely you are watching them. Being careful and watching them closely does not prevent them from choking. Being conscientious and observing your child is and always will be extremely important so that if your loved one does choke, hopefully, you will know how to react fast enough to prevent a terrible tragedy. You have less than 4 minutes to get your baby breathing once he or she starts to change color due to lack of oxygen. There is little time to call 911 or the neighbor to help you.