What kind of foods have you put in the pouches that can be easily sucked out? Sweet potato was too thick for my LO to suck out.
744496
I have mostly put in yogurt based products. Applesauce (not too thick) seems to work ok. I have found anything with a runny texture and no chunks will work fine. You may just need to put the sweet potatoes in a blender or food processor and add more liquid to it to make it smooth and runny. I've run into the same issue as you with these. I have to admit I like refillable pouches better for this exact reason.
744497
As long as it isn't "chunky" we haven't had a problem with any foods. You might try heating it under some hot water as I've noticed it makes the food a little thinner.
744498
I do almost all types of veggies, however when I do anything starchy I boil it with chicken stock or water and add some of that water or stock to the blender and mix it enough to make it baby food consistency
744499
The fruits tend to come out the easiest. But I just added extra water/formula to make the other foods thinner.
744500
Don't put sweet potato by itself...mix it down with apple or pear. I usually use apple or pear sauce as a base to whatever else I mix with it. Apple, sweet potato & carrot with a small amount of maple syrup has been a favorite. When I make apple sauce I tend to have an overabundance of granny smith apples so I add a little maple syrup to offset the tart flavor of the apple. Look up online any of the well known name brand pouches and see what kind of mixes they are putting together. That is where I got a lot of ideas. For instance, pear, blueberry & beet. I am mixing the nutritive veggies/fruits a lot heavier than you see in the commercial pouches, but again if you use apple or pear sauce as a base it will be naturally sweeter and a little thinner than most things you would put in by themselves.
744501
If it is too thick add something to it. Like apple which is a little more watery. I always combine fruits and veggies some thick with some thinner ones. hope this helps. I also add whole organic plan yogurt which thins it out too.
523957
Greg I am sorry to say this, but this machine, in my own personal opinion is a hunk of junk. To get the blades out, put the handle to the top and push the button on top of the blade. This releases the blade and it will come out the bottom of the housing. I purchased this machine, and the first time I made fries, the potato stuck in the blades so badly it bent the blades. I was not aggressive with the machine and did not force the potato through. Good luck
1827194
These variety packs are pretty smooth for stage three food but the quinoa can be a bit challenging depending on your kid. There are no chunks like you would find in stage three Gerber brand food which incorporates pieces of chopped pasta and veggies. I gave my son very small undiluted amounts at first. I've found warming the food helps immensely because it smooths out the consistency and brings out the flavor and your baby, if like both of mine, will enjoy the experience more. My 8 month old was able to handle it after two weeks of gradual introduction. Your baby might take to it quicker. Good luck! These variety packs are pretty smooth for stage three food but the quinoa can be a bit challenging depending on your kid. There are no chunks like you would find in stage three Gerber brand food which incorporates pieces of chopped pasta and veggies. I gave my son very small undiluted amounts at first. I've found warming the food helps immensely because it smooths out the consistency and brings out the flavor and your baby, if like both of mine, will enjoy the experience more. My 8 month old was able to handle it after two weeks of gradual introduction. Your baby might take to it quicker.... » Read More These variety packs are pretty smooth for stage three food but the quinoa can be a bit challenging depending on your kid. There are no chunks like you would find in stage three Gerber brand food which incorporates pieces of chopped pasta and veggies. I gave my son very small undiluted amounts at first. I've found warming the food helps immensely because it smooths out the consistency and brings out the flavor and your baby, if like both of mine, will enjoy the experience more. My 8 month old was able to handle it after two weeks of gradual introduction. Your baby might take to it quicker. Good luck! « Show Less
1622828
I haven't had that problem but if you're using soft AND hard foods, alternate between the soft and hard. I watched a few YouTube vids before buying this and they said to alternate between soft and hard because the harder foods will help push the softer thru. Hope this helps.
494040
I would recommend something with more vertical edges. Try searching lunch tray or something. This is about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep, but because it is such a gentle slope I think it would be easy to push off the plate. You could definitely separate pureed foods, but if lack of coordination is a big issue I've seen ones on Amazon that I think might work better.
522213
I tried baby food (porridge) it works fine. It might also depend on the consistency of the dressing, should be fine I guess.
423716
Hi Lori, I just tried sweet potatoes and the chopper worked great. I used a thin slice of uncooked, unpeeled sweet potato on the smallest of the dicing blades, and it diced easily. Hope this helps!
1054911
I combine them. For example today my baby got (steamed and pureed together): sweet potatoes+ spinachapples + raspberriescarrots+ broccoli+ cream cheeses( not steamed but pureed when veggies were ready)
558239
Root veggies specifically potatoes get hung up on the core. If you break the core every so often it gets hung up less. Also make sure you have good pressure going towards the blades. My kids love the french fries it makes and they don't care if they are long so I tend to just to let it go but if you need longer veggies try removing some of the core every now and then.
1716029
Dry foods that come as frozen: for example I spray my frozen french fries with butter and add some salt, and they come out to taste great! I love eating raw broccoli and spray it with some olive oil :) Kids frozen nuggets are to oily so I just placed them like that
1051969
Sue, unless your doctor told you to give your child the VSL, I would probably pursue some natural food instead of this. Here again, I would want to know what your doctor said would be appropriate for a child this age. I am sorry this is not a definitive answer, but it would be better to err on the side of caution.
2180830
Yes, I had the same problem. Take some scissors and trim the ends to make it easier for the food to come out. Just be careful not to trim too much because then it will come out too quickly and easily.
714995
I bought this for my daughter who has twin girls, they are now 19 months old with a 7 month old brother. They still like the pouches for applesauce, yogurt, and smoothies. things that are harder for little ones to scoop themselves. Nothing too lumpy is true but little doesn't need to be pureed to smooth. Still great for traveling.
2180832
It sounds like your kibble is too big. There are 4 little rubbery prongs inside each half at the dispensing hole. You can trim them so that the larger kibble comes out more easily.
1226169
My (Just turned) 3 year old was able to get the lids off, I'm pretty sure food might have flown everywhere if it was in them b/c he did struggle a little.
1658346
I have had the same problem and, as Capital said, pressing harder--REALLY hard!--helps. I notice this especially when I'm doing sweet potatoes, so the harder/denser the vegetable, the more difficult it is to keep them even. I just consider it a "feature" so that there is variety in the crispness of the two sides of my sweet potato chips.
1841434
Kong sells some (including cheese that squirts from a can, I think), but I've never used them. All I ever use is peanut butter and kibble stuffed into peanut butter. I used cream cheese the other day but wouldn't recommend it because my puppy had diarrhea after that. :(