Infantino Fresh Squeezed System Review

So we all know I won the system but now I've had some time to use it I wanted to tell you all about it. I started this evening making Carter some food. For dinner, he had acorn squash and bananas and I prepped some kale and carrots too. I made the squash and carrots the traditional way steaming it on the stove. The bananas and kale were made in the Steam n Smush bowl.

The microwave safe steamer was very easy to use but one big complaint is that it comes with absolutely no instructions. I'm really not even sure how much water I was supposed to add nor how long to cook anything. I think I set it up right but who knows!? It also seems like the steam bowl sits in the water instead of above it like I would expect. The stay cool handle works and is cool when removing from the microwave. The smush portion is easy to use and fits great in the bowl so you can grind by hand many of the softer items. I was able to prepare the bananas entirely this way. At only $10.99 (target.com) this is something I would definitely buy but come on Infantino... INSTRUCTIONS!!

The peppy puree is very similar to any mini chopper. I already had one at home and began pureeing the food with it first. The kale was really hard to get to a smooth texture so I added water to make the right concoction. Apparently my mixer was meant to be used with dry items only so the water leaked out immediately. I switched to the peppy puree system and it easily handled the soupy mix. In the end I pureed kale a difficult vegetable pretty simply. If you don't already own one, the peppy puree is a great little mixer.

Okay so if you've read this far you're probably considering how the actual exciting product works.. the fresh squeezed squeeze station. In short, it's awesome. It has a few quirks but overall is great. One of the complaints is that when you're plunging the food into the pouches, air can get trapped and when you pull the plunger out a vacuum can form pulling out some of the food. This is easily solved with a little wiggle action on the plunger. Also, there is a little waste with the system. You can't completely plunge all the food into the packets and some remains between the plunger and the top of the pouch. Not much waste but some.

The disposable pouches are perfect and just like the commercially available ones. The spoon attachments fit great and even little Carter eats easily off of them. They pack up easily and keep feeding neat and clean when on the go. Nolan is a huge fan of the reusable pouch and I imagine once Carter is bigger I'll be purchasing one for him too.

I'm so glad we won this system and if you were considering it but not quite sure, I bet you won't be disappointed!!

Squeeze Party!

Woo hoo I won! Thanks to all of your votes, I was chosen to host an Infantino Fresh Squeeze party. My supply pack arrived yesterday and is so exciting. I'm still in the planning stages but can't wait to explore what this feeding line has to offer. Carter is excited too!! Here are the products the new line features. 

My happy baby ready for new foods.

The squeeze station - loads purees into the disposable squeeze pouches.

Steam & Smush - BPA free and microwave safe steamer that makes prep work easy with a smashing tool too.

50 disposable squeeze pouches

Squeeze pouch spoons - attach directly to the pouches for those younger feeders

Reusable silicone pouch!

Peppy Puree - Purees the steamed items!

Love the spout on the reusable pouch. It's just like the disposable pouches so I know the kids will accept it and love it!
Only $9.99!

The Baeba reusable pouch we purchased when Nolan was on babyfood. The spout is very short and not at all like the disposable pouches so Nolan didn't like it. I wasted $25!

My growing boys!

Here's a quick update showing how big my little guys are getting!!

Fresh Squeezed Party! (Infantino)

I can hardly believe it but it's been a whole 6 months since little Carter came in to the world but it has!! That means we've started to introduce solids. Lots of fun times as he gets his first tastes of everything.

As Nolan became a toddler, the pouch babyfood became popular. At the time only a few brands were available and organic sources were extremely expensive. After he moved on to mostly "real" foods, he still loved the pouches but my wallet did not! In fact, when we visited grandma C right before Carter was born, she stocked us up on some for Nolan to snack on. They are still a great way to get hidden veggies into him and perfect for car trips and packed lunches. I found an expensive but reusable option to try when Nolan was 2 but the mouth piece was very different and it was not at all the same. He rejected it right away. Nolan only liked the disposable packs!

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, my friend posted a picture of her using her new Infantino Fresh Squeeze Squeeze Station and I was immediately intrigued. It is a system that fills the disposable pouch packets so you can create your own homemade babyfood in them! The system also has a reusable squeeze pouch that fits with it. This looked so perfect that I immediately wanted one! Since it fills the normal disposable pouch packets I'm sure there would be no rejection like we had found with the expensive reusable silicone one I tried before. So, I registered with Infantino to win a Fresh Squeezed Test & Tell Feeding Party. I'm planning my fun party now hoping to be chosen!!

If chosen, along my playgroup Busy Moms and Tots of Jacksonville, I plan to have each mom attending bring a favorite food item encompassing grains, vegetable, and fruit. We'll prep (cook, steam, and puree) them all and have each individual item in their own little bowl. Each mom will make one fun pouch using their favorite combination and each pouch will have to contain at least one veggie! We'll all sample each pouch and vote on our favorite. The winners will get a fun feeding related prize!

The overall party decor theme and snack theme for adults will be based on the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. After all we are talking all about food and how our own little ones are transforming before our eyes into big kids who eat solids! You can check out my fun party board on Pinterest here.

Be sure to help me out in my quest to win the party pack by liking (and if you have a chance commenting) on my comment here. Thanks so much!!

Rock n Play Recall

My favorite baby purchase this go round has by far been my Fisher Price Rock n Play (RNP). Carter had reflux issues early on in addition to intolerance to what I was eating. Our pediatrician recommended propping his mattress at a 45 degree angle to help with reflux. That turned out to be impossible. He would turn himself sideways and slide right down the mattress when it was propped. Then we found the rock n play and our pedi agreed it would be perfect. Carter has slept in it ever since. His first night in it, he slept the longest stretch to date and I was completely amazed!

The RNP folds up nicely and is easy to pack up for travel. The top soft cover comes off easily for washing but underneath that is a plasticy layer with a hard plastic seat piece sewn inside. That piece does not come off for washing. Earlier this week, I took the washable cover off for routine cleaning. Underneath it on the plasticy piece was mildew!! Of course I tried to clean it but mildew doesn't exactly come off. I warned my mom friends to check theirs and started googling. I found a few others who had similar issues posting online. I emailed Fisher Price but their return email said it could take 48hrs for a response. That same night FP recalled these for inspection due to mildew/mold. They posted cleaning instructions but it is a pretty poor fix for bad design. The cover tends to wick moisture underneath it and trap it there. The cover itself feels and looks clean all the while underneath it is nastiness.

Over 2 weeks ago Carter went in to the doctor for crazy congestion and chest issues. He was gagging, spitting up, and choking in the night. He'd be awake for 2hr stretches in my arms because he could not breathe. During the day he was congested but nothing horrible and each night it got worse. At our first appt. the doctor though it was a routine cold on its way out. It just got worse from then on. After an especially bad night, I recorded him at night and took the video in to the doctor.

Seeing what happened each night, they had us do an albuterol treatment in office and swabbed him for RSV and the Flu. After one treatment, his chest went from retracting but sounding okay to sounding horrible. It loosed the mucus and let us hear what was happening. His chest was retracting with each breath and he had mucus plugs in his chest that were so solid the doctor couldn't tell he was wheezing. We went home with a prescription and more treatments. This week the morning before I found the mildew he went in to the doctor for a recheck. He was better while on albuterol but by no means clear yet (at this point it was 2.5wks from when it started). They talked about testing for pertussis but since he had received one vaccine and was now at least somewhat better they didn't think it was likely he'd test positive even if he had it previously.

We were sent home and told to do more breathing treatments. Later that day when I saw the mildew and realized how bad mold and mildew can be for lungs, I called back in to our doctor and mentioned the new found issue. They immediately said that could very well be the cause of all of his issues and would explain why he was not getting as well as we thought he should be given our treatment. Our RNP is all packed up and heading back to Fisher Price. A new one is on it's way but I'm not really sure if we'll use it. I was washing the cover regularly and this happened so I'm not sure how to stop it from happening again immediately! Carter has been sleeping in his bassinet for the past few nights. I was scared of this transition since the RNP helped him sleep so much better . Recently though, he has been sleeping so poorly that transitioning to the bassinet and flat on his back sleeping again isn't much different in terms of his restlessness. I hope my little man is back 100% healthy very soon!!!

After his first albuterol treatment sleeping peacefully in my arms!

Updates!!

It's been entirely too long since I've blogged but life has been busy. Christmas has come and gone and things are starting to settle down. Hubby took a new job and is now home with us everyday. He works out of our home office so it's not like he's out playing and socializing but he is here if needed. His commute is down from 40 min. each way to a one minute walk out of the office. It's great for all of us!

First Coast Fluff is doing well. I'm just trying to get the word out and spread my love of cloth to others. I'm not gonna lie it's hard to find new customers but once people locate us they seem to love the products! I put together some basic packages for those looking to start cloth diapering affordably. I also attended two holiday bazaars. The second of these I organized and ran myself. It was a huge undertaking from finding a venue, booking other vendors, an getting people in the door. Overall I think it was a success!

My little man is getting bigger everyday. After some weight issues (surprise, surprise) he's up to 12#5oz and two feet long! He can roll front to back and gets almost over from back to front now. Time is flying way too fast and I have to remind myself to cherish every baby moment. Nolan is still an amazing big brother and loves little C.

First Coast Fluff

I did it!! I started a small business. Yep it's legit, registered, licensed, and everything. I'm selling cloth diapers and baby accessories. I'm not making them myself as just running the business is time consuming enough besides hand crafting all the products. Plus, I've never found a handmade work at home mom diaper that held up as well as my commercial ones.

I'm selling Tender Tushies diapers which aren't widely known here in the states. My friend in Canada became a reseller as her friend started the company. I purchased some diapers from her and loved the look (cute prints) and loved the price even more. I just wished I had found them when Nolan was in diapers still. I'm sure he's jealous of his brother's cute diapers!!

I carry one-size pocket diapers, heavy wetters, and newborn all-in-ones. Solid colors and prints are vibrant and fashionable. For me, one of the key improvements to other diapers we already own is the hip snap and the cross over snaps. It means Carter could wear them much earlier!!

So if you're reading this please like my Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FirstCoastFluff). Even if your kids are out of diapers it helps spread the word. I'm offering local free pickup and even do baby shower events and house parties. Fun times!