At a glance:
Our panel of mum testers loved the Vital Baby 2 in 1 Steam Blend, commenting how easy it was to use and prepare healthy meals with, but wished it came with a recipe book to give them further inspiration. The product itself is compact and dishwasher safe.
What they say:
“Our 2 in 1 Steam and Blend makes preparing fresh, delicious, healthy and nutritious meals at home easy. Our multifunction Steam and Blend allows you to vary the cooking and blending time according to your requirements and your baby’s stage of development from first purees to chunkier foods as they grow and build confidence. Steam and blend all your favourite foods from fruits to starchy vegetables and even meat and fish with ease and less mess. Steam and Blend also helps retain nutrients in your home made baby foods by making use of the residual water to aid smooth blending, ensuring that your baby is eating the best food available to them.”
**Check out our guide to the best baby food makers & blenders
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Tested by mum Leanne Brown for the Mother & Baby awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I would recommend this product to other mums! I think it is a very nice size and doesn't take up much space on the kitchen surfaces or in the cupboard. It’s a compact, innovative design that steams and blends in one bowl at the touch of a button.
How did this product make your life easier?
This couldn’t be easier to use. The blades are very powerful and produced a lovely purée that’s perfect for any babies who are in the first stages of weaning. The LCD screen is useful, displaying the time remaining, which is nice as I’m impatient and like to see the timer counting down. You feel safer leaving the steamer to do its job, rather than watching over a boiling pan.
Would you choose this product to win?
Yes, I would recommend this product to other mums who don't want to spend a lot of money on a high-end product. I previously used the Tommee Tippee steam and blend machine which does the same but is priced a lot higher than the Vital Baby. To be honest, the Vital Baby is very reasonably priced when you take into account how much you use it.
What changes would you make to this product?
I really do like the Vital Baby machine and don't think I could pick anything to change, the only thing that I didn't like was that there were no guidance instructions. I would have liked guidance on how long to cook various foods.
Tested by mum Charlotte Barrows for the Mother & Baby awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I would recommend this product to a fellow mum due to its ease of use, especially in the early weaning stages, when you are short for time. It is also very compact, so it sits nicely on the kitchen side and is stored easily in the cupboard too. It is very easy to clean and a bonus is that it can be put in the dishwasher too!
How did this product make your life easier?
Overall, I have found the Vital Baby 2 in 1 Steam and Blend brilliant! It has been easy to use with clear instructions on how to set it up, it is easy to clean and is big enough to make up and freeze quite a few extra portions. As a busy mum of two, this has been such a useful product when weaning my son as the steam and blender does everything for you in such a short space of time.
Would you choose this product to win?
Yes, I think this product is amazing, instead of having to have various pots, pans and blenders on the go, taking up lots of space (and washing up), this does everything you need in one compact product. Although it's quite pricey, it's worth it in order to be able to spend more time with your baby and less time in the kitchen cooking and blending – this can be very time consuming and stressful with a clingy baby. With this product, you know your baby is getting a healthy, steamed meal in a short space of time.
What changes would you make to this product?
The only thing that would put me off buying this product is the affordability. As a mother of two, on maternity leave pay, it’s a lot to pay when I know I’ll only be using it for a short amount of time while weaning my child. Apart from this, I have found the product brilliant and will definitely be recommending it to fellow mums.
Tested by mum Michelle Douglas for the Mother & Baby awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
This Vital Baby 2 in 1 Steam and Blend looks really nice but is also easy to use, with simple and clear buttons to press for 'blend' or 'steam'. It's a product that can be used for the whole family. You won't throw it away once your baby is fully weaned, unlike most other baby products related to weaning.
How did this product make your life easier?
It's a fantastic product. It makes life easier in terms of early weaning but also caters for my three-year-old as it engages him to eat fruit and vegetable smoothies. It has simple functions that are easy to use and is easier than chopping up the food yourself. You can also use steam functionality, which most normal blenders do not have – this for me is its best feature.
Would you choose this product to win?
Yes, it's not too pricey and it steams as well. Most other products are just for blending. It looks amazing and is easy to use. As a mummy, you don't have the time to sit with a manual, you just want to use it, straight out of the box. It's a great product and I think it should win.
What changes would you make to this product?
I would make it available in a bigger size to cater more for a family of four, i.e. mum, dad and two children. Also if it had a tray inside, to separate the foods for steaming, that would be handy as my toddler likes her foods separately.
Tested by mum Amy Ahmed for the Mother & Baby awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
The best bit about this product is that it is easy to prepare home cooked, healthy meals for my son Jonah, with very little effort! It is so easy to simply chop some fruit and veg and then pop them in the machine, with the added bonus of no-guilt preparation. It also has a decent sized jug so I can batch cook and freeze extra portions.
How did this product make your life easier?
This steam blender made my life easier as it was so easy to operate. The blender can quickly help make a smooth or lumpy purée, depending on the type of food you want to prepare for your baby. The LCD display is clear and informative too.
Would you choose this product to win?
I think this product is effective and carries a reasonable price tag, when you consider the fact that you can make a huge amount of food with it easily! It has a compact design as well, therefore it definitely should win!
What changes would you make to this product?
It would be a great addition to the product if it included a simple recipe book with a rough guide of how to cook meat, veg and fish in the machine. It's difficult to judge how long to cook things for, so having some specific recipes would be beneficial.
Tested by mum Helen Woodgate for the Mother & Baby awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I would highly recommend this product to other mums! The 2 in 1 function is fantastic, it saves a lot of time as you don't have lots of separate things to clean! For babies, the bonus is that they get to have all of the goodness from the steaming process in the blend as the product uses the juices. The unit is fairly heavy, which definitely gave me a feeling that it was high quality and durable. Also, the buttons aren't flimsy or cheap in their feel. I tested this product when my little girl was just under one and her weaning was well established. It was perfect because I could blend on the chunkier side.
How did this product make your life easier?
This product was great as it was such a time saver and, to be honest, took a lot of the hassle out of the process of preparing meals. When you have limited time, the last thing you want to do is clean and mess about in the kitchen. This gave me the opportunity to start things cooking and be able to walk away to be with baby, rather than watching a pot!
Would you choose this product to win?
Initially, I thought this was a lot of money, however when I looked at the alternatives out there, I changed my mind! There are some very pricey options on the market and I struggled to see what they offered over this one. Therefore I would choose this one to win from Vital Baby!
What changes would you make to this product?
The instructions were simple and effective, however I think, as a brand, they could have offered a little ‘cook book’ with suggestions for things to prepare for babies at different ages. I found myself looking up things to steam/cook online so that I wasn't making the same things. But overall I love the quality of this product!
Tested by Caroline Kirk, mum to Sonny, six months, and Rowan, five years. She said:
This couldn’t be easier to use. The blades are very powerful and produced a lovely purée that’s perfect for Sonny, who’s in the first stages of weaning. I love the LCD screen as I’m impatient and like to see the timer counting down. There are no recipes or guidance on how long to steam anything, but that’s a small niggle.
Tested by Ramya Krishnamoorthy, mum to Niralya, eight months. She said:
So easy to use – I can operate it one-handed while holding my baby! It has a compact, innovative design that steams and blends in one bowl at the touch of a button. I like the LED display, which shows the mode and time remaining. I’d like guidance on how long to cook various foods, though – a recipe book would be useful.