As a mother of 2 kids under the age of two and a half, I can certainly attest to the fact that there is no shortage of mini eating utensils in our household. As a matter of fact, I’m embarrassed to admit it, but at any given moment, you could open one of our cabinet doors and be nailed by an avalanche of sippy cups and plastic forks. You name the item, and you can bet we have bought it or tried it.
Still, when I saw NumNum Dips show up on my Instagram feed one day, I was intrigued. It was such a unique looking utensil and the concept behind how it works was so innovative, that I was dying to try them out with Ella.
How they work
The NumNum Dips come as a set of 2. One has a channeled head for when your babe first starts eating pureed solids. This channeled head holds on to the food, and since there is no wrong side, or way to hold the dip, your little one can easily maneuver it toward their mouth with little assistance at first, and eventually completely on their own.
The other spoon has a dimpled head that is better for holding purees of a thinner consistency.
Due to the way that Dips are designed, they work with a baby’s developing motor skills, unlike traditional baby spoons that can require more coordination to get the food from the spoon into your baby’s mouth… usually resulting in a huge mess!
The lovely people at NumNum were kind enough to send Ella and I a set to test out and review for you guys.
Our Experience with NumNum Dips
To say that Ella loved NumNum Dips would be an understatement for sure. We began using them right around the time she first started eating solid baby foods (around 5 months), and I was literally amazed at how quickly she was able to grasp the idea of feeding herself with the dips. With a little assistance at first, she easily transferred the Dip to her mouth. As time went by, she even began feeding herself with the Dips… as in I would literally put the food on the Dip, hand it to her, and watch in awe as she effortlessly transferred the spoon to her mouth without dropping gobs of pureed sweet potato everywhere.
To be sure this wasn’t some sort of fluke, and that Ella wasn’t some type of baby prodigy, I attempted the same the thing with one of our other traditional shaped baby spoons… rest assured, the end result was not quite as encouraging.
So… for us, NumNums have been a huge win! Not only has Ella taken to eating with them like a professional, but they have also come in handy as a teether for her sensitive gums. Quite often when we are in the kitchen together, I allow her to hold and gnaw on one while she sits in her highchair, and the soft texture of the Dip seems to help soothe some of the pain associated with teething… in my opinion another win!
In Conclusion
In conclusion to this review, I think it goes without saying that we are obviously converted and have become huge fans of NumNum Dips. I would highly recommend Dips to other parents, and even plan to purchase them in the future… both for our own use, and also as gifts for friends.
I am thrilled that we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with NumNum Inc and test out their product. Overall, it was a pretty eye opening experience in the world of baby feeding, and I actually learned a lot from it.
Thank you NumNum Inc for the opportunity!
In addition to this review, I thought it was only appropriate that I share our super easy, go-to recipe for homemade baby food.
Apples and Butternut Squash Baby Food Recipe
***Please note, I did not include specific measurements, because you can make this in batches of the size of your choosing to freeze and store. There really is no exact science to it. For this batch, I used 1 Fuji apple, about a cup of diced butternut squash, a couple of pinches of cinnamon, and reserved liquid to reach the desired consistency.
***Please note, I did not include specific measurements, because you can make this in batches of the size of your choosing to freeze and store. There really is no exact science to it. For this batch, I used 1 Fuji apple, about a cup of diced butternut squash, a couple of pinches of cinnamon, and reserved liquid to reach the desired consistency.
Ingredients:
Apples (I like to use Fuji, Macintosh, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady, but any variety will do)
Butternut Squash
Cinnamon
Reserved Liquid from Steaming
Reserved Liquid from Steaming
Directions:
Core and chop apple. I like to leave the skin on for the nutrients, but you can certainly peel it. Peel and dice butternut squash (if using fresh. For this batch I used frozen organic butternut squash). Place apple and squash into a steaming basket over a pot of water. I used our Beaba, which I received as a baby shower gift when I had Max, but this is not a necessity. Boil and steam until both the apple and the squash are tender when poked with a fork. Transfer the contents of the steamer basket into either a food processor or a large bowl (if you have an immersion blender or hand masher). Add a pinch or 2 of cinnamon. Puree food, adding reserved liquid until the desired consistency is achieved for your baby.
This recipe can be stored in tupperware and eaten within a few days, or it can be portioned into an ice cube tray and frozen so that it will last a few months.
I hope you enjoyed our review of NumNum Dips and this recipe!
-J
thanks for your post