BEABA Babycook Classic Sorbet - Gipsy

I read many reviews on the beaba and other products similar to it, also spoke with my cousin who has used the beaba for two years on both her girls. She also writes for a baby site where she does extensive research on baby products. She told me she has never had any issues with mold or other problems that people report. I wanted to make sure I was buying something that was going to be worth it especially for how pricey it is. I'm sure you are worried about the mold problem and cleaning it out. This part is not as troublesome as I envisioned. After a couple of uses I cleaned it according to the directions which say to pour 100ml of water and 100ml of white distilled vinegar which can be measured using the blending bowl. After pouring the vinegar and water into the compartment it says to leave for the night and empty then you run it through a normal cycle w/water. I found that this did a great job. I also made sure that every time I was finished I would take the lid off the heating compartment so it can air out I don't really ever put it back on unless I'm steaming or it has been off for plenty of time to completely cool off. Another part of cleaning it that I learned is essential is taking the blade out and removing the gasket to clean. The gasket is a little sort of suction cup rubber thing that prevents everything from leaking out of the bottom of the bowl. The first couple times i didn't do this partly because I thought I could clean it good enough just left inside the bowl. I was wrong food gets stuck in ridges of the blade that are hard to clean unless you remove it. I had messed with the blade a couple times trying to figure out how to remove it. Later I found out in doing this I had left the blade a little lose. It started making unusual grinding noises and then at one point almost wouldn't work at all. Finally I took the blade off and found out the plastic part of the blade had melted due to it not being on tight. I called their customer service and left a message that evening. They called me back promptly the next morning and agreed with me on why this had happened. They are mailing me a new blade for free and i dont have to pay shipping even though my husband got it working smoothly with the blade I already have and are sending an extra gasket which I requested and am paying $2.00 for. The beaba comes with two gaskets anyway because it is made of rubber and is a material that can brake down easier than the rest of it (their words) they told me to throw away the other one because it was covering the part that melted and put on the extra one. I do love the beaba and think it is a great product. The cons: lots of parts to clean, I only use the beaba a couple times a week since I freeze the food so not a big deal to me ( i recommend the oxo freezer trays.) Pros: you can buy all of the spare parts online. con: shipping can be pricey about $5.00 for even a $2.00 item. The biggest pro for me is I get to feed my son healthy fresh food. I can tailor the food to his needs. Also I can control the texture by using the water the food was steamed with. Great product, great customer service.