Beaba Babycook at Williams Sonoma
I read about the Beaba Babycook on Babyccino a while back, and thought it was a genious gadget. At that time, it was only available in Europe, but now it’s for sale in the US at a mall near you. So what is it? It’s a French baby food maker that steams and then purees fresh fruits, veggies or meats all in the same device. I tried to use an inexpensive mini food processor to make baby food once or twice for my first baby, but it did not puree the food to the right consistency (my poor baby was gagging on pea skins) and I quickly gave up. The Babycook is a bit pricey, but if it means you can quickly and easily prepare healthy organic food for your baby, I’d say it’s well worth it. This would also make a great baby shower gift. $139.95 at Williams Sonoma Update: I really need to start putting a BPA filter on the products I write about, because I recently learned that the container in the Babycook is made of polycarbonate plastic, which contains BPA. I’ll write the company and ask if they have plans to change the material and will post their response here.
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This gadget is awesome! I have recently been dabbling in “baby food making” and now I am thinking I’ve gotta have this! And honestly, it’s so cute that I wouldn’t even mind making room for it on my countertop
Hooray for the Babycook! I knew it was only a matter of time before someone imported it to the States! It is honestly THE best invention. My ‘baby’ will turn one next week, and I STILL use it all the time for him. It steams veggies easily and quickly.
I have to say, however, I’m surprised by how much it costs! $140 seems like a lot! (While it’s about the same if you convert pounds to dollars, it just sounds better to pay 65 pounds)!
I recommend it highly!
Thanks for the link..
xoxo, Courtney
Okay, here is my painfully long string of communications with Williams Sonoma customer service. I don’t typically invest this much time into customer service correspondence, but I’m extremely bothered by a company selling a product containing a chemical shown to cause harm to babies when heated - and this is a product specifically for babies and for heating their food.
It’s clear to me that the company doesn’t understand the BPA issue (I have not been able to find any other source that states that PVC is required for a product to leach BPA. In fact, I’m pretty sure PVC is in #3 plastics while BPA is in #7 polycarbonate plastics), and some of their employees both in the store and in Customer Service don’t even know that the Beaba Babycook contains this chemical…
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Can you please confirm that the Beaba Babycook container is made from
polycarbonate, containing BPA? Also, are you aware if the manufacturer has
any plans to change the material this is made from (to a material that does
not contain BPA? Thank you.
—————————————–
Hello Elaina,
Thank you for contacting Williams-Sonoma.
It does not contain PVC and therefore will not leach bisphenol a.
If we may be of any further assistance, please contact us via email. Alternately, you may contact our Customer Service Department directly at 1(800) 541-1262 from 7:00am to 11:00pm (CST), seven days a week.
Kind regards,
John Hodson
Williams-Sonoma
Customer Service
———————————–
Actually, you did not answer my question. Does it contain BPA? Thank you.
Elaina Verhoff
————————————–
Hello Elaina,
Bisphenol a is also known as BPA.
We would first like to assure you that all Williams-Sonoma products are manufactured to the highest standards. Please know all of our items are tested and meet and/or exceed all state and federal requirements. We have verified that the Beaba Babycook (item #5279732) does not contain PVC and therefore will not leach bisphenol-a.
If we may be of any further assistance, please contact us via email. Alternately, you may contact our Customer Service Department directly at 1(800) 541-1262 from 7:00am to 11:00pm (CST), seven days a week.
Kind regards,
Stefan Hone
Williams-Sonoma
Customer Service
——————————————
I am aware that Bisphenol a is known as BPA. You state that the Beaba Babycook will not leach Bisphenol a. My question is if it CONTAINS Bisphenol a, not if it will LEACH bisphenol a. I look forward to your more specific response. Thank you.
——————————————
Hello Elaina,
Thank you for your feedback. We have verified that the Beaba Babycook (item #5279732) does not contain bisphenol-a.
If we may be of any further assistance, please contact us via email. Alternately, you may contact our Customer Service Department directly at 1(800) 541-1262 from 7:00am to 11:00pm (CST), seven days a week.
Kind regards,
Tina Setliff
Williams-Sonoma
Customer Service
————————————
Thank you for this information. I will be posting your response on my website at http://www.funfindsformom.com. It has been widely reported on the Internet that the container used for steaming in the Babycook does contain BPA (bisphenol-a), so I am pleased to hear that it does not.
Elaina Verhoff
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Tina,
I went into a Williams-Sonoma today and saw that the descriptive card on shelf with the Beaba Babycook said that the food container is made of an easy to clean polycarbonate.
I have done a bit of research, and found that “Bisphenol A is an integral component of polycarbonate plastics. You cannot make this plastic without it.” The source for this quote can be found here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourinterview/2008/04/bisphenol_a.html
As you may be aware, studies have found that exposure to this chemical could be damaging to infants. Thus, I hope you understand the importance of clarifying whether or not a device that cooks baby food contains Bisphenol A.
I appreciate your taking the time to further research this issue with the manufacturer. Thank you in advance for your reply.
Elaina Verhoff
Fun Finds For Mom
http://www.funfindsformom.com
—————————————–
Hello Elaina Verhoff,
Thank you for contacting Williams-Sonoma.
Please know that Williams-Sonoma tests all products to meet or exceeds Federal and State Safety standards. We have determined that the Beaba Babycook will not leach bisphenol-a. I regret that we will be unable to provide any further information regarding the chemical make up of this product than what has been given in this and previous email responses.
If we may be of any further assistance, please contact us via email. Alternately, you may contact our Customer Service Department directly at 1(800) 541-1262 from 7:00am to 11:00pm (CST), seven days a week.
Kind regards,
Matthew Kesser
Williams-Sonoma
Customer Service
Thanks for posting the full stream, Elaina. I also contacted the french manufacturer of Baeba. They confirmed that the bowl is constructed of polycarbonate and that they have no plans to switch to a BPA-free plastic. I can’t believe how vague (i.e. misleading) Williams-Sonoma has been on the topic - I would think they would want to protect their high quality image.
Thank you for contacting Williams-Sonoma.
As a responsible retailer, you can be confident that we carefully and rigorously test all of our products to ensure their safety and that they meet or exceed all government standards. Based on the findings of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other government regulatory agencies from around the world, we continue to firmly believe in the safety of our products, including those that contain Bisphenol-A (BPA).
Please know independent testing completed in mid-June indicates no presence of Bisphenal-A in the BabyCook bowl set. The bowl set is made of polysulfone, an alternative to polycarbonate.
We hope you find this information helpful.
Thank you for your interest in our company and products.
Have a great day!
this is what i got when i e-mailed william and sonoma. what is polysulfone??
Maggie from Wholesome Baby Foods just posted a very thorough response from the manufacturer, Beaba, explaining that the bowl is made from Polysulfone (PSU) and not Polycarbonate. For all the details on PSU, please go to this link: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/news/?p=135 and read Maggie’s comment from June 25.
If Williams Sonoma made a mistake in stating that the bowl was made of polycarbonate, they should be up front about that and make sure that they clearly indicate in their marketing materials that the Beaba Babycook does not contain polycarbonate or BPA.
After all this mess though, I would suggest using a good old fashioned pot and blender to make the baby food.