There surely comes a moment in every mother’s life where she must face the inevitable: travelling long distance with her baby. Which presses an even bigger issue: what will the baby eat? Many mothers start planning for holidays six months in advance, even if the entire trip is under a week. It’s rather worrisome if you suspect your destination may have eating conditions beyond your control, or if your exceptionally fussy baby refuses to eat anything that she hasn’t tasted before. This is where a travel cooker becomes your handy companion towards a stress-free journey.

What is a travel cooker

travel cooker is convenient and easy to prepare baby's food while traveling

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A hot plate base with a container attached, an electric cooker enables you to prepare simple, quick food for your baby. Add ingredients in measured quantity and let it cook as per instructions. Travel cookers don’t come with a pressure whistle like our conventional cookers. Travel cookers are also portable, convenient and easy to carry. Rather than hunting for a gas stove, pans and other cooking equipment wherever you go, a travel cooker is all you need. You can use the travel cooker to prepare her favourite soup, steamed vegetables, pasta, porridge, khichdi and boil milk or water. All the safe, reliable flavours your baby loves. Some cookers even offer options for quinoa and egg omelettes.

When should I buy a travel cooker

The best age to purchase a travel cooker for your little one is between 6 months to 2 years. It is a delicate time frame where your baby’s digestion is still developing. It’s unnerving to offer food you haven’t personally seen being prepared, during your travel, to a child at this age. It’s a good purchase to make if :

  • Baby has just started eating solids, and you plan to travel with the baby
  • If the baby is in the phase of not chewing hard food
  • If your child is older and unwilling to eat unknown food

A travel cooker might be a good investment to make if you intend to travel frequently with your baby. Sometimes, outside food can weigh heavily on the digestive system, and a bowl of homemade khichdi is just what your child needs.

Popular travel cookers

There are many travel cookers available in the market with similar features. Here are our three picks:

1. Panasonic Automatic Baby Cooker With Steamer

  • Cooking capacity: 300 gm
  • Useful features: Cooks quickly, switches off automatically after cooking

2. Italia Steel Travel Cooker

  • Capacity: 1 litre
  • Useful features: Cooker & warmer, adjustable wattage hence usable in different countries, portable to store

3. Kenwood RC240 Rice Cooker/Food Steamer/Travel Cooker 

  • Cooking capacity: f 600 gm
  • Useful features: detachable steamer basket, glass lid to see the food being cooked, easy to use & carry

Should I invest in a travel cooker

This device is only useful until your child is ready to eat food that is prepared outside the home. Many hotels in India are willing to prepare food as per your child’s preferences. You can carry your raw ingredients and even get food cooked under supervision. So, many parents feel comfortable to introduce hotel food even when the child is a year old. 

Also, if you are going to a place where there are electricity-related issues, it will be a problem to use one.

You can continue to use it at home to prepare food, but since travel cookers come in small sizes, your family might outgrow the one you use. You can opt to buy one with useful feature like steamer option to prolong its use.

Conclusion

If you like to prepare your baby’s meals yourself, a travel cooker is a perfect tool to take with you on holidays. It offers you the convenience of your kitchen away from home, and you don’t come back with a hungry baby or a baby with an upset stomach.