Simplifying Travel with Baby, One Spoonful at a Time

You don’t have to be a parent to appreciate that traveling with a baby requires more gear than playing golf.

Diapers, wipes, butt cream, baby food, bibs, spare onesies and pacifiers are among the bare essentials. Throw in other items such as toys, strollers, car seats and monitors, and we parents are the ones who should have caddies when we hit the road.

This is precisely why I am in love with the Plum Dispensing Spoon by Boon.

Essentially, the product is nothing more than the concave part of a spoon. It screws on to the top of Plum Organics (and just about any other) baby food pouch. There’s a hole in the back, so when you squeeze the pouch, the food comes through the hole and right into the spoon. From there, all you have to do is convince your baby to sit still long enough to eat (if your babe is like my 9-month-old, sometimes that’s a dicey proposition).

The thing rules for a number of reasons. First, it’s portable; Boon actually sells them in pairs, and the plastic carrying case is the size of a cell phone. Second, it’s easy to clean; stick the thing under running water for about 10 seconds and it’s ready for another go. Third, it keeps the Earth in mind; according to the packaging, it’s made of BPA-, Phthalate- and PVC-free materials.

Finally—and this is perhaps most important—it enables you to downsize necessary baby feeding gear; a necessity while on the go.

(I should note here that I am in no way, shape or form a shill for Plum or Boon. They didn’t even pitch this product to me; I discovered it at our local Safeway in late May during a random midnight diaper run.)

We used these pouch-toppers religiously during our month-long trip in Hawaii—every time we ate out (in restaurants, at picnic tables and along hiking trails) we left our traditional spoons at home. Now that we’re back on the mainland, we plan to continue using the Dispensing Spoon; I’ve actually purchased a separate pair to keep in our child-carrying backpack.

The spoon-heads cost $4 for two. If you haven’t used this ingenious invention yet, check it out.