Review – Cool Fan

Weaning Isabelle came easy (after a few hiccups when we were finding the best weaning technique to go with) we chose the baby led weaning route where she basically ate the same as us, controlled obviously, no spicy hot foods, no salt etc. but it was the best choice for us. No messing around having to prepare two different meals.

What we did find that caused us a problem was the waiting time for food to cool down and with Isabelle around it wasn’t easy work.  The mere sniff of food and she would start wailing for it, I don’t know about you but having a child scream at you to get the dinner on the table faster does not make for a nice relaxed family meal together.  When she wanted food she wanted it now!

At the time we were blowing on Isabelle’s food to try and cool it, I was never a huge fan of this as it really wasn’t hygienic plus it didn’t really work. Short of leaving her to whinge while we dished out our dinners there wasn’t much we could do.

That was until the lovely people at Cool Fans asked us to review a cool fan.  These handy devices come in the form of a fun little character with a foam fan attached to the bottom.  Well how do they work I hear you ask, no you don’t have to hold them, they are already fixed onto their own frame at the perfect height to cool the food on your little ones plate.

So I introduce you to the Cool Fans. Sold in 4 great designs with loveable characters, Dixie, Axil, Milo and the one that we chose Izzy.  Izzy sports a purple hat with big green eyes and grin that would go from ear to ear (if she had ears).  With her fetching purple blades she certainly is an eye catching device to have.

When it came to meal time I could see Isabelle becoming agitated at the sight of food (honestly we do feed her) but we carried on dishing out the food. When it was ready to serve we pulled out Izzy the Cool Fan and put her to work.  She has a little on/off switch at the rear which is really simple to use. We popped the Cool Fan over Isabelle’s plate and switched it on, shockingly the fan is very fast, we didn’t really expect that at all which led us to be even more shocked when the food had cooled down in less than two minutes. In that time we had Isabelle striped down, hands cleaned, bib on and popped in her highchair all ready for food. For once she did not have to wait which meant that we also didn’t have to wait for our food either. Being a little doubtful I checked Isabelle’s plate for hot spots but there weren’t any and I soon discovered that this was because the height of the fan provides quick and even cooling to the food.

The fans blades are soft and child friendly and will stop spinning on impact. They are perfectly safe for little fingers and will not cause any damage. In fact Isabelle has spent a lot of time giggling and sticking her fingers into the cool fans blades as it spins (although I wouldn’t recommend anyone to do this)  Maybe it tickles her?

The fan base is a good size will accommodate most children’s plates and bowls, I have yet to come across a children’s dish that hasn’t fit under the fan.

Good size that will accommodate most children’s plates and bowls.

The cool fans can also be removed from their stand which helps a lot especially when it comes to cleaning them. The base is generally cleaned with the rest of our pots whilst the fan/head can easily be wiped down with a damp cloth; again show just how hygienic this product is. It is a little awkward to store but again because the fan can be removed from the sand we have no problems, we have even taken it with us when we have eaten out or at friends and family members houses.

The Cool Fan is not only great for cooling foo down to a temperature safe for your child to eat without burning themselves, it is also great for cooling down food quickly for safe storage in the fridge or freezer, reducing the time that bacteria has to grow.

The fans are operated by two AAA batteries (supplied with the product) but if you are like us and use this product a lot you will need to change the batteries at some point.

We have noticed that friends and family have been most curious about Izzy our Cool Fan and when they have seen it they have asked what it was.  All being impressed and some slightly jealous that these were not around when they had children and I can only sympathise with them.

What do I love the most?

Its hands free! I can carry on serving food without having to worry about tending to Isabelle’s plate trying various methods to cool down her food before she realised it was feeding time. For such a simple device I don’t think I have ever been so pleased with an item that we have reviewed. I wish we had discovered them sooner as it has become a vital addition at meal times and could not live without it.

Available to purchase from Cool Fans at a very reasonable £9.99