Thinking About Making Your Own Baby Foods? Do It!

Unfortunately these days, even the simplest things such as baby food can have a lot of extra ingredients added to it.  That's why early on I decided to make my own baby food.  If you've given making your own baby food the slightest bit of thought, go for it!  It will save you money, doesn't take a lot of time, and you'll know exactly what your child is eating. 

All you need to get started is a food processor (or blender) and some ice cube trays.  Cook whatever food you want for your baby (I would just throw things in my steamer and cook them that way), without adding any extra seasoning.  Once it has cooked and cooled, throw it into the food processor, adding water as needed to get the proper consistency.  This will depend on the age of the child.  Once the food is how you like it, throw it into some ice cube trays (I sprayed mine with olive oil first to help with release) and freeze.  Later you can dump them out and bag them up.  Take cubes out as needed and dinner is on the table in no time!  Many fruits and such do not even need to be cooked. 

By using this method, I was able to splurge on organic produce and still spend less than buying jarred food.  I could also cutomize food so my little girl would eat better.  For a long time we added banana to everything, slowly cutting back on the amount of banana over time.  One of her favorites is avocado and banana, full of healthy fats and potassium! 

When making your own baby food, please be sure to avoid allergens such as nuts or honey, which can lead to botulism in infants.  Two books that really helped me were Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron and First Meals by Annabel Karmel.  Super Baby Food can be a little overwhelming, but there are a lot of great recipes in it.  First meals is a wonderful guide, giving recipes for every feeding stage along with pictures, so you can get an idea of what type of consistency the food should be. 

Have fun and let me know if you try making your own foods!