Why Did I Make My Own Baby Food
Before my first was born, I really didn’t give much thought to baby food. But the Christmas before my son was born, I was gifted a complete Nutribullet Baby set and baby food cookbook. My only thoughts were, “well, I guess I’m doing this now.” I had thought about organic baby food, and it just made sense that if I was gonna go that far, I might as well just make it myself. I would know exactly what was going into what I would feed my child. Let me take a minute to say, this is not meant to shame anyone who chooses to feed their baby a different way. This is simply how I got started. But if you are thinking about doing homemade baby food, it’s super easy.
Making My Own Baby Food Or Just Going Organic
Sure, you could buy a couple jars of organic baby food, or you could take that same amount of money, buy organic ingredients, make about twice as much baby food, and be able to freeze what you don’t use right away. Your baby is still getting organic, but it’s more cost effective.
Equipment You Will Need
If you want to invest in an entire baby food making system, there are many out there, these will have everything you need and might even come with recipe ideas. After making my own food and observing how some other mothers have done it, I realized that it all comes down to a handful of basic items; a blender/food processor, silicone freezer trays with a lid, and small containers. Most people already have a blender or food processor in their kitchens. When looking for a silicone tray, I would suggest finding one that freezes larger portions than a regular ice tray, and it needs to have a covering. You can find small plastic or glass containers. Once while I was still working as an infant teacher, I observed a mother using breastmilk storage bags. So, there are many ways you can go about making baby food.
Baby Food Basics
Most of what you will be doing is peeling, chopping, boiling, and blending. Some produce will be easier to work with fresh and some will be easier frozen. Some of the more basic recipes won’t take longer than half an hour, and then you have a batch of baby meals. Save the water you used for boiling! You will need it while blending. The only canned produce I would suggest is pumpkin, because cooking a fresh pumpkin would be a nightmare.
Rice And Oatmeal Cereal
This is super easy. To make rice cereal, I would suggest using brown or whole grain rice. You need to soak it for an hour or two, then cook as normal, and blend. Oatmeal cereal is a little simpler. You can take old fashioned oats and put them straight into the blender/food processor to create a powder, or blend with hot water. Both the rice cereal and oatmeal cereal can be frozen for later.
Banana And Avocado
The one thing I’ve noticed making baby food are bananas and avocados are a little tricky. I would say these are best to serve immediately or straight into the freezer. They tend to turn overnight in the fridge.
Pureeing Meat
I promise this is super easy. Most people use beef or some form of poultry in their baby food. After you thoroughly cook your protein, be sure to drain any fat. When you put it through the blender/processor, it’s going to be dry and mealy. Just like the produce, you’re going to slowly add liquid in until you get the consistency you want. You can use boiled/purified water, or you can use a low sodium broth.
Thickness
You can easily control the thickness of the baby food by how much liquid you add to it while you are blending. At the beginning, you’re going to want to make it thinner, but then progressively make it thicker as your baby becomes a more confident eater.
What Should I Make First?
This is where some parents get stuck. There are so many possibilities, but there are also so many food rules to follow. Luckily, pediatricians have changed food recommendations of only introducing foods one at a time and avoiding certain foods until 12 months. This is probably something that would be more of a concern if you have a family history of food allergies. If you have any concerns, always consult your child’s pediatrician first. Keep in mind that if you introduce baby food earlier than 6 months, there are some foods that aren’t recommended. Google always came in handy when I wasn’t sure of a certain food. Most seasonings are alright, just keep it light on the salt or sugar. There are so many cookbooks for babies, that are a great source of ideas. Sometimes I would peruse the baby food aisle and make my own version of what Gerber was doing. You can stick any meal in a blender/processor. You can get creative and try making baby food versions of some of your favorite meals. The sky’s the limit.
Pouches
As my son got a little older, we started buying pouches, because sometimes vegetables are a hard negotiation. Just out of curiosity I googled “reusable pouches.” These are real! So, this is also something you can try when your baby grows into a picky toddler.
If you’ve thought about making your own baby food, but you don’t know how to go about it, or the whole thing is just intimidating, I promise it really is super easy. You may find it a very rewarding and cost-effective experience.
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