Photo: Ewa Pinkonhead
If you think we are over ambitious granola moms for even suggesting this idea, I totally get it. There is nothing wrong with pouches or jars of baby food. I personally found making food this way fun, so there’s that. If you are intrigued by the photo above, keep reading.
The book, Super Baby Food is chock full of recipes for making and storing baby food. Actually the most useful part of it is that there’s a list of foods to introduce your baby to for each month, from month 5 until toddlerhood. I referred to it constantly when Julian just started solids and then Heather read it (almost cover to cover) like a novel. Our tip is to make and freeze as much as you can when you still have interest and energy, because it may lose it’s appeal as your baby gets older. The book is also crazy full of other money- and earth-saving ideas if you’re interested in that. But for now, let’s get down to a basic how-to.
How to make your own baby food
Let’s keep it easy and choose fruits or veggies that are softened when steamed. Pears are a good first food to make. Follow this same process for any food you pick: sweet potatoes, squash, apple.
- Boil water.
- Add peeled and diced fruit.
- Poke with a fork to check status. When the fork pierces into the food easily, you’re done boiling it.
- Remove from stove top
- Pour out most of the water. Leaving some is fine.
- Puree. Use a food processor or a blender if you have those. I have a stick mixer, also known as an immersion blender, and I HIGHLY recommend it. More on that later.
- Feed baby some of the puree fresh out of the container.
Frozen baby food cubes | Photo by Wendy
Saving and storing homemade baby food
- Put the puree into ice cube trays and freeze.
- When the food cubes are set, remove them and place in resealable bags. Label with food type and date, such as “yams feb 21”.
- To reheat, place in microwave safe container and nuke it. Stir well to avoid hot spots. If you don’t like microwaves, place in a resealable bag and run under hot water.
Serve with a spoon or fill a reusable baby food pouch (we have mixed opinions on these).
Tools of the trade
You may be seduced by the Beaba Babycook. I know I would have been if it was around when my babies were babies. It steams and purees in one appliance. Awesome. The latest model makes larger or smaller portions. Price tag is a bit high.
Finally, a few books to guide you in your baby food making adventures:
Great post! You can also make your own baby food in a good old blender! I love the Petit Appetit Cookbook. I’ve also blogged on this topic:
http://turnitupmom.blogspot.com/2009/04/baby-food-courage-to-make-your-own.html
I made almost all my first sons’ food (got pregnant around 7.5 months and all cooking went out the window, lol), son#2 hasn’t had a processed food yet (except his mum mums, we found out he has a wheat allergy and I’m hurting for ideas on baby snacks) But I LOVE LOVE LOVE my magic bullet – raved about it here – http://musingsfromamom.wordpress.com/2009/03/09/how-we-do-homemade/
I also suggest http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/ for ideas/recipes.
I haven’t been freezing much this go round. If it needs to be cooked (like sweet potatoes) I’ll do a huge batch, other wise I just steam, puree and serve. Doesn’t get much fresher than that! 😀
I think the stick blender makes all the difference. With my older boy I used a food processor and the clean up was a pain, but I stuck with it because it was cheaper and I felt I had more control over what he was eating. This time around, I’ve been using the stick blender and the clean-up is crazy fast. I also find that I can get a finer puree and a better consistency and it’s also kind of fun to puree the hell out of something.
I love the stick idea!! I’ve been making baby food for 5 months now, and while it can be a lot of work, it definitely saves us money and I know what she’s eating! I’ve been using www.wholesomebabyfood.com as a guide and it’s free. 🙂
I just wanted to share with you another resource for homemade baby food….NurtureBaby. http://www.nurturebaby.com. This website includes recipes, nutrition tips and time saving techniques for making homemade baby (and toddler) food. Enjoy!!
It’s funny – but my dad told me the little secret about the ice cube trays when my first son was born! My youngest is now almost ready for baby food! I am going to get cooking soon! 🙂
Very Cool Ideas.
Great post! Hands down, our homemade baby food has the highest nutritional value. If you are a first time mom it can be a challenge to block the time and prepare this. Remember, no pouch or jar compares with homemade food.