Making Baby Food at Home..??

Hello T.,

There is an AWESOME book out there call "Super Baby Food" and it walked me (holding my hand) all the way through making my own baby food. It is a fabulous book with a whole section on almost every fruit and veggie and how to shop for it, cook it, and store it. I highly recommend this book. It is a little far to the left for me but I didn't use every bit of advice/info it had in there - but the veggie section was top notch.

Positively,
M.

Hi T....
You might try www.homemadebabyfood.com for about 144,000,000 sites and they give "age appropriate" recipes and so much more.
Good Luck

C. M Hamlin
Cave Junction OR

I highly recommend the following website www.wholesomebabyfood.com. It has many recipes for home-made baby food for different age groups.

When I made baby food I used a steamer and steam the veggies to get them cooked to be able to mush. I used the Magic Bullet (but could used a blender with puree mode). I mainly did it with veggies - carrots, grean beans, peas and some mixed veggies. When I bought them canned in the store - I made sure that they said "No Salt". When you puree add some water too. And I would buy the frozen veggies as well. When steaming them you help keep the natural nutrients in the food. After you puree them put them in ice cube trays and let them freeze. Put the cubes into a freezer bag and you have little servings. When you are ready to give your baby the food just take out whatever he will eat. I did do a whole adventure of kinds of foods, but hey - It was a start to a good effort. Good luck.

Hey there,
I don't know what everyone else has suggested but I've used SO Easy Baby Food. It's SO EASY! It seems daunting at first, but after the first item you make, you'll be hooked. I make food about 1/month for about 1 1/2-2 hours. Another great suggestion is to get with other new moms/baby food making moms you can get together for play dates and exchange foods. I make one large batch of sweet potatoes and I come home with carrots, pears, apples, and squash.

Good luck!

Mostly what I did was just steam fruits and vegetables then blend them (I have the magic bullet, and really ONLY use it for baby food, it's AWESOME for that!), pour the blended food into ice cube trays (I love that size for choosing what to defrost), and freeze, then store the frozen cubes in zipper quart size freezer bags. If you make a lot, make sure you label and date.

I use the web site wholesomebabyfood.com They have a lot of great recipes, and some VERY important do's and don'ts. Like, don't make your own carrots for very little ones. Or don't use honey for very little ones. Give it a read!!

Have fun! You can save a TON of money doing it that way, and it's great for your peace of mind, too. I still make a bunch of stuff for my son, and he's 3 now. They have another site, wholesometoddlerfood.com, for when they're older!

It is pretty easy, but you've got to get a pretty thorough list of what NOT to feed your baby at this age. Lots of things can cause alleries if presented too early (eggs, citrus, peanuts, honey), but certain veggies can have too many nitrates if not grown in certain areas (carrots and spinach are two that I know of). My pediatrician had a long list of things not to use when making my own baby food.

Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron! I got a copy on Amazon.com for fairly cheap. I'm using it, very easy to follow and good advice. Watch on feeding your baby steamed carrots from home at too young an age....some geographical areas contain alot of nitrites in the soil, too much for a young baby. Commercial baby food gets their carrots from areas that don't have high levels. I'm using Earths best organic carrot products until my son is old enough for me to make my own for him. The book covers this and my Ped backed it up. Way to go! I LOVE making my babys food!!! You'll feel so good about it too!!! ENJOY!

-A.

This is super easy -- my little girl turned 6 months on Jan. 2, and we've been feeding her bananas mashed up with pureed steamed carrots, steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes. I always follow it up with nursing to "top her off". I did this with my first daughter, too, and it is so neat to know exactly what it going in these little people's tummies and a wonderful bonus is that it is SUPER cheap to feed your wee one (verses going the store-bought baby food route).

Have fun!

Hi T.,

Just to add a little to your responses so far...

My pediatrician was able to give me a general chart for starting solid foods. It would give recommended portion sizes and foods (cereals, fruits, yellow/orange veggies, green veggies, meats, etc.) to try at certain ages. It was a great quick reference.

I have "Super Baby Food" as well, and have mixed feelings about it. As another Mama said, it is poorly written and organized, but it is a good reference. It has very comprehensive, creative lists about when particular foods are easily digested by baby. It also has some great tips for cooking and storing large batches of food, and it even has recipes for later on, like homemade play-dough and fruit roll ups. Yaron does, however, advocate a vegetarian diet, so I don't feel like the book covers meats very well. It also tends to focus on protein supplements added to other foods in sample menus, which didn't make them as useful as I'd hoped. All in all, I'm glad I have it, but it's not the only book I use.

The "Everything Baby Cookbook" isn't too bad. It's recipes were helpful in the beginning to determine how long to cook foods and how much liquid to add when pureeing them. It's a little repetitive and not as creative as some other references.

Right now my favorite is "100 Top Baby Purees" by Annabel Karmel. It has by far the most creative recipes for combo meals (e.g. chicken and corn chowder, beef casserole, spinach and potato). The recipes have given me the right texture the first time, and my daughter really likes them.

I have found that I like the texture of some frozen veggies better than fresh when they're pureed, especially green beans. I just make sure to buy the ones without salt.

If you are buying ice cube trays for freezing, get the most flexible ones you can find. The baby food doesn't pop out quite as easily as ice, especially when baby starts eating thicker consistency food.

At first, I only used my food processor for pureeing, but I'm finding that I like using the blender a bit more now. I think it circulates the food better, so the purees are more consistent all the way through (fewer weird lumps).

When my daughter was still eating very smooth, thin purees, I discovered that squash and a lot of fruit are waterier when they thaw than they were when I first made them. I recommend adding a little less liquid for those than you think you need if you'll be freezing batches.

In the end, I LOVE being able to give my daughter more variety than she'd ever have if she only ate out of jars. One of her favorite veggies is asparagus. She'd never have tried it if I hadn't made it! Also, the food looks and tastes like is should. Peas are green, not grey, and they taste like peas!

Have fun!

In addition to many of the things listed below, we also would use a garlic press to mash food. This way we could test it out before making a whole bunch. Also, this way we could add bits from our dinner to her dinner.

R.

what ever we were having I would put into the blender w/either water, rice milk or soy milk. Of course I would stick to the foods he was supposed to eat. veggies, fruit, and then meats etc. It was easy, cheap and I knew exactly what was in there.

It is easy, healthy, and less expensive--that's all my son ate before able to chew. It just takes a wee bit of prep work, but I think it's totally worth it.

I just want to second or third what some women already mentioned. You don't need to buy a book for it. wholesomebabyfood.com has everything you need--tips, nutritional info, recipes, etc. Very great website.

Mainly, what it takes to make your own is steaming or cooking veggies/fruit/meat until soft; using a food processor or high-powered blender; and then freezing. I froze baby food in ice cube trays (each cube is about a serving), and once the food was frozen, I would pop each cube out and store them in a labeled freezer bag in the freezer. Works great.

Best of luck to you!!!

Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. It's big, but easy to flip through and lots of wonderful advice on what to "try" when, nutrition, and preparation. I found it to be a great resource while getting ready to make food, but once we started, it basically became: steam, puree, store, feed.

Our daughter's first food aside from rice cereal/oats was pureed organic avocado. We put it in the cuisinart, a few tablespoons of warm water and that was it. No cooling and chock full of wonderful healthy oils! Great for brain development.

We basically tried one food a week, to make sure she didn't have any reactions. The only food that didn't agree with her at first was peas. After a couple of months peas were fine too! We started her on food at 4 months too, as she was very, very interested in our eating!

It's super easy to make your own food and freeze in ice cube trays! We actually re-used some of the Gerber plastic containers from the few foods we purchased. We also bought some baby food containers that we could fill and freeze.

It was so inexpensive and kind of fun to make her food, all said and done we probably only purchased about a case of food (for traveling, long days out, etc.).

Have fun!

Hey there T..

I am not sure if you are just gathering information but its is recommended to wait for your child to be 6 months before starting solids. This web sight came highly recommended to me and was very helpful for me.

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

First I would like to say that if you love to cook in general then you will find making food for your little one to be a totally satisfying and more than worthwhile experience!! Go momma!

I second everybody who suggested Super Baby Food! I am currently making tasty food for my second little one and he is loving it! My daughter is almost four and has lovely taste! She eats veggies raw. Loves homemade food. And can actually tell the difference between freshly cooked veggies and frozen veggies (which she will not eat...makes me swell with that's my girl pride )

What worked for me was a small and easy to clean two cup food processor. I am using the same one now that we used three years ago!! I also bought a whole bunch of 1/2 C containers and use those to freeze portion sized servings. I would use masking tape and a sharpee to label the top. They are easy to grab and go or take on picnics...and easy for childcare to understand (not to mention some papas)...one container=one serving. When I was at the height of making all of my daughters food I would make at least a week's worth at a time and it would take me about an hour.

The best reward was when I was almost out of homemade food. We were at the store and she was hungry so I told her as a 'treat' we would get a jar of organic baby food. We got home and she had one bite and would have no more. She opted for a little squished avo instead!!!

It is so wonderful and so rewarding as a mother and the benefits for your child are astronomical!! Go for it and just trust your instincts on the way...don't get too caught up on tables and exact feeding times etc. This is a magic time between you and your child...revel in it!!!!

Best of luck
L.

Target sells a great little baby food hand-grinder for about $10 that comes with recipes and guidelines. I've had my grinder for about six months. It's easy to clean, brightly colored, and pretty easy to use. (it does require some hand strength) When I make baby food, I just use whatever we're eating and avoid spices. Your doctor should be able to give you a list of foods that are appropriate at any given age.

Get "Super Baby Food." Drove me nuts because it is horribly written and laid out, but it is full of great information and all the basic stuff you need to make your own baby food. I did it for both my kids. I saved money, had food around all the time, and felt really good that my kids were getting healthy, organic food.

We had lots of organic fruits and vegetables delivered from Pioneer Organics which is now Spud.com. Makes it easy.

Good luck!
C.

Hi T.
just take vegetables you buy at the store cook them and put them into a blender make them as pureed as you want and then freeze in ice cube trays eack cube is 2 or 3 table spoons i think, when frozen pop them out and store then in freezer bags until ready to thaw and reheat. I found that meat did not puree as easily so i used the baby jars but i also fed from the table mashing vegetables with a fork
paula

Super Baby Food is a great book. But you can't go wrong with just basics like squash, bananas, sweet potatoes, avocado. Stick with whole foods, and check for the common allergens. A good tip I got for freezing is that you can freeze first in an ice cube tray, then put the frozen cubes into a ziploc bag. To get the air out of the ziploc (to avoid freezer burn) put it under water almost to the top, and close the bag.

And, you didn't mention it, but it is important to wait until after 6 months, unless there is a medical reason to supplement. And don't force solids on your baby; if he's not interested, just wait. Unless they demonstrate a need for supplemental food, they don't "need" anything but breastmilk, for up to the first year. THere are things forming in in their system that are disrupted if they get solids too early. It's hard to find articles on that subject, but they're out there. I got lots of advice on Kellymom.com when starting new things with my son, or just other questions.
best wishes,
Colleen

Making baby food is really easy, I had never considered it until a friend of mine did it with her daughter a couple years ago and I saw how easy it was.

I built up a store by buying 1-2 pounds of veggies/fruit at a time when they go on sale. My goal was paying no more than $1/lb. which usually makes about 16-20 2oz. servings depending on the amount of liquid you add,and takes about 30 minutes of prep. time (not including time to steam/bake). Baking and steaming is best to preserve nutrients.

I used the book called Top 100 baby purees by Annabel Karmel, you can get it online or at baby stores. She also has a website with most of the information that is in her books. I also used www.wholesomebabyfood.com thanks to tip from another mama on this website. It tells you how to cook about everything for babies from 6 months to toddler years.

P.s. Another mamma asked this question back on 1/13/09, you can look at her responses.

wholesomebabyfood.com is a good resource for age-appropriate foods and recipes, as are the books The Petite Appetite by Lisa Barnes and First Foods by Annabelle Karmel. The books contain recipes that, as your child gets older, the entire family might enjoy (depending on mom and dad's tastes.)

hello,
i make my own baby food with fresh or frozen fruits and veggies, heat them until they are soft enough to be processed in the food processor, add water to get the right thickness, then put into ice cube trays and freeze,its so simple! i also used canned fruits in water/no sugar added then just process and good to go! very simple and rewarding!

I would recommend trying the easily hand mashable things first to make sure that your baby will eat the things you make before investing in the many expensive "baby food making" supplies out there. My baby HATED everything I made and gobbled up all the baby food jars. :( I was so sad. Easy things to mash = avacado, banana, etc. Good luck!

I second the suggestion about the book Super Baby Food. It is a great book with tons of info! My two children together have probaby eaten a total of 10 jars of baby food while on journeys, etc. It is really quite easy to make your own yummy stuff for baby!

First get yourself a blender, a Bullet blender that they show on tv is a great size for this project. You can find them at Costco, saving money on shipping costs, as well as other stores.

Now, at your baby's age, most foods are single ingredient foods. Fruits and vegetables. Steam or bake your vegetables, like yams, peas, carrots, beans. Then put them in the blender, add the smallest amount of water and puree away. No lumps, no clumps at this age, just pureed vegies.
I'd store individual amounts in the snack size ziplock bags and freeze them. Take them out and thaw them in the microwave or by setting them in a bowl of hot water. This should thaw and heat for consumption. Fruits such as applesauce can be pureed to insure the consistency is smooth enough for your tiny boy's palate. You could also steam or bake an apple, cut it up in pieces, puree. This would eliminate any extra sugars that have been added. Bananas are a fruit that you'll want to puree just before using adding a little bit of orange juice to keep the brown down. So this would be a fresh fruit. Pears are similar to apples, peel, chunk and puree. You can still find them in the market right now. Peaches, apricots and plums... if you don't mind using already canned in light syrup fruits, puree the pieces. You've taken them out of their syrup, so there are fewer sugar calories. Flavors are great!!! As he gets older, chicken breats, lean cuts of beef or pork... baked and then diced up and pureed. Using chick or beef stock for the liquid to puree. Small amounts are all that are needed. My friend, as her kids got older, used pot pies for meat/vegie junior meals. Blended them, but not to the point of puree. So bake one, mash it up and serve.

Rice, barley and oatmeal baby cereals are staples and really can't be beat. Rice cereal is usally the first solid food that babies are introduced to, or at least my three were, my brothers and most of my friends and then their children. Talk with your pediatrician and decide when you want to start doing introducing solids. It's important that you do this, one food at a time for a period of time. This way you'll be able to find any food allergies or sensitivities. So don't mix things up and keep foods simple and one ingredient for a long period of time. As your boy grows, you can take your dinners and blend/mash them and serve. Mashed potatoes with a little butter or gravy are a great introduction to grown up meals. Best of luck!!

Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron! It was our baby food bible until my daughter was 1 and I knew what she could/counldn't have and how to make most things. I still use it as a reference, but not every time I cook anymore. You might be able to find a used copy, but it's worth the $20 for a new copy too. Two things that I wouldn't make: rice cereal and applesauce. You can make either yourself, but there is organic rice cereal readily available and we felt like that was a great way for us to go. We did make our own applesauce once, but then realized that it's cheaper to buy it. We buy the Trader Joe's organic applesauce that doesn't have anything added. It really is just apples and I appreciate that. If you want more info or need more advice, please let me know and I'll be happy to help however I can! There are a couple websites already mentioned here too that are great!

i have been cooking for several months and i love it. i freeze an put into individual jars...it is a bit less convienient but way cheaper. there are books used on amazon by karmel. superfoods i think. it is great for beginning all the way through toddlerhood. enjoy1

I would second the recommendation for wholesomebabyfood.com. It is a one-stop shop for baby food making info, ideas and recipes. I found the Super Baby Food book a little overwhelming and slightly out of date but it does have some good info too. Making baby food is wonderful, easy and rewarding, even while working full time I find it worth it so know what my baby is getting! Good luck and have fun!