Making Your Own Baby Food

While not every parent chooses to use pureed baby foods to feed their baby as they move into solids, many do. If you are considering using pureed baby foods then you have probably started looking at the jars and containers of baby foods that they have at the store trying to figure out what you should feed your baby. You have probably also noticed that some of those jars can get quite expensive.

Buying jars of baby food at the store can be expensive, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with buying them. In particular, we’re actually big fans of some of the fruit purees as the only ingredient is often only the fruit itself with some water added sometimes. However, not all of them are that way - read the ingredients on the package before buying to make sure you know what you’re feeding your child.

First foods for your child should be pure foods - don’t buy the jars that have added chemicals or mixtures of things. You want to take it slow and find out if they’re allergic to anything, and if you buy foods that have weird additives in them, you simply won’t know what it was that may have caused a reaction. These jars are generally more expensive (although not always with some of the fruits and veggies), but they’ll give you peace of mind as well.

There’s no reason that you have to buy the baby food at the store though - you can most certainly make your own baby foods at home and feed your child that way right from the start. A simple blender is really all you need to make this happen. Put a fruit or vegetable into the blender, let it get nice and smooth (add a little bit of water if needed), and you’re set. Let your baby’s funny faces begin. 

While the food may be a little bit chunkier than the stuff you can buy at the store, there’s really nothing wrong with that. As long as you don’t have huge chunks in the food, it’s not really a choking hazard (although your child may act like it is as they’re used to completely smooth liquids until now). The only real benefit to a perfectly smooth puree is that your child is more focused on flavor rather than texture - however teaching textures in food is important.

As you find that your child is not allergic to foods, you can start making plenty of extra - no need to always make small portions of baby food. Simply make a large batch and then freeze the extra. Generally, using some type of smaller containers so you can pull out a little bit at a time is the best option. You can also use ice cube trays (make sure you cover them up) or something similar and then move them into a bag and pull out a few at a time as needed.

As you move away from fruits and veggies, one of the biggest benefits to making your own baby food is that your baby can eat exactly what you’re eating - simply put it all in the blender together and blend it. While this might sound disgusting, it’s miles better than the gross mixtures they sell at the store - open one of those things up and smell it and you’ll think your homemade mixture is heavenly in comparison. It’s what happens in your stomach anyways, and it’s really about introducing new flavors to your child.

Making your own baby food at home doesn’t have to be difficult - it’s actually quite simple. It generally tastes better and will be cheaper. Don’t be afraid to make your own baby foods for your child.