Mama: Homemade Baby Food Intro

Is it worth it? The first question that entered my head when my husband suggested the idea of making our own baby food. Of course we wanted nothing but the best for our son, but I wasn’t completely sold on the idea. On one hand, I thought it might be kind of fun to mix and match different fruits and vegetables, while teaching Chace to love the foods I wish I liked. On the other, I didn’t know how time consuming it would be and whether or not it would really be cheaper than the store-bought kind. We decided to use one of the 20% off coupons from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and get ourselves a Ninja food processor. If I ended up hating the whole baby food thing, I figured I could always make some good smoothies. So, I made my initial investment, purchasing the Ninja, extra ice cube trays, and freezer bags.

Once I had all the gear, I did some online research for baby food recipes. I found lots of websites with directions for making baby food purees, but my absolute favorite was http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com. From there, I decided to start with sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pears, and bananas. The reading I had done on homemade baby food making yielded a continuum of opinions. My general consensus after reading several sources was that today’s store bought baby food is plenty healthy for baby, but nothing beats homemade, and the price is right. After over a year of making food, this mimics my personal opinion perfectly. While I’m no expert, on parenting or nutrition, I still thought it worthwhile to take my experiences and give some advice to moms considering making homemade baby food.

DON’T DO IT FOR ANYONE ELSE

As I mentioned before, today’s store bought baby food is perfectly healthy. Don’t feel like you need to make baby food because you saw it on Pinterest or because all of your mom friends are doing it. Make it because you want to. I find it kind of fun to mix up different concoctions; it reminds me of making “mixtures” as a kid. If this just doesn’t sound appealing at all, skip it. And, please, under no circumstances, if you do make your child’s food, should you feel guilty if you’re

having a busy week and give him/her a baby food pouch, or two, or ten. I do it all the time!

YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO “ALL IN”

You may decide, with your schedule, that you would like to make some of your child’s food, but maybe not all of it. Of course that’s okay! You can supplement your purees with store bought baby food, or even buy pre-cut and pre-washed fruits and veggies to speed up the homemade process. Neither should be considered cheating!

THERE ARE MULTIPLE WAYS TO PREPARE THE FRUITS/VEGGIES FOR PUREEING

In the chart below, I shared the multiple methods I have used to prepare fruits and veggies for pureeing. I am by no means a professional; I’m just sharing because I know that, like myself, a lot of moms and moms-to-be out there are curious about the whole process.

NO CONSISTENCY IS EVER FINAL

Depending on the ingredients, some purees may be a little dry or runny. If dry, add water, breast milk, or formula (whole milk is okay after 12 months). If the puree is runny or watery, add some rice or oatmeal cereal to desired consistency.

WHAT I’VE TRIED SO FAR...

Every month, I will update this chart with the different fruits/veggies and combos I have tried. The above link to the Momtastic blog is an amazing resource as well!

FRUIT/VEGGIE	FAVORITE PREP METHOD	OTHER PREP OPTIONS I’VE TRIED	DOES IT FREEZE WELL?
Sweet potatoes	Use fork to poke holes in potato, wrap in foil, and bake at 400 degrees for 45-75 minutes, depending on size. Remove from foil, cut in half, and scoop insides into food processor. Add water to desired consistency.	They are so easy to bake that I have not tried anything else!	Yes! Sweet potatoes freeze very well.
Butternut Squash	Cut squash in half, lengthwise. Place flesh side down in a shallow baking dish with about ½ inch of water in the bottom. Bank at 400 for approximately 45 minutes. Squash is fully cooked when skin starts to dimple. Scoop insides into food processor. Add water to desired consistency.	I have purchased the peeled and cut butternut squash from the produce section and steamed it. It saves a bit of time and still tastes almost as yummy as roasting it.	Yes.
Bananas	Peel bananas and break into smaller pieces. Place the pieces in the food processor and blend until smooth.	Bananas can be easily mashed with a fork, but I prefer to use the food processor to keep the texture consistent. Plus, the food processor allows the banana puree to be frozen.	Bananas freeze fairly well. The puree darkens in color as it is prepared and can occassionally get watery, but it retains it’s flavor and blends well with other fruits.
Pears	Peel pears, cut in quarters, remove seeds, and then cut into chunks. Place pears in steamer until tender. Place in food processor and blend.	Pears can also be cut and blended without steaming for older babies and toddlers. It is recommended that pears be cooked if serving to children under 6-8 months old. Beyond that age, pears do not need to be cooked before pureeing. Pears can also be prepared with or without skin. No skin is recommended for younger children.	Pears freeze fairly well. They are watery and typically need to be thickened with some baby cereal.
Apples	Peel and slice apples. Place in steamer until tender. Place in food processor and blend.	Steaming is sort of a boring way to prepare apples, but I definitely find it to be the easiest. I have also sliced apples and baked in a scant amount of water, but I found the apples got very waterlogged and soggy. I have a feeling it was a user-error, but I typically opt to steam them.	Apples freeze fairly well. They do change to a darker color depending on how sweet they are. They can also be watery and may need to be thickened with some baby cereal.
Strawberry Banana	Peel and chunk bananas and place in blender with cut strawberries.	There is really no easier way. Add pineapple for an extra kick of flavor or blueberries for an extra berry burst.	Strawberry banana freezes very well.
Banana Pineapple	Peel and chunk bananas and place in blender with pineapple chunks. I have used canned instead of fresh in a pinch.	None.	A frothy mixture that sometimes needs some cereal to thicken it up, banana pineapple freezes pretty well.
Blueberry Banana	Peel and chunk bananas and place in blender with fresh blueberries.	None. Add a small can of beets to up the nutrients. The blueberry banana flavor make it undetectable.	Blueberry banana freezes very well.