Monday, April 13, 2009

Making Baby Food - first foods


Don't be scared of making your own baby food. It is so simple. You can also start with baby steps. The first food your baby usually eats is rice cereal. Go ahead and buy a box of that. I'm not hard core enough to make it myself, although making your own oatmeal is easy when it is time (just put quick cook oatmeal in a blender and blend until it's a fine powder).
With our first child I made batches of food with blender and an ice cube tray. For my second two children I only used the freezer/ice cube method if I had a bunch of overripe bananas or avocado that I couldn't use in time. If you don't want to commit to making bulk batches just pick up a Baby food mill and have baby eat what you eat (or simple fruits and veggies if they are younger).

For beginning eaters rice cereal, bananas, avocado, and sweet potatoes are recommended. All easy to do for each meal with no commitment.

Banana: when ripe - cut the banana (peel still attached) into about 1 inch sections and store them in a container in the refrigerator. These are perfect for little meals. Put a peeled section in the food mill for perfectly mushed meal that costs barely anything.

Bananas won't get any riper once they are refrigerated so one they are at the perfect ripeness throw them in the fridge. The peels will get brown but the fruit will be unaffected.

Avocado: Cut the top off. Scoop the flesh of the top into the food mill. Store the rest still with skin and seed intact. Each time you need some scoop a little out. The avocado won't brown much this way and it's easy to scoop out small portions.

Sweet potato: cook it (I usually bake it or microwave with the skin on. When cool cut a slice off, discard peel, and puree in food mill.

When baby gets older you get to be a little more creative and baby can usually eat what you are eating (pureed or small bits). Tonight I steamed cauliflower for us (1/2 cauli, 1/2 potatoes for my mashed potatoes) and will feed little chunks to baby. You must make sure that the food is soft enough and small enough - but I think you can handle that!

Cheap. Easy. Really.

I love the book Super Baby Food - it gives you step by step and lots of advice. See more about it HERE.

Visit Tonya at Small Town Louisiana Girl for more frugal tips at Penny Pinching Tuesday. Or Check out more Works For Me Wednesday ideas at We Are That Family.

10 comments:

  1. Thanks Sarah for participating!! I love the post. I only wish I would have known these great tips when mine were babies.

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  2. great tips! If we ever get lucky enough to have another one, I'll have to do this!

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  3. I had to stop by and check out your blog. I Blame My Mother is just THE best name! Will be following. Thanks!

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  4. I tagged you over on my blog. Stop by!

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  5. I never bought baby food from the store. My kids went from breast milk to table food. I didn't even grind up their food, well consistently that is. They have grown up well and healthy.

    I love these suggestions for good wholesome baby food made easily and cheaply.

    This is a wonderful article, especially for those moms who have very young babies.

    Thanks for all the work you do in sharing with us. May you be blessed for your leadership and sharing of your talents.

    Shari

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  6. These are some great tips. My youngest is a year and we are right in the middle of this. Much like Shari above, we went right to table food. You have to be careful of food alergies, and take your time introducing foods to your babies, but there is no need to buy baby food at the store. Except for the cereal, I'm with you there. Our Dr. told us as long as it's not too spicey and small enough for them to "gum" and get down they are fine with table food. And it's true. I have bought baby food for ease if we are going out some where, but she wouldn't eat it. It's yucky, I don't blame her. Anyway, great post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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  8. I made my own baby food for both of my boys (and still am for my youngest). I've never bought a jar of baby food and in fact, that isle stresses me out. Many of my friends had used the Super Baby Food book so I jumped right on board. I did use boxed cereal with my oldest in the beginning, but then started making my own rice cereal. It was very easy and it's much more nutritious. With my first I used my blender and food processor for batch cooking all of his food. Now I use a Magic Bullet to do it all - it's a GREAT purchase if you're making baby food. I can grind all of my grains and puree all of my food with the one machine. I still batch cook and freeze some, but some night I just puree what we're eating and feed him.

    One other thing you might find interesting. With my first son I was curious how much money I was saving by making my own. I totaled up how much I spent buying fresh fruits and veges that made 8 weeks of baby food. Then I figured how much baby food he would eat each day of the same amount of jarred foods. Then using the middle priced brand baby food on the shelf, I figured up how much I would have spent on jarred food. My cost was half by making it myself - well worth the trouble.

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  9. My youngest is now eating table food, but I toyed with the idea of making baby food for my three when they were babies. This makes it seem much simpler. If I have number 4 perhaps I will give it a try!

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  10. I always made Donal his own food because I like knowing exactly what he's getting. I remembering advising another mother on good food for weaning and being asked when do I put in the salt and butter...

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