Homemade baby food?

[melanie1422]

Has anyone ever made homemade baby food? I made it for my former roommate's baby and I'd like to make it for my lo. I know I won't need it for at least 6 mos after birth, but I was wondering if I could make it before the baby comes and freeze it? Idk how long that kind of thing will last in the freezer. When I made it before, he ate it more quickly that I could make it & I was always afraid of running behind.

[Nittany]

Wow. That is preparation.

ETA I have no experience, I was just surprised you would think of it so early!

[wineandcake]

We made it when DS was little.... And its still sitting in the freezer because he hated purees. He refused everything and went right to solids, BLW was the way to go for us.

And I am nowhere near organized, I could never prep this far in advance!

[mehlaknee]

i plan on making our own as well but I think ill make and freeze just a week or so at a time just in case baby's taste changes and gets picky I wont be stuck with a bunch of what he/she doesnt like anymore.

[brummy14]

Yup! I did, and it was super easy. I didn't do ANYTHING before baby was born, though -- since we didn't try any solids until 6m, anyway. I made it in bulk, an used these silicone mini brownie trays to freeze it, and then pop them in a big baggie so I could grab squares whenever. You name it -- avocado, beans, oatmeal, every pureed veggie imaginable...it was great! By the time we worked through the purees, they were well on their way to solids. It ended up working really well.

[danious]

Yeah it's super easy and quick! You really don't need to worry about stocking up for it a year in advance. It's just boiling and blending essentially.

[danious]

Sorry, I didn't see that you've already done it. I wouldn't keep it in the freezer for more than a few weeks. DS only dealt with purees for a week before deciding he hated it, so you never know if you'll get one of those kids.

[0ashley]

This is well known site with lots of information to use as a resource.

wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/FreezePage.htm

"Baby food cubes are safe to remain in the freezer from 3 to 6 months. Using baby food cubes within 1 month to 3 months is really more prudent. Due to the amount of water crystals that tend to build up with baby food purees, and due to the fact that nutrients may leach/evaporate upon thawing because of the water crystals, it is more prudent to use your frozen baby foods cubes as soon as possible - 3 months of storage tops. We always recommend using within 1 month if at all possible."

[foolofatook]

We did BLW so I didn't have to worry about this. But seriously, this seems a little early. I don't think it'll still be good.

[lindslew91011]

I plan on making my own, but I figured I would start only a month or so in advance. From what I have heard from friends that made their own, don't go overboard. If you are eating squash for dinner, buy an extra, boil the hell out of it and purée that sucker. Then throw them in ice cube trays till hard, pop them into a freezer bag. Squash, apples, peas, anything you are already eatin.

[lovemyirishtwins]

I used the same site that 0ashley recommended. I made most of my lo baby food. It was super easy. I used my Immersion blender, oven, and ice cube trays mostly. In my opinion for as shot of a time as you make food it is not worth getting the fancy baby food makers and store items.

[wineandwalter]

Has anyone done it with food from their own garden? We plant a lot and are hoping to use some of our own supply. Any advice? Is this a terrible idea?

[andindria]

Jan 20, 2015 16:28:31 GMT -5 brummy14 said:

Yup! I did, and it was super easy. I didn't do ANYTHING before baby was born, though -- since we didn't try any solids until 6m, anyway. I made it in bulk, an used these silicone mini brownie trays to freeze it, and then pop them in a big baggie so I could grab squares whenever. You name it -- avocado, beans, oatmeal, every pureed veggie imaginable...it was great! By the time we worked through the purees, they were well on their way to solids. It ended up working really well.

This. The one good thing is one sweet potato made like eight to ten meals so it was easy. They have a frozen life of a few months,and 2 days once thawed. I wouldn't make them that far in advance, but Baby Bullet made things so much easier.

[cookiesandwine]

I second the wholesomebabyfood website! It's super helpful. Making baby food is very easy! I just threw fruit or veg in the food processor and puréed it that way. I froze in ice cube trays and transferred to a ziplock baggie labeled with the date. Honestly I wouldn't start it now though.

[kathol]

I love making homemade baby food. You know exactly what your LO is eating. I have the baby bullet & enjoyed using it with DS. I was a SAHM/student with DS so I just made it daily. With this LO I'll play it by ear. I'll probably start when LO is about 3 months...

[danious]

Jan 20, 2015 17:28:44 GMT -5 foolofatook said:

We did BLW so I didn't have to worry about this. But seriously, this seems a little early. I don't think it'll still be good.

We did some of this too. I loved it.

[12thwoman]

How do you thaw the baby food? Sorry if that's a stupid question!

[elauren88]

I loved making baby food for DD. I just did it every Sunday night. Super easy, and took no time at all.
No sense in prepping before baby gets here. Food won't last 6 months in the freezer.

[elauren88]

Jan 20, 2015 20:55:48 GMT -5 12thwoman said:

How do you thaw the baby food? Sorry if that's a stupid question!

You can move it to the fridge or counter to thaw. In emergency cases I've been know to use baggies and boiling water or a microwave.

[midwestchaos]

I'm a big fan of BLW, but if I ever did purees in the very beginning I would just do it on a meal by meal basis and save any leftovers.

[ashiscute]

Jan 20, 2015 21:18:53 GMT -5 midwestchaos said:

I'm a big fan of BLW, but if I ever did purees in the very beginning I would just do it on a meal by meal basis and save any leftovers.

This.

[wells2010]

Jan 20, 2015 16:46:45 GMT -5 0ashley said:

This is well known site with lots of information to use as a resource.

wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/FreezePage.htm

"Baby food cubes are safe to remain in the freezer from 3 to 6 months. Using baby food cubes within 1 month to 3 months is really more prudent. Due to the amount of water crystals that tend to build up with baby food purees, and due to the fact that nutrients may leach/evaporate upon thawing because of the water crystals, it is more prudent to use your frozen baby foods cubes as soon as possible - 3 months of storage tops. We always recommend using within 1 month if at all possible."

I made all of DD's baby food. It saved us money and was very easy! I didn't get anything fancy... Just followed recipes on this site and used a cuisinart stick blender to purée everything. As baby got bigger, I'd change the texture so it would progressively become more like real food.

I would make a batch, freeze them in this: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004A9ZF3Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1421808831&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=51LGYyJkk8L&ref=plSrch . Once frozen, I'd pop them out into ziplock bags and label them with the date.

I also made my own pouches. This was more labor intensive, but was good on the go. You just have to add lots of water to thin them out. I used this system, which I wouldn't really recommend: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009IVKY7Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1421808993&sr=8-1&dpPl=1&dpID=51eCD-SQuzL&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SX200_QL40 .

[CALEO]

I registered for a baby cook on the advice of my friends. Good product, horrible name apparently.

I wouldn't start making it till he was 4-6 mo old.

[laceecaitlyn]

I think I'm going to try it too! I hadn't really thought about making a ton in advance. I always thought it would be a weekly thing at my house. Lots of good suggestions in this thread! Thanks, ladies!

[akmom]

I made many baby purees for my son. It was super easy and hardly took any time. I would just freeze them in ice cube trays and then pop them out when frozen. Then I would freeze the cubes in a bag. They stayed good for quite a while, though I definitely wouldn't make them six months in advance. After a while they started sticking to one another. The handy thing with freezing them in ice cube servings is that you can mix different purees to get different flavors.

[melanie1422]

Oh, I'm not ready to make it now - just wondered if I should start right before the baby comes or wait. I really was trying to decide when to order supplies - I *used* to have great little containers and then said former roommate lost them and ruined them and ugh, now I need new ones.

Good to know I *shouldn't* make it in advance. With the previous baby, I'd make what should have lasted a couple of weeks, & he'd eat like he'd never see food again and it would all be gone before I had a chance to make more. There were some other factors in play though so perhaps this LO will be different.

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking of making purees at home!

[cookiesandwine]

Jan 21, 2015 0:33:03 GMT -5 melanie1422 said:

Oh, I'm not ready to make it now - just wondered if I should start right before the baby comes or wait. I really was trying to decide when to order supplies - I *used* to have great little containers and then said former roommate lost them and ruined them and ugh, now I need new ones.

Good to know I *shouldn't* make it in advance. With the previous baby, I'd make what should have lasted a couple of weeks, & he'd eat like he'd never see food again and it would all be gone before I had a chance to make more. There were some other factors in play though so perhaps this LO will be different.

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking of making purees at home!

Personally I'd wait until you're ready to start feeding at 6 months. I only made one food at a time at first, especially since you have to wait to make sure there's no allergies. I didn't want a ton of time and food going to waste.

[yelah250]

We did baby led weaning so didn't have to do any purées and freezer stuff. But yeah - I wouldn't store it for a year.

[catahoulatte]

We made DS's food, but I'd make batches on Sundays and have them for a few days...not several months before the baby was even born. Considering I'm going to be waiting until 6-7 months to give this LO any food, I think you have some time before you have to consider this.

[gw3nny]

If you have any spare energy for meal prep during the pregnancy, I recommend making freezer meals for yourself! Last pregnancy, I made dozens worth of muffin batter. I poured it into the liners, and froze them like that. They only needed to bake a few extra minutes when the batter was frozen. It was so great to have homemade muffins making the kitchen smell yummy whenever I wanted!