Home made baby food

[mominthemaking14]

Anyone do this? I was thinking of making some purees before I return to work and freezing. If you did, share advice.

[sstwinklinglites]

I make all my own baby food. I make in large batches and freeze. IMO it's easy, healthy, and saves money. On occasion I do use BeechNut jarred food, because it's easier to deal with when out and about than the food I make.

Tips: OXO makes the best storage containers for baby food. I use these: Storage Containers

I don't like the ice cube looking trays that people use to freeze baby food. I don't find that it's easy to pop out the cubes, like it is with regular ice cubes.

Also, OXO makes the best baby spoons:Spoons

I ordered this book from Amazon with recipes and tips for baby foods through 24 months of age: Book


Edit: Spelling

[bazingaa]

Ditto most of the tips sstwinklinglites said. I use ice cube trays though. Sometimes they get stuck, but I just run a little hot water on the back to loosen them up. I have a cookbook too, but find it easier to walk the baby food aisle at the grocery store to get flavor combo ideas. Then I just go buy the ingredients and test as I go to make sure it's good!

[mominthemaking14]

Thanks ladies. What tools do you use? Do I need the fancy machines or can I use everyday equipment? @ sstwinklinglites and bazingaa

[mrscatfarmer13]

Jan 28, 2015 18:54:46 GMT -5 bazingaa said:

Ditto most of the tips sstwinklinglites said. I use ice cube trays though. Sometimes they get stuck, but I just run a little hot water on the back to loosen them up. I have a cookbook too, but find it easier to walk the baby food aisle at the grocery store to get flavor combo ideas. Then I just go buy the ingredients and test as I go to make sure it's good!

Pretty much this to a T (tee?) 
Here's the condensed version of what I did:
I would roast/steam veggie or fruit, puree in the blender, and freeze in traditional ice cube trays. Once frozen, I would put the food cubes in labeled freezer bags. 

I never froze combinations together, I found it was easier to keep the different foods separated so I could make my combo's as needed. For example, if I was going to send peas and carrots, I could grab 1-2 cubes of each and put them in a container to thaw out together. It also made yogurt a breeze because I could add a cube of fruit to plain, whole fat yogurt, rather than worrying about all the added sugar in traditional yogurts or even in YoBaby. 

Some other tips: 
1. You don't have to have a special baby food maker to make your own baby food, I good blender/food processor will work great.
2.Putting the purees in a zip lock bag and snipping the corner of the bag off makes filling trays so much easier and cleaner
3. You don't have to peel the skin off of most fruits and veggies (peaches,plums, apples, sweet potatoes, etc) plus there's a ton of nutrients in the skins.
4. Don't be afraid to get adventurous with new foods, you never know what a baby will love. Ex: M loves golden beets and I'm just like  

[JoBub]

I use my Ninja food processor. I have ice cube trays designed specifically for baby food so they come out easy. I'll post the link when I'm on my PC again. I got the Sage Spoonfuls book. Don't waste your money on that. Every page is nearly identical. Steam it, puree it, store it. Purees are good for 3 months in the freezer.

[sstwinklinglites]

Everything mrscatfarmer13 said is true. I mix oatmeal with one of his prepared fruits every morning, I don't leave that kind of stuff frozen.

I have a Baby Bullet, but it was gifted to us at the baby shower. Any old blender or food processor will do the job.

As per the new recommendations, we didn't start solids until six months. We started experimenting a little around five months, but that was only pretty watered down (with formula) oatmeal. By eight months they're eating purees with a ton of texture, so not the type of puree you would buy in the market for example, and at that point, mashing with a fork will get the job done. Also, at about sevenish months we started introducing puffs, yogurt melts, Mum Mums; foods to let them practice feeding themselves, practicing chewing, different textures, etc. Now I also let him try stuff off my plate, that's seasoned, textures, different flavors. They learn to eat really fast... they learn everything really fast it feels like

EDIT: Because I can't fraking type today.

[JoBub]

Mumi&Bubi Solids Starter Kit, 42 x 1oz Cubes In Two Compact Baby Food Freezer Storage Trays, Plus Free e-Recipes www.amazon.com/dp/B004A9ZF3Y/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_NAyYub06NXXSC

Hope that link works. These freezer trays are awesome. It's flat on the top so you can just dump it out if the food processor and spread it out with a rubber spatula. Then to get them out you just push in one end of the cube and it just slides right out.

[sstwinklinglites]

Jan 28, 2015 20:04:53 GMT -5 JoBub said:

Mumi&Bubi Solids Starter Kit, 42 x 1oz Cubes In Two Compact Baby Food Freezer Storage Trays, Plus Free e-Recipes www.amazon.com/dp/B004A9ZF3Y/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_NAyYub06NXXSC

Hope that link works. These freezer trays are awesome. It's flat on the top so you can just dump it out if the food processor and spread it out with a rubber spatula. Then to get them out you just push in one end of the cube and it just slides right out.

I had seen these and never ordered them. Now I wish I would have. Too late now, we're moving on to table foods soon.

[bazingaa]

I just use a basic food processor.

[becole]

::waves hi to bazingaa::

[chunkymonkeylvr]

Just to throw this out there I skipped purees and did blw. DS pretty much started eating what I did. No extra prep or storage.

[mrscatfarmer13]

Jan 28, 2015 21:05:11 GMT -5 chunkymonkeylvr said:

Just to throw this out there I skipped purees and did blw. DS pretty much started eating what I did. No extra prep or storage.

We did a 50/50 split between BLW and purees. 

[bazingaa]

Hi! Am I supposed to intro here? I just kinda joined in

[sstwinklinglites]

Jan 28, 2015 22:12:37 GMT -5 bazingaa said:

Hi! Am I supposed to intro here? I just kinda joined in

Hai! If you want. Or don't. Or do. Maybe?

[vlagroupie]

I do this sometimes, but also do store bought because I can't always find the time to make homemade food. I received the baby bullet as a gift. It is nice but not necessary. I do like the little jars that come with it but you can buy them separately. In hindsight I would have preferred a food processor and fancy blender that I could also use for myself. Also I do use store bought food pouches. I usually buy the Kroger brand because we get a discount and they are super convenient to take on the go. I know that store bought is more expensive and not as good as homemade but I struggle to find the time to peel fruits/vegs, steam or bake them and then purée. Plus LO hates the sound of the blender right now so she starts crying uncontrollably when I run it lol.

[ladytiffany24]

For mommies who work full time...how do you find time to do your own baby food?!?! I barely find time to eat for myself let alone worry about making DD her own food. I sometimes feel mommy guilt about it too. Quick, someone make me feel better please!

[mrscatfarmer13]

Jan 29, 2015 7:43:01 GMT -5 ladytiffany24 said:

For mommies who work full time...how do you find time to do your own baby food?!?! I barely find time to eat for myself let alone worry about making DD her own food. I sometimes feel mommy guilt about it too. Quick, someone make me feel better please!

I would do 2-3foods on the weekend or through the week I would throw something in a glass casserole dish, covered with foil, and let it cook the oven while we ate dinner and put M to bed. I didn't bother peeling most things, so that also cut down on time needed, removing the skin just gives a smoother consistency.

[sstwinklinglites]

Jan 29, 2015 7:43:01 GMT -5 ladytiffany24 said:

For mommies who work full time...how do you find time to do your own baby food?!?! I barely find time to eat for myself let alone worry about making DD her own food. I sometimes feel mommy guilt about it too. Quick, someone make me feel better please!

As long as LO is getting fed, there's no reason to feel guilty. Period. It doesn't matter how they get fed, as long as they do. I'm home enough that I find the time to do this, but I can almost guarantee that if I was working, DS would be getting jar food.

[becole]

Jan 28, 2015 23:35:19 GMT -5 sstwinklinglites said:

Jan 28, 2015 22:12:37 GMT -5 bazingaa said:

Hi! Am I supposed to intro here? I just kinda joined in

Hai! If you want. Or don't. Or do. Maybe?

You do what you want. This board is laid back. #no1curr

[mominthemaking14]

Jan 28, 2015 21:09:18 GMT -5 mrscatfarmer13 said:

Jan 28, 2015 21:05:11 GMT -5 chunkymonkeylvr said:

Just to throw this out there I skipped purees and did blw. DS pretty much started eating what I did. No extra prep or storage.

We did a 50/50 split between BLW and purees. 

Blw? You guys lost me again.

[mominthemaking14]

Jan 28, 2015 22:12:37 GMT -5 bazingaa said:

Hi! Am I supposed to intro here? I just kinda joined in

Hi! Jump on in.

[mominthemaking14]

Jan 29, 2015 7:43:01 GMT -5 ladytiffany24 said:

For mommies who work full time...how do you find time to do your own baby food?!?! I barely find time to eat for myself let alone worry about making DD her own food. I sometimes feel mommy guilt about it too. Quick, someone make me feel better please!

I'm cheating by making some now. She'll be 9w when I make my first batch. Not sure my math works lol. I'm trying to get in the habit of meal planning (ask me in March how it's going). But a friend spends 2 hours e/o Sunday making freezer meals and baby food.

[becole]

I work and made one round of baby food. Then gave up and I buy it at the store. I'm also trying to push real food, started at about 8 months. I'm ready for him to be on table food. we also feed lo and put him to bed before we start our dinner.

[becole]

I also don't feel guilty. Read the ingredients on Gerber. It's like, water and carrots. No other stuff.

[ladytiffany24]

K, feel much better now! Thanks ladies.

For those doing BLW or a little of both, what kinds of things did you/do you feed you LO? Bananas, avocado, etc? Please share. I'm still absolutely paranoid of LO choking but I need to get over that. What can I start her with that might help?

[mom2boxers]

I tried BLW but it's hard finding time to throw something together for my DH and I for dinner and LO is hungry when we get home from day care. He has no patience for me preparing dinner. So, he gets store bought purees. I've only used Gerber (regular and organic) but just because that's what's usually on sale and you get more containers for the same price versus the pouches. I have started giving him some mushy green beans, carrots, etc. in addition to his purees so he can practice in anticipation of the switch. He absolutely loves puffs. At day care they do get a snack that they self-feed.

[mrscatfarmer13]

mominthemaking14 BLW= Baby Led Weaning, but a better term would be baby led feeding. IIRC, the saying, "food before one is just for fun" originated with BLW. Basically, you skip purees and let LO gnaw on pieces of cut up fruits and veggies, expanding to other foods as they get older. It's kind of like starting table food from the beginning. Here's a few links www.babyledweaning.com/ wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/babyledweaning.htm#.VMpAmvnIZTo

ladytiffany24 Banana, avacodo, berries, cooked apple slices, baked sweet potato chunks/sticks, tomato chunks, steamed baby carrots, broccoli florets, melon, and pretty much anything they can gum up. We started with larger chunks that M could put in his mouth while still holding in his hand. As he was actually eating more and became more skilled with eating, we gave him smaller chunks that were easier to eat.

Do you have a mesh feeder? If not, pick one up and put some fruit in it, that may be a good way to give her chunks of food with less anxiety about choking.

Sorry for the book, I'm sure you all know by now that short posts are rare with me.

[chunkymonkeylvr]

^^^^^^ what she said.

It's most practice anyway before 1 and can be a bit messy.

With my son we started with avacados and soft fruit and veggies. By about 7 months he was reaching for our food and he moved into eggs, pasta, and just about anything you can think of.

We had no allergies for generations on food so I was less concerned, except honey didn't do that till well after a year.

As for the choking it takes a bit to get used to it, but it's a great skill for them to learn.

[vlagroupie]

Jan 29, 2015 7:43:01 GMT -5 ladytiffany24 said:

For mommies who work full time...how do you find time to do your own baby food?!?! I barely find time to eat for myself let alone worry about making DD her own food. I sometimes feel mommy guilt about it too. Quick, someone make me feel better please!

Hey I only work part-time and I can barely find the time too.  I feel a little guilty about it too like I should be taking the time to make homemade, but laziness wins out most days.  Every once in a while, I make up a bunch of stuff on the weekend and freeze, so I'm at least feeling like some of what I feed her is homemade.