When I had Brett I was so excited to start feeding him baby food that as soon as he hit 4 months I had everything ready. He was actually ready and LOVED his first bites. My whole family thought it was hilarious because every bite he took he would say, “Hmmmm”. I know I recorded his first bites but I looked through all my hard drives and I couldn’t find it. Boo. Here is a picture of little Makenna instead.
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Makenna is just about 6 months and I’ve been in no rush to get started. She actually just started eating last week. After much debate, I decided to go ahead and feed her rice cereal first. I posted a link on Facebook a while back asking for opinions about feeding babies rice cereal and lets just say a lot of people are very opinionated on the subject. After much thought, reading a few unbiased articles, and talking with my pediatrician I decided to go ahead and use it.
So now it’s time to start making some baby food. I have always loved making baby food and have done so for all my kids. Not because I think that the stuff you buy at the store isn’t any good or anything but simply because it’s so easy to make. I traditionally start out with veggies like squash, green beans, carrots, and peas. I made the mistake of introducing fruit to one of my kids too soon and I think that’s why he’s never been a good veggie eater. Who really knows though? So for now I’m just going to make veggie baby food and I’ll eventually start giving her mashed banana with oatmeal in the mornings.
Always use caution when making or handling baby food. Cook foods throughly, do not use the steam water from cooking, do not leave out at room temperature for more than 1 hour, do not freeze for more than 1 month, reheat in microwave only. See more food safety tips here.
I recently got a bountiful basket(if you’ve never heard of these quickly check to see if it’s available in your area because it’s awesome!) that had both carrots and acorn squash so I’m going to make that along with some green beans. Green beans I find are easiest to pickup in the frozen section(make sure no salt is added). Simply steam your vegetables without adding anything extra (salt, butter, etc.) and then blend it up! No fancy baby bullet or baby food jars needed. If you’re having a hard time getting your foods to blend add some breast milk, formula, or water.
Pour blended foods into ice cube trays and freeze for a few hours. Remove from tray and keep in freezer bags for easy use.
I like to mix and match veggies together(once baby has had both) and create different meals by just pulling out different flavor cubes.
Don’t get me wrong, buying baby food is probably a lot easier but you’re missing out on some fun and a feeling of accomplishment when you don’t make it yourself.
Like I said, I have nothing against boughten baby food. Here is my stockpile of baby food pouches I got couponing for about .07 each a while back. These will be perfect for summer vacations when no cooler is available to keep my homemade food cool.
Do you make your own baby food? I’d love to hear your babies favorites in the comments below!
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11 Comments
How are you heating up the baby food once it’s been frozen? Thank you!
Hi Tiffany! I just throw mine in the microwave on a defrost setting.
Hi,
My daughter loves a little bit of Argan oil in her food… This is so delicious!
And this is a well known healthy product in Morrocco
I have the beaba baby cook. I went ahead and bought this because I needed a new food processor anyways and this device also steams. I have made sweet potatoes, apples, pears, bananas, green beans, carrots…. He LOVEs everything I make for him. To defrost, I set it out a couple hours before its time to eat or put the container in a bowl of warm water. Then I use a bottle warmer to take the chill out. I have not used the microwave, because I know this was a big no no for warming bottles. This is OK with food? Thanks.
Hi Kim!
I’ve heard many mixed reviews about letting food defrost on it’s own and also about using the microwave. I always used the defrost setting on my microwave to heat up the baby food I made. I just suggest you do some extra research, possibly ask your pediatrician, and just go with what you think is right. There are just so many things we should and shouldn’t be doing as moms, right?
I would have liked to read this article but couldn’t get past all the ads. I was bombard the moment I clicked on the article. Too bad.
Hi Antonia. We really appreciate your feedback about the ads. I went in and adjusted them so there aren’t quite so many now. Thank you.
Third baby, first time making my own food (thanks Instant pot and Vitamix!) I’ve made many things, apples, bananas, carrots, broccoli,sweet potatoes, spinach, green beans, peaches, blueberries, avocado, mango, peas, etc. He LOVES everything we put in front of him. I also add a little of spices like cinnamon, cumin, garlic powder, and paprika (not all together lol). He gobbles it all up without hesitation. Now we’ve started blending foods we make like spaghetti (made with tomatoes, onions, basil, garlic, sriracha, chicken broth (low soidum) and not a bottled spaghetti sauce). I think he will be my best eater, and the amount of money we save on not buying storebought baby food is insane!
Hi! I made my own baby foods too my first one and she’s gonna be 3 y.o in April. She loves veggies and fruits. My 2nd baby will turn 6months old on the 4th of Jan and just started making her food. I have potato purée now in the freezer. I strictly introduce solid (purée)food to my babies when they’re 6mos?. I’m proud mama here too.
I am a first time mom and I decided that when my baby was ready for solids, I was going to attempt and make his food. So far, it has been great! My husband and I are both full-time High School band directors so we are always so busy and sometimes don’t even have time to see our baby until the evening and then he’s ready for bed and it’s the same the next day. I chose to take time and do this for my son because it does make me feel like I’m doing something right for my son and also it is a lot cheaper. I invested in a cute little steamer/blender and has been amazing. I also bought some of those 2 oz silicone molds on Amazon and love them! So far my son has tried carrots, sweet potato, banana, apple, green beans, peas and loves them!! He wasn’t a big fan of pears or avocado, but we will keep trying!!
That’s so great! Thanks for sharing Nichole!