Since Max began eating solid foods, I have made most of his baby food myself.  It was something that I wanted to do for nutritional reasons, but I also found that it was less expensive, arguably just as convenient, and enjoyable to do as well.

 

If you look at Gerber products made for infants, you’ll notice the ingredient list is minimal.  For example, when I looked at a jar of Gerber peas, the ingredient list read:  Peas, Water. 

 

That’s when I realized I could do it myself!! Peas mixed with water? How hard can that be?  Same with the carrot jars:  Carrots, Water……. and the banana jar:  You guessed it, bananas and water.

 

When he first started eating solids (6 months) the food was incredibly easy to make myself.  The only thing I did purchase was organic rice cereal.  I still purchase the organic oatmeal cereal made for babies, but other than that, most of what he eats doesn’t come from jars or boxes, but simply from whatever we pick up in the produce, meat, or dairy sections of our local grocery.

 

Here are some good foods that were easy to make for the first few weeks:

Mashed bananas

Peas

Carrots

Applesauce

Pears

Butternut squash

 

Making purees is very simple.  The only equipment I purchased was Ziploc bags, an ice tray and a Magic Bullet.  They also make a Baby Magic Bullet for $10 more.

 

 

Whatever the fruit or veggie, I simply cooked it until it was soft, then blended until it was the appropriate consistency.  The more veteran an eater he became, the thicker and chunkier I made his food.  To puree the fruit or veggie, it is recommended that you add either breastmilk, formula, or the water you used to cook the food (the water itself contains many of the nutrients the veggie or fruit lost during the cooking process.)

 

I cooked most of his meals in bulk, which I highly recommend.  If not, it becomes exhausting to cook, puree, and serve a different veggie or fruit 3 times a day. 

 

I would make applesauce, for example, in bulk.  I would keep a small serving for his consumption that day, then I would freeze the rest in tiny ice trays.  I would then simply bag the frozen cubes in a Ziploc bag, date it, and serve at a later date.  Freezing his food worked great.  It allowed me to be able to serve him a variety of food in just one day, by mixing different fruits and veggies that were already frozen.

 

Also, it’s great for being on the go.  If I knew we were having lunch away from home, I would put a few cubes of frozen food in a bowl, stick it in the diaper bag with a spoon, and by the time he was ready to eat, the food would be thawed and ready.

 

Max was a great eater.  There is nothing I’ve given him that he hasn’t tried and enjoyed.  Thus, I tried to introduce him to a variety of other veggies and fruits during his first few months, including:

 

Parsnips

Potatoes

Quinoa

Avacado

Asparagus

Broccoli

Cucumber

Corn

 

Around 7-8 months, we started more “finger foods.”  Here, the eating process became not only messier, but a little more complicated to cook, as I began mixing ingredients and textures.  We introduced beans, beef, chicken, fish, and egg yolks (talk with your pediatrician first about the eggs.)

 

At 9 months we introduced dairy such as cheese and yogurt.  As recommended by the dietitian, we opt for organic when we can.  (Read more about what our Registered Dietitian suggests.)

 

Making his food myself has proved to be worth any extra effort it brings.  In fact, sometimes it is easier because I am able to simply mash up whatever we are having for dinner and serve it to him as well.  As his taste matures and the allowable list of foods grow, I am looking forward to setting our family up with a night time dinner routine, eating altogether.