Making Your Own Baby Food

Have you thought of making your own baby food? It’s not very difficult and it’s an incredible and healthy way to care for your baby. You will love putting a smile on your baby’s face with all natural-organic baby foods. It is never too late to get started on this process. If you have a baby to feed, now is the time.

The first thing you’ll want to do is go to your local produce stand and look for fruits and veggies that are ripened. If you can, buy organic whenever possible. Remember that your baby is very small and those extra chemicals in foods can make a big difference.  Your baby’s food bill won’t add up to much and you have the satisfaction of knowing that you have given your baby the very best and saved money,too! You may be able to find some great bargains on fruits and veggies that most people will not purchase because they are too ripe. These are perfect for making baby food. Of course you will want to wash the fruits and veggies thoroughly before starting. I do like to give my babies bananas and apple in the raw form and leave the acidic fruits off the menu for quite a while. You can overcook grains such as rice, barley, and oatmeal with extra water for a very healthy cereal for your hungry little one. This will be a healthy way to fill your baby’s tummy with good wholesome foods without and added preservatives and chemical, salt, etc.

It’s not difficult to make your own baby food, but you will need to set some time aside for the entire process. With a little planning, you can simply set aside a small amount of what you have cooked for dinner for going into the food processor for baby (and make some ahead for the rest of the week).

Some tools that are helpful in making baby food are the following {not all are necessary}:

• A hand-turned food mill with different blades for various textures of food.
• A baby food grinder
• A hand blender
• A regular kitchen blender or food processor
• A good old-fashioned fork for mashing
• A blender like the Vitamix Blender (you can find this online).

Here’s a tip that worked for me. Steam/cook the grains, veggies or fruits first before blending to a smooth consistency. Once the puree is cooled down, place into ice cube trays. Once the cubes are frozen, place into a zippered freezer bag and label with contents and date. When ready to use, you can pop out a cube or two (or three!), and defrost  (if veggies warm slightly in a pot before serving). The cubes are perfect for travelling too. You can take out the desired cubes, place into a sealable container and the cubes will be thawed ( or nearly) by the time you are ready to use them. No need for an ice pack! (Of course, it depends on how long before you plan to use the cubes.) You can ask friends for empty baby food jars and store your fruit puree in those {another tip that works}. Moms that buy baby food usually  have a lot of those and are happy to give you some to recycle.

You’ll be amazed at how easy it is, and not to mention the money you will save in the process. You will find that you ARE able to give your baby an organic start and it won’t cost you as much as you would pay if you bought all your regular baby foods! Don’t underestimate your talents, once you get the hang of it you will be an expert in no time. Try it! Your baby will love you for it.