How To Make Your Own Baby Food
Have you ever wondered how to make your own baby food? When Gavin was a baby, I made some of his pureed baby food from scratch, but also bought a little bit of jarred fruits, simply because I didn’t really have the right tools or the time to make hard things soft enough for him to eat. A friend of mine just asked about different products like baby food containers that she could buy, as she was thinking of making her own baby food for her daughter. Our conversation inspired this list of some of the newest items I’ve seen recently marketed for moms and dads who want to learn how to make their own baby food.
At the time, I scoured the frozen food aisle for foods that I could boil so they would be soft, then food process, either with an immersion blender or a food processor. I, like many, stored the food in old ice cube trays. However, with this method I needed to cook in bulk. Hindsight is definitely 20/20, so here are my words of wisdom, looking back and now seeing what the baby food market offers parents.
1. Always feed your baby, when the time is right, in a supported position. Use a high chair that supports your child. Our favorite was the Svan Chair from Scandinavian Child. The Bambinos! Portable Tray can also help with kids transitioning to sitting at the table.
2. Consider investing in a baby friendly food processor/cooker like the Baby Bullet, Sage Spoonfuls or Beaba Babycook. Though I’ve never tested these out, though you can use my method above, there are tools out there to help you and I think that $100 would have been a worthwhile investment for ease, especially if you are trying to do all this with a baby on your hip, after working full-time.
3. Look for baby food containers that are portable. I used the Beaba multi portion trays and ice cube trays, but I had to take the individual portions from the freezer out and store them in another container if we went to restaurants or to send with him to daycare. The Wean Green by Glasslock baby food containers are tempered glass with a snap off top. No BPA- and microwave and dishwasher safe and great for individual portions when you travel.
4. Consider Squeeze Pouches. Squeeze pouches became popular after Gavin had already transitioned to table foods. We, for a little bit, bought the applesauces in the pouches, but they were expensive and I used them mainly for travel. Squeeze pouches with spoons that can be attached to the end are increasingly popular among organic baby food companies. Infantino has now created a system that allows you to make your own baby food and place them in re-usable pouches.
4. Get great spoons. Hands down, the Beaba First Stage Spoons are amazing. They are made of silicone and have a deep enough bowl that make it easy for baby to take the food from the spoon. My daycare provider ,when Gavin was an infant, had been feeding babies for 25 years and told me she had never had a better spoon. They also double as great infant teethers because kids can munch and teethe on them with their back ridges of their gums, where no other infant teethers can ever reach due to their round design.
5. Gather your resources. Ask friends and read reviews. I found Dr. Green’s book – “Feeding Baby Green” tremendously helpful with how to provide your baby with a good variety of foods from all food groups.
Other feeding posts you might find helpful:
– 6 Ways to Encourage Kids to Eat Vegetables
-New Uses for Born Free Bottle Covers