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Making your own baby food

January 21st, 2008 - baby food, cereal, feeding, homemade, jarred, nutrition, organic

It's easier than you think–and it can save you money, give your baby more variety and take only 30 minutes a week.

by: Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers

homemade baby food

  • Making your own baby food with fresh fruit and veggies preserves color and taste.
  • Processed baby food is developed for the mass market and can be limited in variety.
  • The average baby in the U.S. consumes about 600 jars of baby food a year, which can cost up to $600 compared to the lower cost of preparing food at home.
  • It's easier than you think–and because you can freeze it in single servings, you only need to make food once or twice a week.

Introducing solid foods is an important step in your baby's development. While there is nothing wrong with feeding your infant jarred baby food, many parents don't realize that making baby food at home can be easy and less expensive. Other benefits include:


Having control over what your baby eats
Processed baby foods may have added water, sugars or starchy fillers that could dilute the nutrient content of the actual food. The foods are also cooked at high temperatures to kill bacteria so they can be stored in jars at room temperature. This process can also destroy vitamins and nutrients, which then need to be re-added by the manufacturer. When you make baby food at home, you can cook it quickly. This process not only preserves the color and taste of the food, but maximizes the foods' nutrient content.

Elimination of additives
Homemade baby food is pure, wholesome food with nothing added that you did not add yourself. And buying certified organic produce (fresh or frozen) and preparing food at home eliminates agricultural chemicals from your baby's diet. (If you can't make your own baby food, freeze-dried organic varieties are a good option for nutrition and taste.)

Improved freshness
Have you compared fresh green peas to a jar of pea baby food? Even though they are the same food, they don't look, smell or taste similar. Serving fresh food from the very beginning will help your baby be more open to tasting new flavors and types of food.

Additional variety
Processed baby food is developed for the mass market and, as a result, is limited in variety. Variety is key to a balanced diet and healthy living. Today's grocery stores offer a tremendous variety of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. And preparing baby food at home enables you to add herbs, combine flavors, and easily introduce new textures, making your baby's mealtime a pleasurable, gourmet experience.

Lower costs
Processed baby foods are expensive. The average baby in the United States will consume 600 jars of baby food. Parents who use processed baby food spend an average of $300 to $600 on baby food during their infant's first year of life. Making baby food at home is extremely cost-effective, as foods may be purchased either in season or on sale.

Making homemade baby food

Using fresh produce, a blender and set of ice cube trays, you can make food in quantity and freeze it in single servings. This means you only need to make food once or twice a week. Bottom line, it takes about 30 minutes a week. Here are two easy recipes for common first foods:

1. Sweet Potato Purée

2-3 medium to large sweet potatoes

Step 1: Wash, peel and chop sweet potatoes into one-inch (3 cm) cubes

Step 2: Place sweet potatoes and about 2 tablespoons (30ml) of water in a microwave-safe dish. Cover. Cook 8-10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. They are done if the sweet potatoes can be mashed easily with a fork. (You can also steam, bake or boil the potatoes if you don't have a microwave.)

Step 3: Place sweet potatoes and cooking juices into a blender or food processor. Add about 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water. Purée. Add an additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 - 120 ml) of water, as needed, to develop a smooth texture.

Step 4: Spoon into ice cube trays. Cover. Place in freezer 8-10 hours or overnight. Remove cubes from trays, place in storage container or freezer bag, and return immediately to the freezer.

Makes 24 one-ounce servings. Stays fresh for 2 months in the freezer.

To serve, select frozen sweet potato cubes from the freezer, defrost and warm, check the temperature and feed.


2. Baby's First Cereal
Rice is easily digested and has low allergen aspects, so it is commonly recommended as the first food you introduce to your baby. This recipe is perfect for infants, but by adding a few "extras" it will tempt the taste buds of kids and adults.

Ingredients:
3 cups of brown rice, cooked according to package directions
12 ounces breast milk, water, or infant formula

Directions:
Place the cooked brown rice in a blender with the breast milk/water/formula. Purée until completely smooth–you can't make it too smooth. Pour the cereal into ice trays, cover and freeze overnight. Once frozen, pop the cubes out of the trays, place in a freezer bag or container labeled with the date and return to the freezer. Lasts up to two months.

To serve:
Defrost the cubes, and add breast milk or formula to develop a smooth consistency. For babies just starting solids, thin the cereal to a semi-liquid consistency. Warm the cereal, if desired. You can also change the flavor by adding fruit or veggie baby food, once your baby has started to eat those foods.

Extras for the older crowd:
Ground nuts and maple syrup
Cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins and honey
Fruit preserves
Cinnamon sugar and dried fruit

Meet our experts:

Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers are sisters, the mothers of five children and founders of Fresh Baby (freshbaby.com). They are the creators of the award-winning So Easy Baby Food Kit and Good Clean Fun Placemats.