Did you know that making your own baby food is easy? I did not. It all seemed very "pioneer woman" to me when I had Preston (first born), so I did not even consider it. We bought canned jars and paid big bucks. A dear friend of mine, though, introduced me to the idea of making my own baby food and I have been doing so since.
Healthy, cheap, and very convenient. These are reasons to consider it if you are in the baby food phase with your itty bitty(s).
Great foods to start with are apples, pears, peaches, zucchini, squash, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, yams, etc. Steps for each are very similar. Peel, cut into chunks, cook in boiling water until very soft (or use a steamer), puree in a blender or a food processor, pour into ice cube trays, freeze, bag into freezer bags labeled with what is inside and the date you made it. Each food will last about 6 months. Three ice cubes are about the amount in an average baby food jar. Keely will eat two to three most times. When it comes time to feed her I just pop a couple of "ice cubes" into a bowl and microwave them, usually for about 30-40 seconds. If it is a little too warm I just let it cool some before feeding her. Keely loved pears, peaches, and zucchini the most. I made peaches today and she cooed at me the whole time she ate them.
Other great foods to start with are bananas and avocados which are already softened when they are ripe enough. When the banana is good and brown mash that thing up with a fork and your baby will get dessert! :)
If you have had the joy of feeding a baby you probably already know that half of the food ends up on them as well as on the floor/ highchair, and sometimes they won't even eat most of the baby food. When I used to feed Preston baby food from a jar it would always bother me to have to throw the extra food out when he wouldn't eat very much. I have found that when I make my own and Keely just nibbles it does not bother me. It feels good to take care of my baby in this way. There is something very rewarding about seeing your baby enjoy food that you prepared. Try it and see for yourself. Then, tell us about it. OR, if you have already tried making your own food, what have you made and how did your little ones like it? We'd love to hear from you.
