Congrats on your new baby! As we parents know, having a newborn brings a lot of joy, but not without a lot of worry for what’s best for our little one, and not without a lot of spending money. A simple way to cut down on both worry and spending is to make your own baby food! Making your own baby food is healthy for your baby, can cut down on household costs dramatically, and is very simple to do.
Making Your Own Baby Food For Your Child’s Health
In the day and age we live in, it’s more important than ever to know exactly where our food comes from. It’s not clear what the word “organic” means on many food labels. Are we to take the manufacturer’s word that no pesticides were used on the vegetables in the baby food? Or do they use an “acceptable” amount pesticides to still call it “organic”? Are there harmful preservatives in the baby food? How long has it been sitting on the shelf? Call it paranoid, fine. But these questions go through most mom’s minds.
Making your own baby food gives you the power to know exactly what goes into your baby food.
How Making Your Own Baby Food Saves Money
It’s quite amazing how much money can be saved making your own baby food. Let’s take a quick look at some examples…
Bought From Store: Gerber Sweet Potatoes- 5 ounces of food (2 servings) = $1.49
Make Yourself: 2 Sweet Potatoes- 20-25 ounces of food (8-10 servings) = $2
Bought From Store: Gerber Carrots- 5 ounces of food (2 servings)= $1.49
Make Yourself: 5 lb. Bag of Carrots- 80 ounces of food (32 servings)= $2.99
and the list goes on…
As you can probably guess, any fruit or vegetable made into baby food by you is going to be dramatically cheaper than purchasing from the store.
How To Make Your Own Baby Food- 7 Simple Steps
Step 1- Wash vegetable or fruit thoroughly.
Step 2- Cut into small chunks, removing seeds and stems.
Step 3- Place them into a steamer and steam the fruits or vegetables for 20 minutes, or until very soft. (You can bake, microwave, or boil, however steaming will keep the most nutrients in the food.)
Step 4- Put the steamed vegetables into a mixing bowl or Tupperware and puree with an immersion hand blender. You want to make sure all chunks are out of the puree before feeding to your baby.
I personally use an immersion hand blender… Using a blender or other type of puree machine (i.e. “magic bullet”) wasn’t getting the job done for me. I found with a hand-mixer you have a lot more control of pureeing the food.
Step 5- Add water from the steamer to the puree to make it more liquid while mixing. The water underneath the steamed fruits or veggies is rich in the nutrients of the prepared food. You can also consider using breast milk or formula.
Step 6- Freeze food that won’t be immediately used in Tupperware containers or bags.
Step 7- Feed your little one fresh, home made baby food!
How to Make Your Own Baby Food Tips
As you can see above, it’s very simple to make your own baby food. The key tips to remember are using the water from underneath the steamed fruits or veggies to get the food to the right consistency. Remember to also puree the food thoroughly to remove chunks. I hope you enjoyed learning how to make your own baby food. Now you can save money and know what your baby is eating for every meal!
