Homemade baby food

Smallllmin

For those of you who make your own baby food, do you find that it's more expensive, less expensive, or about the same as the packaged stuff?

FWIW, I just bought a bunch of organic carrots and organic sweet potatoes, and I'm wondering about cost compared to organic jarred food.

Rrrrrachel

Baby led weaning.

bumpuser9353653

I just did a quick check on my favorite store's site, and it's $0.99 for a 4oz. jar of Earth's Best organic baby food (that's almost $4/lb)... where as in the produce section, it's $0.49 for a pound of bananas, $1.49/lb for organic carrots, $1.00/lb for sweet potatoes ...

bumpuser10432351

I just bought a 2 lb bag of organic carrots for $1.49 and made enough baby food for 16 meals. It was way easier than I expected and so much cheaper.

Guennie

For me it was *mostly* cheaper because there is a small farm where we live where I can buy seasonal stuff for cheaper than it sells in the grocery store. I never really added up how much I spent because I wanted to make my own food regardless for the health benefits. I did occasionally buy a few organic pouches as backup but I did probably 95 to 98 percent homemade.

welly01

Rrrrrachel said:

Baby led weaning.

This.

Smallllmin

I'm too anxious for BLW.
I know, UO maybe... but I'd much rather make purees.

nanabanana06

I made purees for my DD. I was a simple parent and didn't have a ton of cash. I'd get in season veggies and make purees in my food processor. If there was something I wanted that wasn't in season I'd try to find them in the frozen section. Favorites for DD were sweet potato, avocado, banana, pear, apple, squash, peas, carrot, papaya, and mango. I used to make big batches and freeze into 1oz cubes. After a month or so I'd start making puree mixes and adding spices. So, breakfast was baby oatmeal, banana or apples, and some cinnamon. Lunch was veggie puree mix (like peas and carrots or squash and carrot). Snack was whole milk yogurt and papaya and mango puree. Dinner was always a veg and a protein. Once she got to be 8 months we switched to finger foods and did less puree. She prefered the finger food.

With my son I said eff all of that and did BLW. It was so much easier and cheaper. He just ate what we ate.

freezorburn

I tried making purees and DS didn't even like them. He much preferred to try to work on things that he could pick up without the help of a spoon. So I decided it wasn't worth my time, after offering him purees for a couple of months.

nanabanana06

We started at 6 months. Really, they don't eat anything or very much until about 8-9 months. The first few months is all about learning how to chew and swallow, plus learning the different tastes and textures. Food before 1 is just for fun.

Rrrrrachel

You can mush/purée things and still not make totally separate meals for your baby. They will eventually have to learn to feed themselves and it will involve some gagging whenever it happens.

DecafGrandeMocha

I learned about BLW from this board when I was a lurker but unfortunately still haven't met anyone IRL who does it I'm ordering Rapley's book this week with a Christmas amazon giftcard to prepare for S-Day (Solids Day) in a few months.

But to the OP, my SIL swore by the Baby Bullet. She said it was cheaper and healthier than store bought baby food.

unaveragejane

rugbymama said:

I just did a quick check on my favorite store's site, and it's $0.99 for a 4oz. jar of Earth's Best organic baby food (that's almost $4/lb)... where as in the produce section, it's $0.49 for a pound of bananas, $1.49/lb for organic carrots, $1.00/lb for sweet potatoes ...

Not to split hairs, but I think the baby food is measured in fluid ounces, not weight ounces/pounds like produce. Am I crazy?

sarenu1

I did a mix for my son.

He hates food.  Unless it's puffs, yogurt melts, or veggie straws.

Right now I take what we are eating, mash it up, add puree and feed it to him if he wont eat it himself.

Some days he goes to town on chicken, fruit and veggies.  Others he tosses everything, but will eat it in a mash with puree.