For those that make your own baby food...

Jlroberts57

What kind of routine do you have going?  Do you make weekly or every other week?  We have just started and I'm trying to figure out what works for us and I'm curious as to what others do. 

 My mom bought us a baby bullet and I'm not really a fan.  Our blender is much easier to use and easier to clean.  But I have been using the freezing tray then putting the frozen portions into freezer bags.  But I would like to be able to take a portion out, unfreeze then feed.  And then we run into using a ton of freezer bags.  So what do you ladies do?

Also, is it safe to freeze in an ice cube tray without it being covered?  I didn't think it was but was told by a friend it was ok...

dragon_chica

I make when it's needed.  So I'll usually do a large batch to freeze and when it starts getting low I'll make more.  I'm not sure what the problem is with having a ton of freezer bags.  Having all those freezer bags with ready-made food instead of having to steam and puree food every other day is way better.  Cover or keep your trays uncovered, doesn't really matter.

Jlroberts57

dragon_chica:

I make when it's needed.  So I'll usually do a large batch to freeze and when it starts getting low I'll make more.  I'm not sure what the problem is with having a ton of freezer bags.  Having all those freezer bags with ready-made food instead of having to steam and puree food every other day is way better.  Cover or keep your trays uncovered, doesn't really matter.

Thats true about the freezer bags, we just don't have our deep freeze available at the moment and not a whole lot of room.  Usually what I make lasts about a week too and then I will make more. 

dragon_chica

We have those old-school fridges with the freezer on top so we don't have a lot of room either.  Puree and freeze the foods that are more time consuming and do the easier ones when needed.

lanbob

I make large batches then freeze in ice cube tray then puts in s?ndwich bags.I make about 1.5 lbs apples, pears, bananas, sweet potatos,ect. at a time. Starting I did a couple of apples until I made sure there was no reaction. Then made a big batch after things were sure to be good. Now I make several types of food at once then freeze and I only take two days once every 4-6 weeks.

ns1

I make a bunch about once a week and freeze in trays.  (My trays have covers, but I would think an ice cube tray just with some saran wrap or tinfoil over it would be ok.)  Then I just put all the cubes in one big freezer bag with a date and what's in it when they're frozen.  I don't use an individual bag for each.  

memali26

I make a batch when we're running low on something or if I pick up a bunch of produce on a good sale. Freeze it in ice cube trays wrapped with saran wrap for 24 hours, then put in large freezer bags labeled with the date and what's in it. When I want to thaw it, I grab however many cubes I need and put them in a bowl with a lid and let it thaw in the fridge overnight. In a pinch I set the bowl in some warm water for 10-15 minutes.

babyAutumn

I spend about 20 minutes every Sunday making a few batches.  Now that LO has been exposed to many different fruits and veggies, I make combos up...garden veggie, apple/pear/blueberry.  I use ice cube trays, they have covers so don't know about not covering them, I pop them out and put them into Ziplock freezer bags.  Once the bag is empty, I wash it out and reuse it so I'm not wasting the bags.  I find that freezing them this way is much more convenient because it takes up less valuable freezer space and I can see what is there more clearly.  I also have a baby bullet and find it easier and quicker to use than my food processor, which I used when I made my other children's baby food.  I also like the fact that I don't have to dirty another appliance when I make the baby cereal.  I grind the oats and/or barley in the small cup, cook it on the stove, then put it right back into the same cup with the lid to refrigerate. I have to make cereal every 3-4 days and I don't freeze it because it doesn't thaw with the same consistency.

ginamcp

I bought 4 silicone freezer trays and then just did big batches (I did my first round of making food last weekend.)  I have a steamer and a Cuisinart and just steamed and then processed and poured into the trays and tossed them in the freezer uncovered.  Once they were frozen I popped the cubes out and put them in a quart size freezer bag and take out a cube as needed.

srs5624

dragon_chica:

Puree and freeze the foods that are more time consuming and do the easier ones when needed.

Ditto this. I made purees for DS and that's what I did.

There's no need to make your own applesauce. It is time consuming and usually not cost effective. Just buy a jar of natural applesauce. Read the ingredients, it'll be apples, water and citric/ascorbic acid and that's it.

Bananas don't need to be pureed. Neither does avocado. Put what you need on a plate and smash it with a fork. You can get it to the same consistency in less time.

 

But really, DS was completely off purees by 7 or 8 months and was fully on table food. Just cut stuff to the size of a pea or a puff and they'll be fine.

sarteratops

I usually do it right after grocery shopping. I buy produce in bulk at Costco and just get it all ready at once so I don't have to worry about it. The only annoying this is the thawing, sometimes I forget do it ahead of time. I don't like using the microwave so I just try and remember to put it in the fridge in the morning. 

WhitePicketFence

I have a Beaba and make large batches as needed. I have plastic baby food storage containers that I purchased from BRU when DD1 was a baby. I measure the desired amount of puree into the container, close, label with type of food and the date, and stick it in freezer. When it's time to feed DD2, I pull the container out of the freezer and use the Beaba to thaw it. It's then ready to serve. Super easy.

lilmejo

I usually make a batch every 2 weeks on a Sunday. If he's starting a new food I set aside enough for four days in the fridge and freeze the rest in ice cube trays. Once he's tried a fruit/veggie then I start combining all the cubes in fewer bags. In the beginning I was using separate bags becauase I didnt want to contaminate something if he was allergic, but now that we're through almost everything, it takes up a lot less room in the freezer. I also freeze larger portions in 3oz or 4oz containers that I take with me if I'm going somewhere that he will need two meals or just for the convenience of grabbing it out of the freezer and going, vs finding a bowl with a lid and putting the cubes in there.