making baby food

2bamom · August 2010

My little guy isn't quite ready for solids yet, but I'm still on the fence about whether I'm going to make some or all of his food and would love to hear from people that are doing it / tried it.

1. how much time do you find it takes? do you make it all at once for the week / in bulk?

2. how do you find the cost compares?

3. do you just use a blender/immersion blender or do you have the fancy baby food tools that they sell?

4. if you've tried both, does your baby seem to have a preference?

5. any othe tips, advice, experiences.

6. where/how do you store it all??? breast milk is already taking up a lot of freezer space. we are considering getting a small chest freezer.

Thanks!

Aimeelb1 · August 2010

Great questions, DD isn't quite ready for solids yet but I've been wondering the same things. I can't wait to see the responses!

jellybelly321 · August 2010

I made all the food for DD. I just found it to be such a nice thing to do for her. I didn't really do it for financial or time saving just thought she would like to know when she got older that I did it. I am probably going to do the same for DS.

I just had a food processor that I got as a wedding gift and thought I would never use.

I bought little Glad containers and used them in the freezer since they didn't take up too much room. When I thawed one it was good for two days. I didn't make very much at a time because I didn't know what she would like and I thought she would get sick of eating the same thing every day.

beacbabe · August 2010

I make all his fruits and veggies since he first started.

I made it in my regular blender. I put them i ice cube trays and put them into individual baggies, or Ill use my food savor. I than put them into larger ziploc freezer bags. I found it to by much cheaper. I went to the farmers market and spent 11$ on Apples, Pears, Squash, greenbeans, plums,sweet potatoes. That lasted me about 3 months.

and he started off eating 2 cubes, now he is up to 4 cubes.

I thaw it at the time I feed him just by putting it in the microwave or Ill let it sit if I remember in the morning.

Dawley82 · August 2010

2bamom:

My little guy isn't quite ready for solids yet, but I'm still on the fence about whether I'm going to make some or all of his food and would love to hear from people that are doing it / tried it.

We are new to this as we are just introducing DD to solids.

1. how much time do you find it takes? do you make it all at once for the week / in bulk? I don't have a schedule yet. The first time I just mashed up a banana I was eating with some formula. The next time, I steamed and pureed some carrots, and then the other times I boiled and pureed green beans and peas. I have them in the freezer and they are supposed to stay good for 6 months.

2. how do you find the cost compares? Much cheaper to make your own food and much healthier. I just bought a few jars of food to take with us on vacation and it was 57 cents per jar for the Earth's Best Organic jars. But I also bought some bags of frozen veggies for 97 cents at Target and that will last a long time once pureed!!

3. do you just use a blender/immersion blender or do you have the fancy baby food tools that they sell? I just use a blender, but mine is a Vitamix.

4. if you've tried both, does your baby seem to have a preference? DD doesn't notice any difference.

5. any othe tips, advice, experiences. As long as you can boil water, you can make baby food. It is really super easy and not at all time consuming like I thought it would be.

6. where/how do you store it all??? breast milk is already taking up a lot of freezer space. we are considering getting a small chest freezer. I freeze mine in ice cube trays and then once frozen, I pop the cubes out and store them in freezer bags with dates on them.

Thanks!

ChicNotGeek · August 2010

2bamom:

1. how much time do you find it takes? do you make it all at once for the week / in bulk?
I make it in bulk, about 4 weeks worth at a time, and freeze. (It's good in the freezer for about 6 weeks.) I usually will reserve a Monday evening for it, because I can go to Whole Foods after work on Monday for the ingredients. For four weeks worth of food, I'll spend about 2 hours making it. It gets tiring at the time that I'm doing it, but homemade is so much more palatable for both me and my baby. And I think it does save money.

2. how do you find the cost compares?
I think it's cheaper, but it depends really. I recently saw Earth's Best at BRU, 20 jars for $10 ... that's about the same price. (Average about $0.40 - $0.50 per jar for homemade.) But the quality is much different. If jarred food looked and tasted as good as homemade, homemade would be cheaper by a long shot. And I use the 'expensive' Whole Foods fruits and veggies, and I still think it's cheaper.

3. do you just use a blender/immersion blender or do you have the fancy baby food tools that they sell?
No, just a regular blender that I received as a wedding present. I use a Tupperware microwave steamer to cook. Except meats, I use a steamer basket on the stove for meats.

4. if you've tried both, does your baby seem to have a preference?
My baby has never had jarred babyfood. The only pre-made baby food she's ever had is Happy Baby Frozen Greens, which she liked, but is very expensive, and Happy Baby Puffs, which she liked very much. Obviously, I can't make puffs at home.

5. any othe tips, advice, experiences.
Using organic frozen fruits and veggies is just as good, and easier, as using fresh organic. For red meats, use 'steak' meat, like sirloin. Don't use ground meat, it ends up looking and smelling like dog food. Chicken and turkey breast are good first meats that are generally well tolerated by most babies.
Add oatmeal to meals to keep your baby regular. Solids can constipate.

6. where/how do you store it all???
We store it in the freezer ... I reserved one shelf for baby food, (we also have a standalone freezer in the garage), they have stackable baby food containers that are convenient to use. Although, it's also VERY easy to make 1oz cubes in ice trays, and then store the frozen cubes in zip loc bags.

Thanks!
You're welcome.

sddriggs · August 2010

I have just started making my own baby food. I have only done: sweet potatoes, avacodo, bananas, pears, and peaches. It really did not take that much time for any of the. Avacodo and bananas you can do when you are ready to feed your DC. All you do is peel, mush, and milk to thin and it is ready for baby to eat. I baked sweet potatoes and peaches. It took about 30 mins to an hour. While they are baking you can do other things. Afterwards it probably took about 15 minutes to peel and puree. I did about 3 pears which made about half an ice tray, 4 peaches equalled a little over a tray, and 2 sweet potatoes that did about a tray and a half. I then took them out of the ice tray and put in ziploc bags. I am with you on thinking about getting a freezer because ours is also full of breastmilk. I just use my blender and that works fine. Don't waste your money on one of those fancy things. You do not need it!!

I have really enjoyed what I have made so far and plan to continue to make our own. In my opinion it is really easy and does not take that much time. I actually find it kind of rewarding.

This is my go to website: www.wholesomebabyfood.com It has lots of good information. Good luck!

daisy_dueller · August 2010

2bamom:

My little guy isn't quite ready for solids yet, but I'm still on the fence about whether I'm going to make some or all of his food and would love to hear from people that are doing it / tried it.

1. how much time do you find it takes? do you make it all at once for the week / in bulk?IT took quite a long time, two full afternoons of hubby watching DS so I could get it all done.

2. how do you find the cost compares? It's cheaper in the long run, I guess, more expensive up front though. And if you do'nt have the tools to do it, you would have to buy those too...

3. do you just use a blender/immersion blender or do you have the fancy baby food tools that they sell? I used my Magic Bullet, but it didn't make it as smooth as the jars.

4. if you've tried both, does your baby seem to have a preference? Funny you should ask, because DS HATES the food I made! He will eat the fruits, but the veggies he won't touch.

5. any othe tips, advice, experiences.

6. where/how do you store it all??? breast milk is already taking up a lot of freezer space. we are considering getting a small chest freezer. I used ice cube trays to freeze, then put them in labelled ziplocs.

Thanks!

2bamom · August 2010

Thanks for all the advice. It sounds very doable...at least for a lot of things (not sure I will try meat...). I just feel like I have so little time with LO already since I work full-time that I don't want it to take away from my time with him. But I think I can just do it one or two nights a week while he is napping / asleep. Of course, I already am running around cleaning pump parts, filling bottles, etc. during that time -- but I'll work it out

Beckypooh09 · August 2010

1. how much time do you find it takes? do you make it all at once for the week / in bulk? I usually make a new food once a day or some times every other day. I'm a WAHM so that works best for me and also allows me to not have a freezer loaded of just baby food. I make about 6-8oz each time and it takes maybe 10-15 minutes. I usually have any where from 20-35oz of food in the freezer at all times.

2. how do you find the cost compares? I'm really not sure on this. I've never bought baby food and have never really compared the prices in my area so I don't know if it's a lot cheaper but I would imagine it's got to be a little cheaper depending on where you live.

3. do you just use a blender/immersion blender or do you have the fancy baby food tools that they sell? I use a small food processor. I used a blender once and when I started using the food processor I liked it a lot better.

4. if you've tried both, does your baby seem to have a preference?

5. any othe tips, advice, experiences. www.wholesomebabyfoods.com That site has helped me the most.

6. where/how do you store it all??? I bought small containers specifically for storing baby food and I also use a few larger tupperware that are safe for freezing.

Dr.Loretta · August 2010

1 Maybe 5 minutes of hands-on time, about 20 minutes from start to finish. I make it in bulk, as DD hasn't had anything that doesn't freeze well (eg, avocado)

2. A friend of mine did a cost comparison on her blog.

3. Blender. I didn't see the reason to spend extra $ on fancy equipment.

4. You mean both homemeade and jarred? She couldn't care less as long as it's food

5. I really liked the Infant and Toddler Cookbook (my mom got it at Williams-Sonoma). A lot of people recommend wholesomebabyfood.com.

6. I never make enough to justify an entire freezer. I freeze them in ice cube trays and transfer to Ziploc bags. They're only good for about 3 months, so I have a quart bag of maybe 3 different types of food. She goes through a quart bag in a week.

MelonieK · August 2010

sddriggs:
This is my go to website: www.wholesomebabyfood.com It has lots of good information. Good luck!

I love that site, even though I haven't started introducing other foods yet other than a teaspoon of cereal on two occasions. I can't wait to get started!

Have you tried adding spices to any of LO's foods yet?

lite-bright · August 2010

I really don't think it takes all that long. I made carrots and peaches in less than an hour yesterday -- steamed some baby carrots that were already peeled, and I peeled/pitted the peaches and steamed them as well. Pop each in the food processor and then in an ice cube tray.

I got eight servings of carrots and nine servings of peaches (right now one cube = one serving, since we're just getting started). I used a few handfuls of baby carrots out of a big bag, and two peaches. The peaches are in season and cost $1 a pound, so I got 9 servings for about $1. Even if you estimate that 2-3 cubes = 1 jar of baby food, it's still cheaper. But that probably depends on the cost of fresh produce in your area, and whether you're buying organic or not (I do sometimes, sometimes not).

I also have zucchini that I'll make this week, b/c it was on sale.

I use a steam basket in a regular pot and my food processor.

DD2 hasn't had jarred food yet. I only use it when we're on long trips. DD1 had both, and definitely preferred the homemade food. IMO, it smells better, tastes better (yes, sometimes I taste it), and I can give them way more variety than I could ever find in jarred foods.

Storage: I freeze the food in ice cube trays, then pop the cubes out and store them in freezer bags labeled with the type of food and the date I made it. I don't make huge batches -- the carrots, peaches and zucchini will get us through this week with one serving a day for three days each, to make sure she doesn't react before we try a new food. And I'll have some left over for other meals or to combine with other foods (I'll probably do a carrot/peach combo, or zucchini/carrot combo.)

I like doing it. I don't think it's hard, and I like knowing exactly what's going into my LO's food.

ervin412@gmail.com · August 2010

1. how much time do you find it takes? do you make it all at once for the week / in bulk? I do it all in bulk. I find it much easier this way. If I were able to do it straight through without interruption, it would take about an hour to prepare and puree, and another hour once the cubes are frozen to bag and vacuum seal. I make at least 30oz of whatever i'm making at a time. 2. how do you find the cost compares? MUCH CHEAPER... $10 worth of a variety of fruits and veggies has yielded me probably 100 to 200oz of purees (depending on the fruit or veggie), Whereas a 2oz jar can cost close to a dollar a piece. 3. do you just use a blender/immersion blender or do you have the fancy baby food tools that they sell? We use a Magic Bullet blender. It works so well and is so compact and easy to store/clean. 4. if you've tried both, does your baby seem to have a preference? They have only ate packaged carrots and they didn't really act like they had a preference. 5. any othe tips, advice, experiences. Check out wholsomebabyfood.com it's where I go to learn about preparing/pureeing whatever I have 6. where/how do you store it all??? breast milk is already taking up a lot of freezer space. we are considering getting a small chest freezer. We have a chest freezer. I highly recommend getting one. The food will last longer if it's in a deep freeze. You can usually catch one on sale at Sears or Lowes for around $200-300. Totally worth it too if you love buying in bulk.1ht

starryeyeddreamer · August 2010

Dr.Loretta:
1 Maybe 5 minutes of hands-on time, about 20 minutes from start to finish. I make it in bulk, as DD hasn't had anything that doesn't freeze well (eg, avocado)

2. A friend of mine did a cost comparison on her blog.

3. Blender. I didn't see the reason to spend extra $ on fancy equipment.

4. You mean both homemeade and jarred? She couldn't care less as long as it's food

5. I really liked the Infant and Toddler Cookbook (my mom got it at Williams-Sonoma). A lot of people recommend wholesomebabyfood.com.

6. I never make enough to justify an entire freezer. I freeze them in ice cube trays and transfer to Ziploc bags. They're only good for about 3 months, so I have a quart bag of maybe 3 different types of food. She goes through a quart bag in a week.

Thanks for the pricing comparisons. I tried explaining to DH how much money we were saving when I made the food so now I have this to show him - and it is so quick to do.

RadicalDreamer143 · August 2010

1. how much time do you find it takes? do you make it all at once for the week / in bulk? I've been introducing a new food every four days, so I make a batch every four days - one batch = 30ish servings.

2. how do you find the cost compares? It's MUCH cheaper for me to make our own food, not to mention healthier. I mean, I bought three organic squash for about $1 total... made 30 servings.

3. do you just use a blender/immersion blender or do you have the fancy baby food tools that they sell? I have a Beaba Babycook. I like the set it and forget it approach for baby food, since I also cook all of our adult food as well. It works wonderfully

4. if you've tried both, does your baby seem to have a preference? N/A, Liam never had jarred food.

5. any othe tips, advice, experiences. www.wholesomebabyfoods.com, and I have the WS Baby cookbook as well.

6. where/how do you store it all??? I freeze everything in FreshBaby trays, then transfer the cubes to freezer-safe tupperware.

NiniJ55 · August 2010

1. how much time do you find it takes? do you make it all at once for the week / in bulk?
I takes me about 10 minutes to clean, peal and put the stuff to cook. I don't time the cooking. After cooking I usually just start the laundry or play with Tristan while everything is on the stove. After everything is done I turn off the fire and allow every thing to cool. Again - I usually just go about my business in the meantime. It take me about another 10 minutes to puree and freeze everything once they are cooled. So maybe about 20 minutes of actual work. I cook his food about once a week. I don't do bulk because I don't want to spend 2 hours in the kitchen and I also don't like the idea of serving him food I froze 2 months prior (no reason really).

2. how do you find the cost compares?
I buy organic produce and it's still cheaper to make my own.

3. do you just use a blender/immersion blender or do you have the fancy baby food tools that they sell?
I have a Cuisinart mini food processor. I love it!

4. if you've tried both, does your baby seem to have a preference?
I have tried both and he likes the taste of mommy's food better. For example he hates gerber butternut squash - but since I have started making it myself it has become his favorite.

5. any othe tips, advice, experiences.
Don't add any extra liquid (water or milk) to your puree. Some water gets into it from freezing alone. Just add any extra liquid when you are ready to serve if it's still too thick.

Even if you can't get all organic produce be sure to get organic carrots (reduce exposure to nitrates).

Don't cook citrus fruits in copper pots.

All fruits (except banana) need to be cooked prior to serving.

wholesomebabyfood.com is a great website for info.

where/how do you store it all??? breast milk is already taking up a lot of freezer space. we are considering getting a small chest freezer.

I use my freezer. Space does not seem to be an issue, yet.

Good luck. it's so much easier then I thought it would be.

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