Advice - Homemade Food for Baby

somewheresublime86 · December 2014

So I'd like to make some of baby's food (purées basically) from scratch. I've begun investigating, and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.

There are tons of baby food making products out there with mixed reviews. Does anyone have any recommendations? Favorite recipes? Advice? BTDT moms, if you made baby food for your little one were you glad you did it?

redheaded14 · December 2014

FTM but I looked into this a while ago. DH and I decided to try baby lead weaning instead. It kinda seems like less work (prep wise)? You just give them age appropriate bites of whatever you are eating.

Good luck though, share any good recipes you come across!

jk3610 · December 2014

my sis likes her baby bullet. (think that's what it's called.)

mary62108 · December 2014

I made baby food for DD and it was so easy! I have the Baby Bullet but I think any good blender would do the same thing. I started with single foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, and green beans at 5months old. I would bake or steam the veggie until soft, puree with a little water or steaming liquid and freeze them in ice cube trays. When she got older I would mix them together and added fruits too and give her some of whatever DH and I were having for dinner. The Baby Bullet had a really good cook book with interesting combos. I'm not sure if the cook book is sold separately but it might be worth checking into. I think in the long run I saved a ton of money because I bought in bulk and a pound of carrots is like 99 cents which can make a ton of baby food versus one jar of pre-made baby food carrots is probably the same price.

erikaluna01 · December 2014

The website that PP suggested is good. I used my magic bullet like it was my business. I've always been afraid of giving DD chunks of food she may choke on which is why I puréed everything longer than probably should have. There comes a point when you just feed them from the foods that you're already cooking so it's not as overwhelming as it seems.

be888 · December 2014

Someone gave me a Beaba, and it was great, but you can certainly use any kitchen equipment you already have (pot, steamer, blender, food processor). Beaba has this great freezer tray for portioning or you can use a regular ice cube tray. They sell baby cook books, but you can find a lot of recipes online and youtube videos to watch. Once you figure it out it is really easy to do, and very cheap.

somewheresublime86 · December 2014

tupelohoneybee said:
The website @redbluepurple‌ posted is fantastic, no matter which route you go.

We did BLW because it fit in our lives best. No extra prepping of any kind and a good way to incorporate baby into family meals. Not to mention it kept baby busy so mama and dad could eat their meals, together, while catching up with each other on our day.

BLW is a new concept for me. I'm intrigued. I'm going to read a bit further, but I'm curious - does this approach create choking hazards?

lcole08 · December 2014

I made all of DD1&2s and will be doing it this time around as well. It is super easy and doesn't take that much time, especially if you are already cooking for your family. I just used my steamer and food processor. No need to buy gadgets specifically targeted for baby food making. I would make large batches of a specific fruit or veggie and freeze in ice cube trays, the cubes come out to be about 1 oz. Once frozen just remove from the trays and put in freezer ziplock bags with the date.

I really liked wholesome baby food site posted above.

RIngReady · December 2014

redbluepurple said:

This is a good resource:

https://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/

Completely agree that this is a great resource for making your own baby food, I loved the charts and the recipes and the age recommendations. I actually used my Ninja blender (smoothie attachment) to make all of DS's food. It was so easy, and I loved knowing exactly what I was putting in his mouth and really liked that I didn't have another appliance taking up space. I still use it regularly now for smoothies for him, or applesauce ect. I like that it is a blender that I will use for years and not just something for a baby.

***I also found that IKEA silicon ice cube trays worked awesome for storing and freezing and at .99 they were much cheaper then anything I found commercially. Overall I found making my own purees to be very easy and not very time consuming.

We did do a little BLW starting at 10 months for some things, but DH wasn't really on board so we had plenty of purees as well.

DS is a great eater, out ate his 7 year old cousin at T-giving. I see merit in both purees and BLW but the combo worked best for us and we will probably do the same this time around.

DixieNormous330 · December 2014

I have a baby bullet. I ended up using my regular food processor.

When I started purees with PF our pediatrician recommended that we start with green veggies first. Then work our way through the colored veggies ended with orange and red. (those are sweeter) THEN move on to fruit. Who is going to want to eat broccoli when they've had peaches?

Also before getting her feeding tube, I would just puree whatever I had made for dinner for H and I. PF doesn't orally eat much but when she does she has a much more sophisticated palate than the average 3.5 year old. No just chicken nuggets in my house, dammit.

originalpenguin · December 2014

Investing in some refillable pouches will make your life so much easier. We tought our DS to eat directly from the pouch at around 9 months. We did a combo of BLW and purées. The pouches were a great, less messy way to feed him on the go. Plus he liked feeding himself and when we introduced a straw cup, he got the hang of it right away.

jackieanddan1989 · December 2014

DixieNormous330 said:

I have a baby bullet. I ended up using my regular food processor.

When I started purees with PF our pediatrician recommended that we start with green veggies first. Then work our way through the colored veggies ended with orange and red. (those are sweeter) THEN move on to fruit. Who is going to want to eat broccoli when they've had peaches?

Also before getting her feeding tube, I would just puree whatever I had made for dinner for H and I. PF doesn't orally eat much but when she does she has a much more sophisticated palate than the average 3.5 year old. No just chicken nuggets in my house, dammit.

I have also heard of this approach- starting with veggies instead of bland cereals, but I am a FTM and didn't know if it would really work, you know if babies would accept eating green veggies at that point. Glad to hear it worked out for your DD

DixieNormous330 · December 2014

jackieanddan1989 said:

I have also heard of this approach- starting with veggies instead of bland cereals, but I am a FTM and didn't know if it would really work, you know if babies would accept eating green veggies at that point. Glad to hear it worked out for your DD

There is nothing to compare it to, which makes it easier to introduce that way. If a kid has sweet potatoes right off, they're never going to want spinach.

Seriously, I love our pediatrician so much.

hillbillywife · December 2014

I didn't make baby food, but I know a lot of people who did, and what I've gathered is that if you have a good quality blender or food processor them buying a baby bullet isn't necessary. Of course if you feel like you MUST have it, then go for it because I did not go through this.

I will say that I love my immersion blender. Our regular blender broke a while ago and the immersion one is awesome for soups, so even if you end up not making baby food it's still worth buying!

redheaded14 · December 2014

A million times yes to immersion blenders being awesome in general.

originalpenguin · December 2014

jackieanddan1989 said:

DixieNormous330 said:

I have a baby bullet. I ended up using my regular food processor.

When I started purees with PF our pediatrician recommended that we start with green veggies first. Then work our way through the colored veggies ended with orange and red. (those are sweeter) THEN move on to fruit. Who is going to want to eat broccoli when they've had peaches?

Also before getting her feeding tube, I would just puree whatever I had made for dinner for H and I. PF doesn't orally eat much but when she does she has a much more sophisticated palate than the average 3.5 year old. No just chicken nuggets in my house, dammit.

I have also heard of this approach- starting with veggies instead of bland cereals, but I am a FTM and didn't know if it would really work, you know if babies would accept eating green veggies at that point. Glad to hear it worked out for your DD

Cereals first seems to be the old-school recommendation. I really agree with veggies first. My DS never took to cereal, he always preferred fruit and veggies. And mixing the veggies with fruits worked best for us when he went through picky phases.

rosemama116 · December 2014

I had a beaba cook for dd, and I honestly hated it. The bowl was too small and I could be much more efficient with my food processor. Yes, it takes an extra step to steam the veggies first, but I would rather have the option of making bigger batches.

lindsayanne14 · December 2014

We also did BLW...so awesome! No mess, no purées, DS has pretty much been eating what we eat from 6 mths on. We never had a choking incident, some gagging, but that's expected. I bought the BLW cookbook, it had an overview of the method and some recipes, I honestly learned the same amount just by googling it!

eponte · December 2014

I used a regular food processor. I bought some of the food cubes by oxo to freeze in but I also used ice cube trays. The one thing I bought that I really liked was by Infantimo and it's called the squeeze station which essentially makes the pouches. I would cook in bulk twice a month and usually do fruits one weekend and proteins and veggies the other. I could make a ton in just a couple hours which made it easier for me during the week to send to daycare and serve at night.

somewheresublime86 · December 2014

originalpenguin said:
Investing in some refillable pouches will make your life so much easier. We tought our DS to eat directly from the pouch at around 9 months. We did a combo of BLW and purées. The pouches were a great, less messy way to feed him on the go. Plus he liked feeding himself and when we introduced a straw cup, he got the hang of it right away.

So I did a bit of reading since it's a slow afternoon here at work, and I think that we'll probably end up doing a hybrid of sorts like you described.

I like the idea of letting baby direct their own eating and play with and experience their food. I also want to encourage baby to eat and try new things and have a varied appetite.

redneckmomma25 · December 2014

We did BTW at 6mo. At 5 mo I started with some barley and oatmeal and skipped rice. We did a few purees for that month. After 6mo it was just BLW. I used an immersion blender for what I did make and just bought a few purees.

I know a lot of people who just used a regular blended and ice cube trays. You don't need anything fancy.

MitoRachel · December 2014

DS has a partial tongue tie that was missed when he was little. Because of that he gagged quite a bit when we tried BLW, but never choked. I ended up blending whatever we were eating for dinner and spoon feeding him that until he was old enough to try solids again. I tried giving DD pureed food which she flat out refused, so she has been doing BLW. Both kids are great eaters. I'm a big fan of everyone eating the same meal because it takes enough work to make one healthy meal!

somewheresublime86 · December 2014

somerandomchick said:

somewheresublime86 said:

originalpenguin said:
Investing in some refillable pouches will make your life so much easier. We tought our DS to eat directly from the pouch at around 9 months. We did a combo of BLW and purées. The pouches were a great, less messy way to feed him on the go. Plus he liked feeding himself and when we introduced a straw cup, he got the hang of it right away.
So I did a bit of reading since it's a slow afternoon here at work, and I think that we'll probably end up doing a hybrid of sorts like you described.

I like the idea of letting baby direct their own eating and play with and experience their food. I also want to encourage baby to eat and try new things and have a varied appetite.
Letting them direct their own eating doesn't mean they won't try new things and have a varied appetite. The BLW book says that it actually helps prevent some of the toddler food battles but I have no other child to c compare to so I can't say if that's true. But my daughter eats a lot of different foods and she eats a LOT now! When she was little she would gnaw on a raw bell pepper strip for dinner. Now she will eat an entire banana and half a spinach muffin for breakfast.

If you do baby led weaning your baby will eat a little less real food the first couple months but they don't NEED solids nutritionally in great amounts. In fact when they do start eating it's clear from their poop just how much food comes back out. It's less obvious in a puree feed baby cause the food isn't in chunks but it's the same. Really, a couple beans and the juice sucked out of a strip of steak is enough solids for a 6-7 month old. Their ability to eat develops at the same pace as their need for more food, unless your child has some delay.

Thanks! And did you keep up regular feedings (breastmilk or formula) in addition to the BLW until she began to eat more 'solid' food? Based on the quick reading I did, it sounded like that was the recommended approach.

HoneyBunn24 · December 2014

I made all of DD's food, but I didn't buy any special prep appliances...like the baby bullet. I used a regular blender and just bought fruit and veggies, cooked them according to the Wholesome Babyfood Website and went from there.

I mixed fruits and mixed veggies, but froze everything seperately in BPA free ice cube trays and then put them in labelled plastic bags in the freezer. It was incredibly convenient to just grab a couple ounces of fresh puree, and it only cost a few dollars to make things.

She loved it...meat was gross to make, and she was very iffy on it, and still doesn't love meat, but otherwise she loved it.

thelittlepear · December 2014

I just used a regular blender and/or my food processor. We do LOVE our Fresh Squeezed system - DD loves to feed herself, and the pouches are great. I would highly recommend it.

xuxachi · December 2014

I didn't use any special equipment, just a blender or food processor and icecube trays and freezer bags. No recipes either. I also used some jars of food for more challenging foods I didn't want to make and cereals as well, and of course just regular table food. It doesn't have to be too complicated.

mynewbabe · December 2014

Hi all. I've been lurking, but don't think I've commented yet. As a BTDT mom, I just wanted to recommend making your own food. It is way cheaper and can be super easy. I had the baby bullet and found it handy since it had the bullet, little cups with date dials to freeze in and a recipe book. But, you can definitely make do with any blender and ice cube trays. One hint I have to add is if you purée something that gets too watery (squash did this sometimes) you can add some baby cereal into the purée and it thickens it nicely. And, as for the comments on starting with veggies vs cereal first, I've heard both recommendations, but one reason you might want to do cereal (we did baby oatmeal instead of rice) is to get more iron into your baby's diet if you are only breast feeding. Formula is fortified with iron so it wouldn't be much of a consideration if baby gets formula too. And, whatever method you go with, you'll likely keep up the same breastmilk or formula regimen until they are 1 and just use solids as foods to try and experiment with.

topaz7777 · December 2014

It's really easy. Steam whatever veggies or fruit you happen to want to give them, blend till smooth, pour in an ice tray. Feed one cube worth at a time, easy to heat up in the microwave. When they get bigger, just cook a little of your food seperate without spices and such, blend until smooth, feed.

I thought it was a lot more complicated until I was actually doing it. Turns out I overthought it a lot.

Many doctors give a list of what types of foods to feed first. Only introduce one food at a time, give it about 3 days before switching. That way you can identify any sensitivities/allergies your LO has.

lexyraejay · December 2014

I would definitely wait until you're actually closer to starting solids before you make a bunch. I planned to make my own purees and DD wouldn't take them no matter what we tried. We ended up doing BLW and I'm so glad it turned out that way. To be honest, she didn't eat more than a handful (literally) of solid food until 13 months or so. We offered at every meal starting at 6 months, but she wasn't interested. She nursed 6-8 times a day until she really started to eat. She always met and surpassed her developmental milestones, so I wasn't worried and neither was her doctor. We really don't prepare anything different for DD than our own food. We just add our own salt or spicier seasonings at the table so hers isn't too salty or to spicy.

cwiceangel · December 2014

We registered for the Brezza. My mom used that one for my nephew's food. And swears by it. She used it for other things not just for him since it steams and cuts stuff up.

kinseykinz · December 2014

Making your own baby food is all well and good but just consider this as well:

1. It is possible to buy organic baby foods that are basically on par with what you'd prepare/potentially even healthier depending on what you use as your food. Furthermore, they typically are reasonably priced (especially if you look for sales at places like Babies/Toys R Us etc)

2. Making your own food is all well and good, and makes logical sense if you can make it fresh from something you already happen to be making for the rest of the family. It can save you money, and get the baby use to eating foods your family normally eats. Also, it can add variety to their diet

3. Many of the Mom's I know who went this route thought they'd save money (their main reason for doing it). While some did save money...they did so by limiting their childs food options/exposing their child to less variety of foods than they would have otherwise experienced had the parents opted for buying at least some baby foods. Like sure, they had plenty of peas and carrots at the ready....but tended to lack things like sweet potatoes, or papaya's etc.

So if you go this route, just try to make sure you don't only use the same 6-10 fruits and veggies...exposing your baby to a wide palate early on helps encourage healthy eating....and eating a variety of things later in life. And what you're really doing at this stage of feeding, is helping them enjoy/learn to like foods other than breastmilk/formula...but breastmilk/formula is their main nutrition source until at least Age 1. So...do what makes sense for you/your family.

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Advice - Homemade Food for Baby

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