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March 2015 Moms
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Homemade baby food

SMac2013SMac2013 member
in March 2015 Moms
I am attempting making homemade purée fruits and veggies for my son. So far, sweet potatoes have been a huge hit. I tried green beans but couldn't get the purée consistency right so I bought the store made Gerber kind. I have also noticed apples, pears, and peaches are better store bought. Is anyone else trying to make their own food for their lo? I'm debating if it's even worth the time making it.. I'm getting frustrated and feel like I am wasting food. Maybe I should just buy it from the store but it's expensive.. Blah. Any advice?
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Re: Homemade baby food

  • KD32412KD32412 member
    FYI, there is a similar thread about solids, in case you wanted to read up on what has already been discussed.

    I prepared puréed foods for my first, and will attempt to again. You are correct, green beans come out gritty! I had to purée, then run it through a fine sieve 2x to get a smooth consistency. Same thing with green peas. It sucked, I ended up buying store bought for those. The best puréed foods (in my opinion) are sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, acorn squash, and butternut squash. I started with only veggies first, then added in fruits later - didn't want LO to develop a sweet palate for fruits only.

    It'll be a little hard at first, but once you get used to it and have all the materials you need, it'll actually be fun and save you money! Here's a great website with recipes and a solids timeline, gives you an idea when to start certain foods.

    https://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com
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  • SMac2013SMac2013 member
    Thanks! I will check out those other threads!
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  • myjessesgirlmyjessesgirl member
    @KD32412 The first time I gave my LO bananas, she hated them. But she also gave me grief over pears and apples. This was after devouring her veggies with a passion! I guess I did well with preventing her from having a sweet tooth! Lol

    I don't make any of my own food, simply because I barely find enough time to make our own dinner some nights! I did have good intentions at first, but then gave up the idea. But I wish I hadn't. It can be expensive! But I like Gerber and Beechnut and always keep a few pouches around for when we go out. She also is babysat three days a week when I work, so it is far more convenient to send jars and pouches than frozen food. I think I may start pureeing from scratch once she's eating most varieties and then just give her pretty much what we are eating anyway, without any added salt or sugar. But my good intentions usually end up not working out, so we will see!
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  • MeganG216MeganG216 member
    I love the momtastic site above as well. Peaches I found to be very easy and they came out super smooth. Apples and pear were more difficult because I had to peel before steaming. Peas and green beans came out gritty, but I usually mix them with carrots or pears before I serve them to make them easier to eat. I think it's good to expose them to different textures; not everything needs to be super smooth. I just held off on those until she was really good with the smoother purees. Banana and avocado are easy to mash fresh, and my girl loooooves the two mixed together. Good luck!
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  • emsillickemsillick member
    I definitely think it's worth making homemade baby food, but you have to do what's right for your family. I make all of my son's meals but buy a few of those organic, 100% fruit pouches for convenience... You can put them on yoghurt or porridge, or spoon-feed straight from the pot, they're great! Just check there are no added nasties. I think there is a balance to be found, just as we don't eat either processed or home made food ALL the time.

    One thing that made my life SO much easier was this baby steamer and blender: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00HHUYUE8/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1443941634&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=baby+steamer+and+blender&dpPl=1&dpID=51GiTFf0PNL&ref=plSrch.

    You can use it to cook veggies, fruit, potatoes, and later even fish and chicken, and then you can puree it in the same pot afterwards. It was a godsend for me because it's so easy to use.

    I make big batches and then freeze little pots so that there is always something in the freezer. If all else fails then I always have some banana or avocado on hand ;)

    Check out Annabel Karmel's website and books for recipes too.

    Good luck Mama! :) xx
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  • DustyMelonsDustyMelons member
    emsillick said:
    I definitely think it's worth making homemade baby food, but you have to do what's right for your family. I make all of my son's meals but buy a few of those organic, 100% fruit pouches for convenience... You can put them on yoghurt or porridge, or spoon-feed straight from the pot, they're great! Just check there are no added nasties. I think there is a balance to be found, just as we don't eat either processed or home made food ALL the time. 
    What exactly are these "nasties" you're referring to?
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  • klcarr19klcarr19 member
    I make all of LO food. I tend to make it grittier than the way it is bought but my LO will not eat store bought because she likes the texture. I have made anything from bell peppers, broccoli, to plums and strawberries. Pretty much anything I make I steam unseasoned for LO and purée it. A lot of times I set aside two hours on a Saturday once a month and bulk make food. I have a huge stock up now so I may get to skip next month. I love to cook and as a working mommy it's a great outlet for stress for me. My doctor gave me the go ahead to make whatever I want with exclusion of honey and cows milk.
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  • jaminycricketjaminycricket member
    I make my own baby food and enjoy it! It depends on the veggie/fruit, but it usually doesn't really end up saving you that much money to be honest. But I do it because I like knowing what I'm feeding my baby. My recommendations for green beans and peas is to buy the organic frozen kind. Then steam them and make sure to add some of the water you cooked it with to thin it out when you blend it up. Butternut squash has been the easiest and most cost effective to make imo and pears & apples are the most time consuming because you need to peel them. But I do it all. I just ask the husband to watch the baby for a few hours once a month and knock it all out at once. Freeze the food in icecube trays and your set for awhile!
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  • SharLovesAlexSharLovesAlex member
    edited October 2015
    We've recently tried making baby food and find the texture sometimes comes out gritty. We started him on Gerber 1st foods before making our own. We've bought a few of the 2nd foods just to introduce new tastes so we can start making different things. Chicken noodle was a no. Turkey & sweet potatoes, yes. We made pasta the other night so I pureed a bit in the baby bullet for him (without the seasoning and all that, just plain). He didn't care for it. I'll try again another time. He likes fruits and veggies, those are easy. Except peas. I don't think he liked the consistency.
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  • klcarr19klcarr19 member
    SharLovesAlex said:

    We've recently tried making baby food and find the texture sometimes comes out gritty. We started him on Gerber 1st foods before making our own. We've bought a few of the 2nd foods just to introduce new tastes so we can start making different things. Chicken noodle was a no. Turkey & sweet potatoes, yes. We made pasta the other night so I pureed a bit in the baby bullet for him (without the seasoning and all that, just plain). He didn't care for it. I'll try again another time. He likes fruits and veggies, those are easy. Except peas. I don't think he liked the consistency.

    Making my own food I notice it is pretty gritty... However my really good friend said that's actually good for when they transition to chewing real foods. Her first she made everything super smooth and she had the hardest time transitioning but now her 8 month old is eating small pieces of food and chewing without problem. I have given my LO puffs and yogurt drops to start transitioning to pick up foods now that we have teeth! I figure as long as she can tolerate it we are good! We made out own food from the start and we tried Gerber one time and she spit it out.
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  • SMac2013SMac2013 member
    I've been buying the Gerber first foods to try and then if he likes it I will attempt to make the baby food. I have been messing with different thicknesses and textures. I figure he's almost 7 months now so the rough/little chunks will get him ready for other foods. I feel like he is eating so much real food! It's insane! He'll nurse and then down 3-4 ounces of fruit or veggies!
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  • dmack911dmack911 member

    I make all my own food. This is what I have noticed and my LO eats everything ok.

    Bananas come out more juicy and brown weird but she likes it

    Pears come out a little lumpy

    Apples a little lumpy like applesauce

    Carrots come out smooth and velvety

    Sweet potatoes smooth and velvety

    Butternut squash smooth and velvety

    Peas and green beans are gritty

    Spinach smooth velvety

     

    I just make all the puree as is and she eats it ok.

     

    If she doesn't like something new I will mix a little breastmilk with it and warm it.

     

     

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