Making/Storing Baby Food

PinkPrincessPiper · January 2016

I've been given the ok to start foods, and we started yesterday with avocados! Just one, thinned with breast milk, made a batch big enough to last the week. My question for other babyfood-making mamas is, how to you store and/or freeze your prepared foods? I'm trying one of the freezer trays with the lid (but just a cheap-o one); will they just pop out easy? Maybe I should look for silicone ones? When do I thaw them for the day? Any advice, tips or tricks would be appreciated! This is my 3rd kid, but my first time EBF & making my own food! TIA

urfcerin · January 2016

Very similar to me! My third kid and my first time making food. I made batches of butternut squash, blueberries and applesauce. I boiled each and puréed it with a little bit of water or breastmilk and then froze it into an icecube tray with a lid. Once they were frozen I popped them out (it was easy) and am storing each batch in a ziplock bag. I figure it will be easy to grab one and defrost it.

jht4 · January 2016

With my first, I steamed, puréed, and froze in ice cube trays. It is easy to pop out into zip lock bags. I took out what I needed right before a meal and heated it in the microwave or stove then thinned as needed with breastmilk. I would recommend waiting to thin with breastmilk until you are ready to use it. Younger infants need it to be thinner than older infants. If you thin it all when making it, you can't adjust this over time.

kkerner87 · January 2016

I either bake or steam, then puree. Sometimes I will thin with breast milk before I freeze and sometimes I will do it when I thaw it to eat. I freeze in ice cube trays and then transfer to zip lock baggies. I ordered a baby cook book off Amazon and am going to mix fruits and veggies once I try them all to make sure she has no allergies. I also ordered a baby led weening cook book and might try some of that as well.

tlc11934 · January 2016

I use silicone trays with lids. The food pops right out.

CEW225 · January 2016

I plan on using silicone ice trays but they don't have lids. Could I just wrap foil or saran wrap over top?

rosalbap2 · January 2016

@kkerner87 How are the baby cook books? I might just have to order them too. I am FTM and definitely want to make LO baby food.
Another question ladies, do any of you own the Baby Bullet or any other baby food makers you would recommend?

kbfash · January 2016

Same here, steam then purée. I found great silicone ice cube trays with latching kids at HomeGoods for $3 each if you have one local!

jht4 · January 2016

CEW225 said:
I plan on using silicone ice trays but they don't have lids. Could I just wrap foil or saran wrap over top?

Yes! As soon as it is frozen you can pop it out and store in bags. As long as you aren't stacking the trays you probably don't need anything on top.

jht4 · January 2016

rosalbap2 said:

Another question ladies, do any of you own the Baby Bullet or any other baby food makers you would recommend?

I wouldn't buy something baby specific. We use a regular steamer and a large food processor. Makes it easy to make large batches and I can continue to use the steamer and food processor long after baby is on table foods.

rosalbap2 · January 2016

@jht4 Thank you so much for the advice

BrandiLaw87 · January 2016

jht4 said:

rosalbap2 said:

Another question ladies, do any of you own the Baby Bullet or any other baby food makers you would recommend?
I wouldn't buy something baby specific. We use a regular steamer and a large food processor. Makes it easy to make large batches and I can continue to use the steamer and food processor long after baby is on table foods.

I agree. We were gifted the baby bullet when DS was born. It works fine but you can't make very big batches. I found with it I had to do two or three batches of the same thing when I was making food to freeze. I ended up just using my regular blender instead since it held more.

PinkPrincessPiper · January 2016

Thanks for all the advice! I didn't purchase a food processor, rather ordered a bowl/smasher type deal & covered freezer trays. Let's keep this thread or a similar one going with the results! My Amazon order should be delivered tomorrow, and I'm going to attempt my first big batches (I guess I need to pump!), so I'll post & let you guys know how it goes! Good luck!

babyFearon · January 2016

Following

AndieTessie · January 2016

After you zip lock bag it how long is it typically good for in the freezer? Could I do one big day of cooking and have a months worth of baby meals or is it better to do it a little at a time?

Mewkie · January 2016

For DS1, I steamed or roasted, pureed and froze in ice cube trays then put the cubes in a ziplock baggie in the freezer. It was really easy to defrost a few cubes for a meal. I agree with pp and found it easier to thin after thawing bc freezing would sometimes change consistency a bit. I just used the kitchen stuff I already had. A steamer basket and my blender. I also found a small fine mesh strainer helpful for things like banana and avacado. I would just push a ripe piece of either through the strainer with the back of a spoon and it elimated even small chunks. The frozen cubes would last a month or two but it's amazing how quickly you use them once solids are established. Just date the bags so you know when you made them.

PinkPrincessPiper · January 2016

Thanks for the input, ladies! The Nuby smash & serve bowl ($8) works great, as do the NUK silicone freezer trays ($7). I agree with PP, mash & freeze, thaw & then mix for optimum taste/consistency! I've done batches of bananas & avocados so far. Next up, some orange veggies like sweet potatoes & carrots! I don't plan to get a processor (too many darn kitchen appliances as is!), just steam/sautée/bake, then smash.

I want to start some basic combos, single grain oatmeal & banana for example, but I'm not sure if that would be too much for her little system right now! I might wait another week or two. Thoughts?

cmommy13 · January 2016

Great thread!
So pinterest has tons of great info about making baby food, even making rice cereal if you're interested
My question is how much does a 6 month old eat? A few spoonfulls?

Does anyone have any favorite baby spoons?

I was gifted a baby bullet so I'll try that! And I think it says that frozen food is good for a month

TabulaRasa25 · January 2016

I do have the Baby Bullet, got it as a gift, and it comes with a silicone tray with lid for freezing. We haven't started on purees yet, but will probably start soon.

chelseajeanene · January 2016

I got the Nuby garden fresh blender and I love love love it! It can with this silicon tray and 6 other storage containers

TabulaRasa25 · January 2016

Yep, Baby Bullet's also comes with a six-portion silicon tray and six other storage containers:

https://www.growingyourbaby.com/category/baby-bullet/

PinkPrincessPiper · January 2016

Pinterest for the win! So many recipes!

@cmommy13 I like these spoons. They have a built in spoon rest that keeps them of the table/away from germs. Bonus, they're only like $3.

@chelseajeanene That's awesome! Did you have to cook them beforehand, or does the blender steam as well?

dmbfan46835 · January 2016

Anyone use the baby brezza? It steams and purrees all in one. I haven't used ours yet since we are waiting a few more weeks and I don't know anyone who has used one and am curious about it.

chelseajeanene · January 2016

@PinkPrincessPiper it comes with the steamer too!

tpete12 · February 2016

dmbfan46835 said:

Anyone use the baby brezza? It steams and purrees all in one. I haven't used ours yet since we are waiting a few more weeks and I don't know anyone who has used one and am curious about it.

My mom bought me one for Christmas and I thought I would hate it. Turns out I was wrong! I LOVE it. The lid twists off a bit the odd time when I am securing the base but it is a simple fix. The first food I steamed was butternut squash. I did have to steam it a bit longer than the book said, but it is easy to steam more (I steamed it the second time after I pureed it and ended up with a smooth baby food). I love how easy it is to use, and clean.

dmbfan46835 · February 2016

@tpete12 Awesome! I thought it looked pretty easy to use and it's so small and compact. I'm glad you love it, makes me even more pumped to use it soon!

19katee2 · February 2016

can anyone give me recommendations for cookbooks, blogs or pinterest boards for their favorite recipes? so far Ive only mashed avocados and bananas to give my son with his oatmeal. I have a food processor and blender.

PinkPrincessPiper · February 2016

https://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2014/12/8-easy-homemade-baby-purees-first-foods.html

These are some simple purees. I'm trying our first combination today, bananas + oatmeal. I'm going to mix it with BM, but I'm thinking I could use juice too when she gets a little older to add in flavor & aid with digestion.

shelbydd · February 2016

Question for those of you that have or are making your own baby foods..

I made a small batch of avocado purée that I immediately froze. I attempted to thaw it yesterday to feed to LO but as soon as it started thawing it also started turning brown! I personally wouldn't eat an avocado that's turned brown so I didn't feed it to LO.

My question is how do you prevent those types of fruits and vegis (apples, bananas, avocados, etc) from turning brown while making or thawing LOs food?

irenejean · February 2016

We have these books for making baby food:
https://www.amazon.com/Real-Baby-Food-All-Natural-Recipes/dp/0544464958/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454432691&sr=8-1&keywords=real+baby+food

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Foodie-Recipes-Babies-Toddlers/dp/1942411049/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454432718&sr=8-1&keywords=baby+foode

The second book is written by a woman who also has a blog, the website is www.babyfoode.com. Tons of recipes there!

I'm a FTM, so I don't have recommendations based on experience yet. We are using these silicone ice cube trays for food: https://www.amazon.com/Tovolo-Perfect-Cube-Trays-Stratus/dp/B000QIU7X6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454432806&sr=8-1&keywords=tivoli+ice+cube+trays

I'm planning to make some food soon, freezing in the small trays and mixing things once we know he reacts well to them. I'm excited for this stage of eating! He'll be 5 months on Friday, but we'll probably wait a little longer before feeding him solids. I think I'll start making food this weekend though.

bcamasosa · February 2016

@shelbydd I just made some avocado last night and plan to feed it to my LO in 2 days. i personally don't mind the brown because that's just what happens when it comes into contact with oxygen--unless you add lemon which i haven't yet introduced to my LO so that's not an option for us but here's a link i hope it helps

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/10/keeping-avocados-from-turning-brown_n_1196633.html

HAS ANYONE MADE GREEN BEANS OR PEAS? How did you do it? I would like to start my LO on these but not sure how to make them. Thanks!

LoveLee85 · February 2016

Gosh! This makes me feel bad. Lol. I wanted to make my own food but after talking to other moms and reading labels....I went the organic baby food route! Good for you all for finding the time and energy. My dish washer is broken and laundry constantly piled up. I just couldn't take on one more 'project'. I have been hitting the gym instead. Feeling a hair guilty but it gives me energy and I love working out. I still might later on down the road and l love reading about it!

Mewkie · February 2016

@shelbydd when I would give avocado I would just mash or purée the portion I was going to feed for that meal. Same with banana. I would just make sure they were nice and ripe so they would smash easily. A fine mesh strainer works great!
I loved the oxo tot spoons with DS1.
Also, I wasn't given a ton of direction from my pedi the first time around in terms of what and when to feed and I found this website really helpful.

https://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com

chelseajeanene · February 2016

30 oz of avacado...really hoping he likes it!

thinkpink101 · February 2016

My recommendation would be to just make small portions until you know how your LO does. My LO hates green beans and they gave him terrible indigestion so I'm glad I didn't make a big batch. He loved squash but got his first diaper rash after trying it so we'll hold off on that for now as well. He loves avocados and bananas but neither make sense to freeze, the color/consistency get really gross upon thawing. They are so quick to mash up fresh too. For the tried and true foods that I make bigger batches of I use our Vitamix.

19katee2 · February 2016

@Mewkie that site is super helpful. thanks!

jen83mn · February 2016

Thank you all for the tips! I was planning to buy jarred organic baby food, but you all just convinced me to make my own and freeze instead!

It goes along with my resolution to start cooking more meals this year instead of frozen pizzas

So far, so good ... I am in love with my crockpot.

cmommy13 · February 2016

@PinkPrincessPiper thank you!

chelseajeanene · February 2016

I need help! I just had an epic fail at puréeing apples. Turned brown immediately as being purred, like apple cider brown. Do you have to use a specific type of Apple?

thinkpink101 · February 2016

chelseajeanene said:

I need help! I just had an epic fail at puréeing apples. Turned brown immediately as being purred, like apple cider brown. Do you have to use a specific type of Apple?

Did you cook them first? I peel, core and chunk apples (or pears) then cook them in a little bit of water until very soft. Then I purée. I like to use a naturally sweet apple like golden delicious, Fuji or ambrosia.

chelseajeanene · February 2016

@thinkpink101 I didn't cook them first, they were soft enough and puréed nicely, the color just changed. I'll try cooking them next time. I used Macintosh apples because they're soft and my favorite. Hmm

Want a personalized experience?

Making/Storing Baby Food

Re: Making/Storing Baby Food

Choose Another Board

Search Boards