Making your own baby food?

[JenCA]

DH recently expressed an interest in making food for our DD, and our pediatrician recommended the book Mommy Made to help us get started. I have not yet begun reading the book (just picked it up), so I'm not sure what we need to get started. We have a blender but do not have a food processesor--should we get one? Also, how many hours can I expect to spend making baby food every week? DH and I both work full time, and I'd rather spend the free time we do have with DD, not in the kitchen making baby food! And to that point--I have to admit that those little jars of Earth's Best are SO easy and convenient, but I want DD to eat as healthily as possible, and I know that making her food will definitely contribute to this. Any advice would be appreciated! :)

[KGoes]

I use a blender to make DD's food. I make up her food on weekends and make enough at a time to freeze for the rest of the week. This takes almost zero time since I prepare the food at the same time I am preparing food for dinner, etc. For example, DD loves carrots. Nothing could be easier. I buy organic baby carrots; throw them in the steamer; when they are knife-tip tender, I throw them in the blender; add a bit of steaming water; blend; all done. Sweet potatoes: peel; chop; repeat above steps. For squash, I steam or roast in the over; repeat above. Apples I peel and boil (repeat above); other fruits, like peaches, pears, plums, I steam before blending.
Really, I have been amazed at how easy and how little time it takes to make baby food. The trick for me has been to make multiple servings at a time - it's really just as easy to steam two sweet potatoes as to steam one, for example.
HTH!
Kelley
DD born 7/03

[sadie427]

We make most of our own baby food and I've also found it pretty easy. I wouldn't suggest getting a food processor just for that purpose. My DS is almost the same age as your baby (born the next day!) and at almost 7 months (started solids at 5.5 mo) DS doesn't seem to need the very smooth purees anyway. In the beginning I made more stuff in advance in the blender, but now I do quite a bit of quick modifying of our table food--e.g I'll steam grated or sautee grated zucchini for us and just chop it a little more for him (he really loves this for some reason), or I'll put a few scoops of our vegetarian pasta sauce in the blender or mini-processor, mix in a spoonful of leftover regular rice and serve. I also give him quite a few things that don't require cooking--plain silken tofu, mashed avocado, mashed banana, kiwi fruit, papaya.

Things that I make in advance like sweet potatoes or squash can just be mushed with a fork or a big wooden spoon, or put in the blender if you find that easier. Things that I found hard to make myself were peas and green beans because of the texture when you blend them--it was better with some brown rice added to the blender, but I decided to just get those in the jar until he can eat soft-cooked chopped green beans and mashed peas. I do have a cuisinart mini-chopper, which I do use quite a bit, both for quick small amounts of his baby food, and for meal preparation for grown-up food, and it's easy to clean and doesn't take up much counter space.

If you're not familiar with it, I'd suggest Ellyn Satter's book "Child of Mine-Feeding with Love and Good Sense"--it's not a baby food cookbook, but more about the theory of feeding your baby and child, and recommends ways to transition your child to table food and to create a healthy eating environment. HTH

[Jen in Chicago]

Jude eats jars at daycare, and whatever I have on hand at home. I usually have cubes of summer squash, diced potatoes, dices sweet potatoes, diced/shredded chicken, or butternut squash in the freezer. In the frig I always have unsweetened applesauce for him. I boil carrots with tiny pastas if I get crazy. Jars are around for back up and bananas (he HATE fresh banana- he'll gag on it.) Rice, Barley and Oatmeal baby cereal is always in the cabinet, next to his FAVORITE- CHERRIOS! We are moving to finger food land, so the food processer on occassion will gather dust for a long time b/4 I cook with it (pre-baby I loved to cook, post baby it does not happen).

When I make his cubes I invest maybe 30-60 min a week depending on the prep of the food (I hate peeling!!!!)

[Meatball Mommie]

My DS is the same age (exactly) as your DD! I make all his food and it's way easier than I thought it would be. I got the Mommy Made book from the library and that's what I use for prep instructions. I freeze it in ice cube trays overnight and then put the cubes in ziploc bags. We started solids at 6 mo and he has only tried pears, apples, bananas and sweet potatoes. We had a constipation problem so he is actually only eating pears and sweet potatoes (in addition to baby oatmeal) right now. I feel really good about giving him food that I prepared versus the jarred stuff although I don't think the jarred tastes that bad (I bought a few Beech Nut pears and sweet potatoes to compare and they're quite good). I've read Ellyn Satter's book too and I also recommend it - very informative. I don't plan on staying with ultra pureed food for all that long. For now I use the food processor and it works great. I already had a Cuisinart so I didn't buy it specifically for baby food (I think a blender would work fine). Good luck and have fun! :)

[JenCA]

So you have an August 12 baby, too! That was a great day to have a little one. ;) I'm glad to hear that you use Mommy Made for prep instructions--I have now started reading it. My DD currently eats Earth's Best (organic) jarred stage 1 foods. I have a question that might seem silly, but I have to ask...what do you do with the frozen food squares when it's mealtime? Do you thaw them in the microwave? Also, if they defrost on their own, do they taste watery? TIA!

[sadie427]

Not a silly question at all! I thaw them on the "defrost" setting in the microwave for either 15 or 30 seconds. Or if I remember, I take them out the night before and put them in the fridge. You do have to check the microwaved stuff carefully for hot spots, but otherwise either one works fine. I think they taste the same either way.

[Meatball Mommie]

That's pretty much what I do too. The cubes fit perfectly in the larger Beech Nut jars. :) They don't seem to be any more watery than when I made them. Hope that helps - have fun!