Homemade Baby Food

Ever since before I started giving Abby solid foods I knew I wanted to make my own. But I didn't know where to start, what to give or how to make it. It seems like every pediatrician, book and mommy likes to do it different. Some people say if you start with fruit babies will reject veggies, some say start with fruit because they'll be more likely to accept it. Other things I have read have said it doesn't matter because they will like what they like. Almost everything I have read though says that you have to offer "new" foods several times since a lot of babies are sensitive to strong flavors and textures. In my opinion you have to do a little research and then do what feels most comfortable for you. As I was doing my research I came across this website: Wholsome Baby Food. It has been SO helpful as a guide to knowing which foods to introduce when, how to cook it, foods that you can combine to make different recipes, how to store it, etc.

So far Abby hasn't rejected a single thing I've given her. I started with green beans since I happened to have some fresh ones in the fridge and since then I have given her sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, avocados, bananas, yellow zucchini, pears, apples, rice cereal and oatmeal. I bought butternut and winter squash to try this week. I actually followed their butternut apple bake recipe today. It smells delicious and all I need to do now is puree. I have used store bought rice cereal and oatmeal so far since they don't store as well and she is pretty hungry in the morning but I do want to make some. I have used my rice cooker to steam a lot of things (10 - 15 min) and I have also boiled and baked some things. They say baking retains a lot of the natural flavor but it takes a little longer than steaming. To puree I have just used my blender. I use leftover water, breast milk or mixed formula to thin out the purees but I don't use much. In my opinion store bought baby food is WAY too runny. Babies have a hard enough time with tongue thrust and I have found, with Abby at least, that if I make the purees thicker or a little bit stiffer that it is much less messy and she can eat it more quickly. It does take a little bit of thought before you go to the store but once you decide then you can make a bunch of different things in about an hour or two.

As for storage...I like to make up the purees and pour them into ice cube trays. Once they have frozen I pop them out and put all the cubes in freezer bags and label them with the food name and date. If I'm already low on food I'll leave some out in containers in the fridge. Most of them will last 4 - 5 days in the fridge. Anyway...I just thought I'd share since a few people have asked me about it. It's easy, healthy, inexpensive and makes me feel domestic. :-) Enjoy!