An Easy How-To Guide

Making your own baby food is not difficult. I thought it would be, but it is not. In fact, you can do this while doing other things like cooking dinner! This is an easy how-to guide on how to make your own baby food!

You don't have to buy anything to make baby food except a blender or food processor, if you do not already have one. I find that a blender is better because I can get a really good texture with this. What you use is up to you!

First, wash the vegetable/fruit. If it requires peeling, so do. Most do such as... carrots, apples, sweet potato, pears, etc, just to name a few.

Chop them up and boil them in water on the stove in order to soften them.

Once they are nice and soft, save the water or some of it.

Add the food into the blender. I find the puree setting is the best. Don't overstuff the blender, otherwise it won't do a good job. Slowly add the food in and add the water as need.

Once you have the food the way you want, pour the food into the ice cube trays.

Cover with either a lid or cling-wrap or whatever you have handy.

Freeze for 8-10hours.

Pop them out and store in ziplock bags.

Make sure to write on front of the bags what it is (because a lot look alike) and the date you made them.

Most can stay fresh for 3months. One ice cube is 1oz!

The directions can vary slightly depending on what you are cooking, but each recipe I post I will include the directions for that specific food!

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

One of the most important things to remember and I cannot stress enough to you is to clean the area in which you are making your baby food. This is super important because we are unable to achieve the amount of sterilization that factories can get. This is not a reason not to make your baby food though. All you truly must do is....
WASH YOUR HANDS!
Wash the countertops down
Clean the knives and pots in which you will be using
Clean the blender, food processor, etc.. what you are using
Make sure the ice cube trays, if you use them, are clean.
Clean the vegetables/fruit in which you are using
If you are making fruits/vegetables and meats, make sure that you change the cutting board because uncooked meat juices can transfer bacteria to fruits and vegetables.

All I am stressing to you is that you need to clean the area in which you are making the baby food.

Reasons to Make Your Own Baby Food

In this day and age, everyone LOVES things that are convenient. We live in an age when fast food is a common dinner for families. TV dinners are a staple rather than a rariety. Making cookies and cakes from scratch? Really, who does that?
Today, almost everything can be bought premade to aid the families that have two working parents. As much as this is handy, it TRULY is not good for your family. I urge you to consider things that are less convenient in your everyday life. It is not as hard as you think.
If you are a parent, as I am, I know that you want what is best for your child. I know I do. Jarred baby food is real food, but there are preservatives in it otherwise do you think it could stay good in the jars for months even years?!
Instead of trying to convince you that you shouldn't give your baby jarred baby food, let me tell you the reasons why you SHOULD give your baby homemade baby food. Trust me, the reasons are good!

1. You, and you alone, control what your baby eats. If you decide you homemake baby food, consider buying organic fruits and vegetables. This ensures that there are no pesticides, which is in most jarred baby food unless you buy organic baby food. The food your baby is going to eat is the food you are eating, so you can rest assured knowing it is safe. Plus, there are no additives in it!

2. Do you really think that commercial baby food factories put love into making the baby food? Heck no.

3. Your baby will be exposed to a larger variety of textures and tastes. This makes the transition to table food a lot eaiser! The foods that come in the jars are basically the bare minimum even if they seem to have a large variety. How often have you seen avocado as a baby food? Or apricots (maybe but not where I live)? Or pumpkin? Or broccoli? I mean, thats just naming a few that you have the ability to make that otherwise your baby won't have the option to eat! You control how thick or thin the baby food is. If the baby food you buy is too thin you have to add rice or something to thicken it. This won't be necessary when making your own!

4. This is the perfect time to develop healthy eating habits for your child and they will enjoy the healthy foods you are giving them!

5. You WILL save money. I promise this. To give you an example, I made 24 2oz cans of sweet potatoes. This is the size of a stage 1 jar. I used 2 large sweet potatoes I purchased for $.93. So, for $1.86 I made food that would have paid close to $12 for at the price of $.47 which is what I would pay where I live. In other regions, it might be higher! That is a savings! It WILL add up!

Are you convinced yet?!