The Baby's Gotta Eat
12:43 PM
The decision to make baby food rather than buy it was a no brainer. Well, let me rephrase that—the decision to TRY making homemade baby food was a no brainer. It seemed cheaper, healthier, and fairly easy. I figured I might as well try and see how it goes. If it was too difficult, costly, or just plain annoying, I could always jump ship and head to Wal-Mart right?
I have to say making homemade babyfood was easier than I thought…but then when I realized I was supposed to be giving Genevieve fruit in addition to her cereal in the morning, had no baby food prepared and no store bought food (and no applesauce), and spent the next 15 minutes scrambling to bake and mush an apple, I thought “oh, ok, this is where it gets annoying!” So the basic lesson here is that making baby food is easy only if you’re totally prepared and have the necessary utensils. Planning ahead is key in making it feel like fun and not a time consuming, labor intensive chore. And though I haven’t done it yet, I also plan to go to the store and get a few jars of fruits and veggies just to make sure I have something on hand just in case I need it! (I’m obviously not a diehard). ;)
So where to begin? Well first off, make sure you have a few things to start. You’ll need something to chop or blend. I’ve read that the magic bullet works wonders for pureeing (actually I used Jessica Seinfeld’s “Deceptively Delicious” for tips on pureeing and she swears by it). You can also use a blender although I found that using a food processor was easier for me. Then there’s the lavish Beaba machine if you’re really hard core. I myself could not spend $150 on something that doesn’t have the words “True Religion” on the butt. It’s just not that fun. Ok, moving on. You can simply steam the veggies in a pot with a tiny bit of water, but my friend Colleen bought a steamer basket which she said coupled with a blender replaces the need for the Beaba machine. (More on Colleen and moral support later). Next, you’ll need something to store the food in. I used plain old ice cube trays until my mom got me these handy storage containers from kidco. Honestly I could go either way. I do like that these storage containers have lids and you can keep the food in them vs. transporting them to a baggie. But I have to admit I kind of like seeing multi-colored ice cubes in my freezer. I’m a little OCD that way. The blog smitten kitchen, recommends these cubes which I just LOVE. They are hanging out on my Amazon wish list as we speak. So that’s pretty much it! You probably already have all of what you need to get started! 
I’m trying to keep this succinct but I have to say to keep things simple, you really need to set aside a time to make a batch or two of food or prepare the food while you make your own. My pediatrician even said by about 8 months I can pretty much just mash up whatever we’re eating and feed that to Genevieve. For the time being she’s still a bit restricted so on the weekends I make a batch of one or two veggies and pop them in the freezer. It takes maybe 15 minutes!
Lastly, moral support when it comes to all things “mommy” cannot be understated. Colleen and I email back and forth about everything from nursing, to weaning (back to nursing again), to poop (that’s right), to making baby food. It’s great to share tips and misdeeds when it comes to child rearing. Much of what you’ve read has been a result of Colleen’s (not MY) thorough research. She’s even more OCD than I am and I love it! Having someone to talk to whose baby is in the same stage as yours is (or close) is awesome. You can go on and on about random little things and you know they’re not either thinking about what they will wear out this weekend (for the single twenty something) or thinking how none of it matters and you’ll figure that out with your 2nd kid (for the thirty something with 2+ children).
So if you make your own baby food (or have even considered it) tell us what tips and tricks you’ve learned!
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My sunshine enjoying peas.
**some photos courtesy of smitten kitchen**
7 comments
love it!! so fun!! Genevieve is getting cuter and cuter. is that possible???
ReplyDeleteThanks Rebekah!! Isn't it funny that you think they are the most adorable beings alive on day 1 but they do get cuter and cuter and more and more fun. I think the exact same thing about Max!!
ReplyDeleteHi Tiffany! Another great blog. I love reading them! Joseph is now eating just about everything we do but those first days of baby food are so much fun. A big thing I have been reading about is the importance of organic foods - especially certain fruits and veggies...(http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/01/dirty.dozen.produce.pesticide/index.html?hpt=C2) Now I am not an extremist about these things but have been working on finding certain organic foods for Joseph that don't break the bank. Just curious about how other mom's feel about this???
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Erin... I try to get organic items for both Cole and Grace when they are affordable, and especially the more important ones, such as certain produce, milk, eggs and meats. For Grace I use all organic baby foods and cereals (Earth's Best and Happy Baby), which are pretty easy to get and becoming more affordable all the time. (Look for sales, especially at Target & Walmart!) For produce, we have a Trader Joe's not too far away that has really affordable organic produce. They're sometimes cheaper than the regular produce at my local grocery store! I do think it's a balancing act and that some items are more important to buy organic than others. But overall I like trying to give them the best start I can, as I know eventually I won't be able to monitor everything they eat! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Erin!! How IS little Joseph?! I don't have a lot of knowledge/experience with organic foods. I want to try to use organic more but it is more expensive and not as accessible. But I'm sure it's worth the effort/expense. I'm like you--not an extremist about that kind of stuff but if it makes sense and makes a big difference in Genevieve's overall health/development it's definitely worth a shot. I just have to do it!
ReplyDeleteMeg, I heard there is a Trader Joe in Hooksett now! Have you heard that?! I need to go to thier site to confirm...
this is one of my favorite sites for recipes that grow with your kids from infant/baby food all the way to yummy recipes and snacks for preschoolers and elementary age. we've made some meals that even Miah's liked :)
ReplyDeletehttp://weelicious.com/
oh and ditto on the organic stuff!!
Thanks Kat!! I'm gonna check it out pronto!!
ReplyDelete