When Stella had her 4 month well check a few days ago, her pediatrician recommended that now was a good time to introduce solids. Well, with the cold that she has had this week, she was not very interested in trying new things. So, the first few attempts failed miserably. But, I am nothing if not persistent, so I went along with the motto, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!" So, with much patience, I gave it another shot...and another...and another. Until at last, she got it! Just like a baby bird.
So far, she is just eating rice cereal, but looking ahead I am thinking about making our own baby food. This is something that I had always wanted to do with my older kids, but working full time left me with very little extra time, so I went with commercial baby foods. It was just so much easier.
So dear readers, I am seeking your advice. Have you made your own baby food? What worked for you? I would love to know. Thanks!
First, I loved these baby food cubes: http://bit.ly/aIeDGB
ReplyDeleteAnother great site for recipes and tips is: www.wholesomebabyfood.com
Basically you just cook everything and puree it. It wasn't hard but it did take time. The cubes made it easy to do a bunch at once and freeze for later. The older they get you can skip the puree step. I only did it this way for a few months until she was old enough to handle all textures and I could just feed her from my plate in small spoonfuls or bites.
Good luck and keep us posted! :)
what a precious picture!!! I miss having a baby :( (My youngest is 2!) Baby food is pretty easy, but I only tried carrots I think. Just boil, stick it in the food processor with enough water for your desired consistency and that's it. I never tried anything more "elaborate". My little one was such a picky eater - still is!
ReplyDeleteI never made my own - good luck! She is so cute!!
ReplyDeleteMy hubby and I were just talking about how fun it is to feed babies first foods! I've made my own before and it's great. I got a hand grinder from Babies R Us and we would often grind up dinner and just feed the baby that. It worked awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteWe don't start solids anywhere near that early (for 1 thing, lots of family food allergies), but when we do, I'll probably make it all this time around too. We got a little food mill, and am also excited about using this neat gadget, which we've already tested on sweet potatoes: http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Food-Ricer-White-Green/dp/B0038JE5RE/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1286651224&sr=8-3-fkmr1
ReplyDeleteI'm a new follower and I have a Stella too! She was born May 13th! I have a blog all about her called Haute Mom.
ReplyDeletehttp://kelleyhautemom.blogspot.com
Like others have said--boil or steam until soft and then add water (not too much--remember you can always add more but it's hard to take away) and blend/process/mill until smooth. Freeze it in ice cube trays (a turkey baster is a great way to get from the blender to the tray without mess) and cover and freeze. Once frozen pop out and put into a freezer bag and label.
ReplyDeleteEasy ones to do--apples, pears, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli.
I find green beans and peas to be difficult because the "Shells" don't blend as well.
It's easy and cost effective :)
good luck!
Loved all the ideas in the book SUPER BABY FOOD! I can't remember the author- just that the book was purple. :)
ReplyDeleteMashed avocados, banana and sweet potato were big EASY first foods around here.
I did my own baby food with both my boys. I did a lot of squash and sweet potatoes. I baked them and then put them in my food processor with a little water. Then spooned them into freezer safe containers or bags labeled with the date. I also steamed peas and cauliflower and popped them into the food processor and froze them.
ReplyDeleteBe careful with carrots. There are nitrates in carrots that are removed when it's made for baby food and sold in stores. My pediatrician recommend just buying carrots in a jar.
I loved making Juliette's baby food. My sister in law gave me an immersion blender which worked so well for making baby food.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CSB-76BC-SmartStick-200-Watt-Immersion/dp/B000EGA6QI/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286902841&sr=1-1-fkmr0
I was even able to make peas and green beans with it because it pureed it so well.
Juliette loved avocado which was really easy in a pinch and super healthy for them. It is a great first food to try.
When I couldn't make my own, I usually got a jar of all natural or organic apple sauce, you get a lot more for your money buying a jar of regular applesauce than the little baby food containers. Plus Emily loved it so it never went to waste.
Definitely check out the wholesome baby food site that another commenter recommended, that was my go to place for information on making baby food.
Sorry for the really long comment, I learned so much from other bloggers to when I asked instead of googling it too, so I just wanted to share what I learned :0)
Here is my post asking for advice and there are some great ideas in the comments as well.
http://www.amommysadventures.com/2010/01/look-who-is-eating-now.html
~ Michelle
Loved/Love making my own baby food (even though now she's a toddler). I even made my own rice cereal, although she didn't eat much of rice cereal. I didn't start her on solids until she was 8 mos old so I stuck w/ mashed bananas, some rice cereal, avocados, simple smashable stuff. I also made pureed acorn squash, butternut squash, sweet potatoes and believe it or not, she loved pureed broccoli! Good luck with making your own baby food! I just have a mini food processor (and a coffee grinder works great for grinding brown rice into flour) and that has worked great.
ReplyDeleteI recommend the book "Blender Baby Food" written by a mom and a registered dietician. Whereas making baby food was the only option for me, I too was befuddled by the how's and why's. I got this book as a Christmas present when DS1 was about 4 months old. I made notes in it, wrote down what I did differently, and it introduced me to veggies and fruits that I would have never thought of for my baby to try. Some things he *loved* some things he hated. It's all trial and error. And don't believe the hype that you need all this fancy equipment and *stuff* to make your own baby food - I had my own pots and pans to cook in, a blender that I'd had for about 10 years and a good ice cube tray with a lid (check out thecontainerstore.com). That's all you really need. Good luck on your adventure! :)
ReplyDelete