Homemade Baby Food

Once parents decide to begin baby food, their next step is choosing which baby food to use. What brand? Fruits, vegetables or a combination? What about organic? While pre-made options are good, homemade baby food is becoming more popular and for good reason. Making your own baby food is easier than you think.

Homemade baby food has many benefits. One of the biggest reasons parents choose to make baby food is to know the exact ingredients their child is eating. “I chose to make my own food because I wanted to know exactly what my baby was eating,” says Clarissa McGinnis, Kansas City, MO. “I didn't want all the preservatives that come with store-bought baby food. Also, I always have healthy veggies on hand, so why not?”  Other reasons for choosing to make baby food include its being more economical than prepackaged food, and parents can choose which fruits, vegetables and combinations they want, as well as whether to use organic ingredients. Finally, Baby gets used to eating the same foods the rest of the family is eating, just in puree form.

Nothing is perfect, and while making baby food has some real advantages, there are some drawbacks to homemade baby food. For many parents, time is the biggest factor. Preparing the individual servings of food takes time—picking up prepackaged items is certainly faster. Store-bought food is more convenient and doesn’t require fridge or freezer space, while the homemade version does (WebMD.com).

If you decide to make your own baby food, you’ll find it a pretty simple process. To get started, all you need is a way to cook the food, a way to grind it up and a way to store the pureed end product. Many systems are available that steam and puree in one, but investing in another piece of kitchen equipment isn’t necessary. Chances are your kitchen already contains everything you need—no purchase necessary! Steaming and baking are the most preferred cooking methods because they preserve most/all of the nutrients. Microwaving can be used for small portions, but the amount of nutrients destroyed in this prep method varies based on the fruit/vegetable you use. If you choose this route of cooking, use glass and only small amounts of food at a time.

Once the food is cooked, drain and reserve the liquid (except for carrots, because of the high nitrate level) and transfer the cooled food to a blender or food processor. Both of these appliances work well to create thin, smooth food. Blenders work well for larger portion sizes, and for small, single servings, an immersion blender will work also. For thicker, chunky food (only for babies who are older and transitioning) a potato masher works just fine (WholesomeBabyFood.com). Blend in the reserved liquid to achieve the desired consistency.

Now the time has arrived to store the food you’ve made. The amount of food is probably the largest factor in deciding how and where to store. Baby food can be stored in the fridge for up to 48 hours. All additional food should be frozen.

“I got covered ice cube trays and, about once or twice a week, I would steam and process food, put it in the ice cube trays and pop them in the freezer to make little food cubes,” says Leslie Glasco, Kansas City, MO. “Then, after they were frozen, I'd label and date big freezer Ziplock bags and put the food cubes in those, to store and use whenever I wanted. I would just need to get out a few cubes and heat those up in a pan, right before I fed my baby.”

 Other methods of freezing include using glass containers (make sure to only use glass jars made for freezing) or dropping the baby food onto wax paper in clumps, like when you make cookies, freezing them and then transferring to a Ziplock bag (WholesomeBabyFood.com).

The final step is thawing the food when you are ready to use it. Planning ahead is the easiest approach, pulling out the ice cubes or clumps the day before and letting them thaw slowly in the fridge. Because planning ahead is not always possible (or Mommy brain gets in the way), you can thaw the food in a glass bowl in the microwave, by submerging the bowl in a bigger bowl of hot water or by heating in a small pot on the stove.

Now you are ready! Have fun and experiment with different combinations that your baby is sure to love!

Jessica Heine has loved making baby food for her two older children and looks forward to the experience with baby number three in the near future.