A common new trend in the parenting world is making your own baby food. It ensures that you know exactly what is being put into your kiddos mouth and it saves money! Making your own food is surprisingly simple and it can store for long periods of time really well.
Step 1: Purchase fruits and veggies from your store of choice. To ensure even healthier foods, look for organic foods.
Step 2: Most fruits or veggies can be baked, boiled or steamed to make them easy to mash. When using a fruit or vegetable with a skin, make sure the skin is removed as it might be harder to digest for baby. There isn’t really a set time frame the items need to be cooked for, just so long as they are soft.
Step 3: Once your fruit and veggies are cooked, either hand mash them or get a food processor to mash the food to a smooth consistency. If the mashed up fruit is too thick, add a splash of water or fruit juice and continue to beat until smooth. For younger babies, make sure it is extremely smooth. Older babies can handle a chunkier texture better.
Step 4: Once your baby food is the right consistency, you’ll need to store it, unless you’ve just made enough for that meal. I have found the easiest way to store it is to put your mixed food into ice cube trays. When the cubes are frozen, you can take them out of the ice cube tray and put them in labeled baggies with the date. You can also buy specific food storage freezer trays on many baby sites or in stores.
When you’re ready to use the baby food, select a few cubes from the freezer and let them thaw. I did this several times for my son and it was great! It was super easy and fun and I always had cheap baby food on hand when I needed it. For recommendations of when to start baby food with your little one make sure to consult your pediatrician.. or your mom gut 🙂 Have fun as your baby grows mixing new flavors together. Some of my son’s personal favorites were banana’s and blueberry or peaches and strawberries!
