Making Baby Food at Home

Go into the Baby Dept. of any store that sells the little jars of baby food and you will find a wide assortment of choices. There are the national brands that we are all familiar with, but now you can also find organic varieties on the shelves. Having the little jars of baby food in your pantry is a convenience. I like having some on hand for the nights when we are eating a meal that would not be good for an infant, Taco Soup being one example. The jars are also nice for keeping in the diaper bag or a few at Grandma's for when baby is visiting.

At home, I like to make as much of the baby food as possible. I enjoy knowing exactly what is in the foods. Homemade baby food made from the organically raised vegetables in your garden is a free food for your little one. If you are unable to raise a garden, you can still reap the benefits of homemade baby food by making careful choices in the vegetables and fruit that you purchase.

The Stage One baby foods are single ingredient, usually an easily digested vegetable or fruit that is pureed very smooth. Choose produce that is not known for food allergies or is high in a citric acid. Things like tomatoes, corn, pineapple, and oranges should be avoided in the beginning. If you are unable to grow your own vegetables, you can buy frozen vegetables to use in place of garden fresh. The frozen vegetables & fruits are the closest to fresh picked as you can find off season without having to worry about additives and preservatives.

To make the baby food, I steam the vegetables until very soft. Next, you puree them in your food processor until very smooth and no chunks remain. You can freeze the puree in ice cube trays until solid, then place the cubes into a freezer bag. One cube is equivalent to one of the small Stage One sized jars of baby food. If you have old baby food jars, you can sterilize them and freeze the baby food directly in the jars.

Stage Two baby foods have a mixture of 2 or more ingredients. By the time my little ones are ready for Stage Two foods, I am usually giving them food from the meals we are also eating. Stage Two foods are still very smooth purees. Until your little one has teeth to be able to chew with, you need to continue avoiding the chunky foods. When making baby food at the Stage Two level, I continue to choose foods that are low in citric acid and are not known for allergies. I also stay away from foods that contain high fructose corn syrup or other processed ingredients that are not healthy for little ones. You want the foods to be as close to their natural state as possible. If we are having a meat, such as chicken, having it pureed very well with a bit of chicken gravy is good. The gravy will help to keep the chicken moist and easier for the baby to swallow.

One thing to remember when making baby food from your family's dinner is to reserve out some for baby before you add the seasonings and spices. Many spices are too harsh for a young baby's system. Have fun with making the baby foods. Freeze them ahead of time and you will have a little pantry of baby food ready for weeks to come. You will have the added benefit of knowing exactly what ingredients are being used.