Saving Money on Baby Food

With so many families struggling just to make ends meet these days, purchasing baby food for your infant can be costly. Many parents are switching to making their own baby food to save money at the grocery store. Just how cost effective is making your own baby food and how easily can it be done? It's more simple than you would think.

The Savings

First we'll review the costs of purchasing pre-made baby food. We'll be using Gerber Baby Food, Sweet Potato 1st Stage verses one Sweet Potato for our example. To compare prices, both Target and Albertsons grocery store were used to calculate price per ounce. We are calculating per ounce for a better comparison between making your own and purchasing because part of making your own baby food involves placing the food into ice cube trays (to be explained later). The typical volume of one ice cube from most standard trays is one ounce.

At Target and Albertsons the price of Gerber Baby Food, 1st Stage comes to $0.27 cents per ounce of baby food. If a child is eating two ounces of Sweet Potatoes three times a day, the daily cost comes to$1.62 for the meals. For a months worth of meals it would cost a parent $48.60 on average.

The cost of one Sweet Potato at Target and Albertsons comes to $0.10 per ounce of baby food made. One Sweet Potato averages about 12 ounces of food made. The daily cost for home made Sweet Potatoes is $0.60. For a months worth of meals it would cost a parent $18.00 on average.

This comes to a savings of $30.60 a month!

As your child grows and begins to eat many different foods, the savings continue. Parents can combine pre-made foods together to create new and different meals and even take the meals made for the parents and puree them for their infants saving money on meals and time on preparation.

How Easy Is It To Make Baby Food?

Making baby food seems harder than it is. Only a few items are needed to make baby food for your child.

1. Container or Pot to steam vegetables and fruits

2. Food Processor or by hand food Masher

3. Ice Cube Trays (at least two)

4. Storage containers

To steam your vegetables and fruits you only really need a pot with a small amount of water in it. There are many sites online where you can find recipes for baby food and most take under 30 minutes to make. If you don't want to use a pot or the oven (certain foods can be done in the oven) you can purchase a baby food maker. Baby food makers though can be costly, but will pay for themselves within a few months.

To puree the food a food processor or baby food maker is easiest. Also things like a blender or Magic Bullet can be used as well. But if you do not have any of these available a mash potato masher and a whisk can do the job just as well.

A standard ice cube tray to create your servings is a must have. These can typically be purchased anywhere for relatively cheap. There is no need to get a fancy ice cube tray, any tray will do.

Storage containers can be anything from tupperware containers or a freezer storage baggie. No need to splurge on these items.

How do I Make Baby Food?

Using Sweet Potatoes as an example here is a quick recipe to show how easy making baby food is.

What you need:

1 Sweet Potato

Formula/Breast Milk/Water

Directions:

Cook Sweet Potato until soft. This can be done by steaming in a baby food maker, cooking in the oven (with holes poked in the potato and wrapped in foil for the oven only) for 45 to 50 minutes at 400 degrees, or cooking in the microwave for 3 to 5 minutes or until soft.

If you decide to steam your Sweet Potato make sure to peel the potato first and chop into smaller pieces.

If you use the oven or microwave after your potato is done cooking remove the skin of the potato.

Place the potato without the skin into the food processor or bowl. Add liquid (if steamed use the liquid that it was steamed with because this puts back any lost nutrients) and begin to puree the potato. Thin the puree out to the consistency which works best for your child.

Pour the mixture into the ice cube tray. To help prevent spilling you can use a tablespoon scoop it out and pour it in or pour the mixture into a liquid measuring cup and use it to pour into the tray.

Cover the trays with plastic wrap or foil and place in the refrigerator for about an hour, until cooled down. Then place in the freezer until frozen solid.

On your storage containers write the type of food, the date made, and the date it expires (30 days typically).

Take the ice cube trays out of the freezer and pop the cubes out and place in the storage containers. If the cubes aren't coming out run water over the bottom of the tray (not the top) and this will release the cubes.

Place the cubes in the container back into the freezer in the back to prevent any melting due to the door being opened.

When it's time to feed your baby take one or two cubes out of the container and place them in a microwave safe bowl and defrost the cubes (typically about 20 seconds) and then warm to your liking. If not using a microwave you can reheat it in a oven safe dish in a pot of boiling water.

Do not defrost at room temperature.

Save Money, Make Healthy Food

In the end not only will you be saving money for yourself you'll be making healthier meals for your child. You will be controlling what is going into your child's body because you will be purchasing the product yourself, not depending on an outside company to pick the best for your child.

Any family of any economic status can make their own baby food. It's easy and fun to do for the entire family. Experiment and have fun.

Always remember to follow the guidelines of your doctor for introducing new foods for your infant.

To help you in your baby food making you can purchase several cookbooks online or at your local store, or visit several sites online to help in your journey.