Simple Homemade Baby Food

Homemade baby food does not have to be complicated to be easy and affordable. When I first heard of the idea, I was intimidated. I thought there was no way I could make my own baby food in the midst of a colicky baby and an older daughter also demanding my attention, not to mention the housework and somehow carving off couple time. I'm here to tell you that if I can do it, anybody can! You're not a gourmet chef? That's okay! Sometimes it is just more convenient to have some store bought baby food ready to go in the cabinet. However, when you are looking into saving some money (baby food costs can pile up quickly!), try your hand at making your own.

To ease your way into home baby food making, start with the easiest and tastiest of all homemade baby food -- bananas. That's right, you can buy a whole pound of bananas for less than the cost of one jar of baby food bananas. Simply mash up ripe bananas with a fork or food processor, and presto, baby-ready bananas! (Note: for all these homemade baby foods you can add a little breastmilk or formula to thin it out if desired.) The nice thing about bananas is they are easily mashed and don't require cooking. Ripe avocado is also another good choice that does not need cooking for starting homemade baby food. Simply mash and serve.

Now that you have prepared two kinds of homemade baby food (bananas and avocados), let's discuss the next level of homemade baby food -- cooked food. Oatmeal comes to mind as an easy one and a big money saver. A whole carton of oatmeal is less that $2; compare that to one jar of baby oatmeal for 75 cents! Follow the directions on the package and simply reduce the amount for 1 serving by a half or a quarter. If you still end up with too much, you can refrigerate the leftovers for the next morning! Add some cinnamon and applesauce to the oatmeal if you like, but remember do not serve honey to an infant less than one year old. Again, thin with breastmilk or formula as needed. And speaking of applesauce, save money by buying applesauce in the big normal jars instead of baby food packaged applesauce. It's the same thing, and a whole heck of a lot cheaper!

Now, let's talk vegetables. Thoroughly cook all your vegetables first before pureeing or finely chopping and serving to your baby. Peas are easy because they are the perfect size for independent babies to pick up and are nice and mushy. And a regular can of peas will be larger and cheaper than a baby food jar of peas. (Fresh or frozen vegetables are best if you can get them, but you will have to weigh the cost/benefit.) Next come mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, creamed cauliflower, and carrots. There are many more vegetables of course, but these are easy starters. The possibilities are only limited by your time and effort.

Meats are more difficult, so I'm not really addressing them here. I usually bought them packaged in baby food jars just to be safe, or I would get the canned chicken breast found by the tuna, warm it, and cut it up into tiny pieces. Again, the non-baby food packages are usually cheaper.

I also learned not to be afraid to feed my baby "table food" as soon as he seems interested. As long as it's mushed up or cut up enough (depending on the baby's age), let him eat it! Rice, yogurt, scrambled eggs (or egg whites if you are worried about allergies), mandarin oranges, cheerios, soup, pasta, crackers, bread, etc. are all good starter foods for the older infant. Let your baby eat what you're eating as soon as feasible and safe for him to do so!

Also, if you have leftovers or have made a large batch of food for your baby, you can freeze it in ice cube trays for easy one ounce servings. Thaw overnight, under hot water, or in the microwave. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the extra for 3-4 days in airtight containers. Just be careful in reheating to make sure it is not too hot for your baby.

I hope this has given you some ideas of baby foods you can prepare yourself at home to save you money. While I did not make from scratch all my baby's food, I felt good about being able to feed my baby a lot of foods I prepared myself. It was nice to know I did not have to be wholly dependent on the baby food manufacturers. So, please do not feel required to buy pre-packaged baby food. Food is food, and as long as it's cooked, mashed, and/or thinned to a baby-ready consistency, you do not have to sell your soul or dish out your life savings to the baby food companies. When you approach that baby jar, think to yourself, is there a non-baby food equivalent (e.g., applesauce is a good example)? If so, then you will almost always save money buying the regular version.

There's nothing wrong with baby food that comes in small jars, but why spend the money if you don't have to?