You CAN Make Homemade Baby Food!

Making your own baby food isn't nearly as daunting as it may sound. In fact, making your own baby food is relatively easy, often very economical, and offers superior nutrition and flavor for your little one. While jarred food is fine, homemade baby food allows you to control the ingredients, maintain as many nutrients as possible, and seal in flavors which can sometimes be lost in the preservation process. These tips will help you get started.

First of all, you need to know what equipment is required to prepare baby food at home. You may have to make a small investment, but it is quite likely that you'll already have all the tools you need in your home. You will need some sort of processor which can be a blender, food processor, or food mill. There is no reason to purchase a special baby food grinder. You will also need ice cube trays for freezing your prepared food, plastic wrap for covering the ice cube trays in the freezer, zip-top freezer bags for storage, and of course your ingredients. That's all you need to get started!

Once you have your required hardware, you will need some "software," or ingredients. Two great options to start with are bananas and avocado. Both have a smooth consistency to start with, and they do not have to be cooked. Simply place the avocado flesh or banana into your preferred processor. Add a very small amount of sterilized water, formula, or breastmilk. Process the mixture until smooth. Next, fill an ice cube tray with the puree. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze. Once your food "cubes" are frozen completely, simply pop them out of the ice cube tray and transfer them to storage bags. Make sure your freezer bags are labeled with the contents and the date. Baby food will store well in the freezer for 3 months.

Now that you've created a simple puree, you're ready to start on cooked foods. Other great first food choices for babies 5-7 months are peas, green beans, squash (acorn or butternut), sweet potatoes, apples, pears, mango, and plums. For these fruits and vegetables, bake them until tender. Some items, such as green beans and peas will need to be baked or boiled in water. Once baked, simply complete the puree process again until a smooth consistency is reached, and freeze. Use the water you cooked in to thin the puree so that you are sure to keep in as many nutrients as possible.

To thaw your frozen creations, place one cube in a microwave safe container. Change your microwave settings to 50% power and start the cube on 20 second increments. Make sure you check the food frequently to make sure it does not get too hot. Always test a food's temperature before feeding it to your baby. Be sure to stir the food thoroughly to distribute the heat as well. Never thaw anything on the counter.

Making your own baby food certainly offers superior nutrition to canned baby food. Research shows that frozen fruits and vegetables maintain more vital nutrients than canned. Also, by making your own foods, you can try fruits and vegetables which simply aren't available as a commercial baby food, such as avocados, which contain heart healthy fats and mango, which offers a unique tropical taste for baby.

Economically speaking, homemade baby food also makes perfect sense. This is particularly true if you are preparing food where fresh produce is readily available, or if you're preparing food when particular fruits and vegetables are in season. Some foods, such as sweet potatoes, will keep for months uncooked. Produce bought locally, rather than imported, generally has fewer pesticides added to it as well. If you are interested in feeding your baby organic foods, you also have that option if you prepare the foods at home.

Commercial baby food is not all bad by any means. If you're going out for dinner, it is certainly easier to tote along a jar of baby food than to bring along a frozen cube which needs to be heated. There are still nutrients found in jarred foods as well. Homemade baby food just offers more benefits both nutritionally and financially, and is not nearly as time consuming to make as you might think.

So gather up your equipment, purchase some fruits and vegetables, and get started! Your baby will be eating great tonight!