Any tips on making homemade baby food?

Question

My son is just starting on solids and I really want to make his food. Problem is, I'm lost on where to start.

Ok I've got the blender part down. I'm really hoping that people who have done this before will answer and just tell me what they did so I can get an idea.

Answer 1

It's really not too difficult to do. Maybe a little overwhelming at first. I have twins and I did it. A great website to get you started and give you recipes is www.wholesomebabyfood.com Good luck!

Answer 2

There was a glass in the baby food jars scare when my daughter was ready for solids. I started out boiling fruit and then running it through the blender but real soon I was taking what we were having for dinner the veggies and starch (meat too later on) and put it in the blender until it was mush enough for her to eat and I fed her that. Worked just fine and saves some money cause the baby eats what you eat. They can you know.

Answer 3

i've made all my own baby food starting when my kids were 4 months old.
i think a blender works better in the beginning on getting a really smooth puree. later when chunkier foods are wanted then i think a food processor works better.
Buy foods that are simple and easy to work with to begin.
things like green beans, carrotts, pees ect... fresh or frozen are fine
then you cook them like you normally would, i suggest using less water than recommended that way you don't loose a lot of nurtrients.
then you drain (save water) put into blender and hit puree, you might have to add more of the water to get the right consistency you want.
you can do the same thing with fruits, apples and pears need to be peeled first and then cooked.

I found it easier the first few months to make a whole months worth, or at least 2 weeks worth. put it into ice cube trays freeze them andd then put in freezer bags to take out when i needed them.
www.wholesomebabyfood.com has some great recipes and tips to try if you get stuck.
just remember, have fun and be creative.
after he has tried all the veggies and fruits you can start mixing them and that gets fun to come up with new ideas.

Answer 4

BABY BROCCOLI
1/2 fresh head of broccoli teaspoon milk
-chop broccoli into little florets.
steam florets as if you would a regular dinner.
put broccoli into food processor or blender. Add milk.
Blend until smooth; or if baby has teeth, blend until
large pieces are well chopped.
-Feed right a way and put left overs in small containers. freeze. will keep for up to a week.
BABY PEACHES-(I like canned because it was faster) you could use fresh. just peal and chop first.
1 can sliced peaches. 1 teaspoon cream
-Drain peaches and rinse.
drop peaches into blender or food processor.
will blending add, cream. this will thicken the fruit.
once again, feed right a way, and freeze the rest.
I did this all the time when my kids were infants. It's healthier and saves money. You can use this method with all sorts of foods. Most anything you eat your baby can eat too.

Answer 5

I have raised 5 children with the Happy Baby food grinder. It is simple, manual and easy to take anywhere with me! It does not use electricity and can be used at a restaurant as well as easily at home. I would grind up either fresh fruit or Rice Krispies (rice cereal) or whatever was for dinner for the rest of the family. It can be thinned down with formula easily added to the serving bowl that is part of the grinder. Buying baby food is so very expensive and with the grinder the baby actually gets better nutrition. Try it and just see how much water must be added to any ground item to make it as thin as jarred baby food!

Answer 6

our family recipe consists of just putting a pot on the stove, we boil water and add items that might start looking like a soup. it consists of carrots, potatoes and maybe chicken breast and let it all cook, when it cooks just drain it and just mash it or put it through the blender (since we all know you got the blender down, LOL). Add a pinch of salt and maybe give or take some water to make it a little softer. Good thing is you can add whatever you want.

Answer 7

Well, start at your fresh veggies in your local grocery. You would do well to eat them yourself rather than the canned stuff. Cook them (thoroughly) without added salt or seasoning,.. they already have enough for him. Do the blender puree trick for junior and eat the rest yourself, adding seasoning to your taste. You might be surprised at how good they taste without much "additives". Same goes for fresh fruits. Cook the fruit (even bananas) first. You can make a pie or cobbler with what you don't puree for him. As for cereals, I would stick for right now with old Granny "G". Even "big people" cream of wheat is a little heavy for the newly weaned,... causes lots of burping and much of it will be on you. For the aminos,..lightly boiled and pulverized egg yolks, mixed with a little milk, can be a great new food. Boiled chicken, puried, with the fat broth pressed out is tops. Save and stock up on small jars so you can make batches of home-made baby food and save them in the fridge. (Don't forget to warm juniors meal a little). The older he gets, the more solids he can handle, so just gradually introduce them. He will be the best judge. "Not ready for prime time" foods will wind up thrown on the floor, or walls, or in your face...(lol).

Answer 8

Rule of thumb is that baby doesn't need seasoning. No salt, garlic, etc.

A favorite for my daughter was squash. Just bake in the oven, scoop out, and use a food mill (or blender/food processor). If it needed to be thinned a bit, we used apple juice. I always had a couple extra ice cube trays ready to fill and cover with plastic wrap, and pop in the freezer. After the food was frozen, you can store them in freezer bags. (I loved using the ice cube trays b/c they are portioned in 1oz.)

One of my favorite sources for recipes and tips is "Feed Me, I'm Yours!" by Vicki Lansky.

Keep it simple. Start with sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, potatoes, etc. (You may need to add some formula/breast milk to the potatoes to thin it out when you feed baby.)

Making your own baby food is incredibly satisfying and a great way to know exactly what your baby is eating. It is also a great way to save money. Congrats on your decision!!

Answer 9

Introduce one food at a time. If its vegetables cook or steam them until soft then blend it until smooth. Put the food into ice cube trays and into the freezer. Once they are frozen put the food cubes in a freezer bag. Remember to mark the content on the bag. The night before feeding take one cube and let it thaw out in the refrigerator. In the morning warm it up and its ready to serve! You can add rice cereal, breast milk or formula if you want. I found this book to be most helpful.
"The Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron

Answer 10

first foods are best kept as easily digested foods that don't have many allergic reactions IE: start with brown rice well cooked, add lots of water and then blend well till quite runny, as baby gets older you can give more texture and make foods less runny. next if that goes well, when babies digestive system is used to this try introducing pear or apple ( i prefer pear, apple tends to give little stomachs wind in most cases) cut into small pieces (make sure you have peeled the skin so there is nothing baby can choke on) add a little boiled water and then microwave or stove top cook till very soft, again blend with extra water, give alone at first to see if any reactions then add to the rice next feed.
i kept all my baby food in a clean ice tray inside the freezer and just made up different foods weekly.
after pear and rice etc start introducing things like well cooked/skinned/blended: sweet potato, carrots, potato,polenta squares ( once baby wants to hold things), mushed up bananas, avocado,etc, etc.
just don't give baby any egg, sugar,honey, or high allergy foods(like-peanut products,strawberries,etc) till 1 yr old.

Answer 11

I raised both of mine on homemade baby food and they are healthy and love fruits and veggies. I bought the book "First Meals" by Annabel Karmel and loved it! Also check out this other site. I used to go to once in a while if i was looking for something specific. The links are below. Good luck.