Making Baby Food

I am interrupting the giveaways to post about Jasmine's latest milestone!
Scroll past all this if you are just here to enter the giveaway. :)

So, when I took Jasmine in for her 4 month check up, the Dr. cheerfully announced, "Time to start solids!" I said "ummm...I wanted to wait awhile longer on this one because she is my last child and honestly...I'm in no rush for her to grow up." She smiled that sweet smile that pediatricians do when you say something that they will inevitably counter so I quickly pulled out the big guns of "I read somewhere..." you know, they LOVE that. ;)
I said, "Besides I read that the AAP now recommends waiting until babies are 6 months old so they can better digest their food." Still smiling she said "well....you can do that....(and then came the BUT)....But in my experience those who wait later have a harder time getting their baby to accept new textures and tastes. After 4 months old, babies bodies are typically developed to accept first foods." That was ALL I needed to hear because we do not have picky eaters in this house! So despite my sadness in watching my newborn officially transition over to a big 'ol baby....we assembled the chair, strapped her in....and mixed a bowl of cereal that very night.

She has since had several attempted meals...and...well....she is not a big fan.
She not only pushes it all out (which is typical of babies learning to release that tongue thrust instinct) but she also fusses....the whole time.

So it was time to supplement the cereal she is so fond of...Ha!....with some flavor.

I made all of Vivi's baby food. All of it.
And loved every single moment of it!
So thankfully I have all the equipment.

Storage containers and ice cube trays.

And some small lidded containers I found at Dollar Tree! Score!!

I have cookbooks, which are great for recipes and knowing what foods to introduce at what age...this is very important to reduce intestinal issues and allergies.

And a double boiler for steaming and blender for pureeing.
There is a really cute blending contraption called the Baby Bullet. I mean this thing is adorable, people! My kid have been telling me Jasmine needs this, thanks to Qubo commercials. But at $80 plus shipping....I have decided to forgo the gimmick for a more simple, traditional method. A food processor would work just fine too!

If you do not have a double boiler, just pick up one of these inexpensive collapsible steamer baskets at any store to use with a pot and lid. Easy and less to store!

With baby produce, I choose to select only organic for those items listed on the Dirty Dozen (google it). With produce not on that list, I just use my judgement based on the current price difference between organic and non organic.

Unless of course I am going to be pureeing with skin ON, and then I will choose organic no matter what the cost. Zucchini and squash are two vegetables you can steam and puree, skin in tact. So easy!! Just wash well, dice small, and steam everything until it is mashable with a fork.

A bonus to making your own baby food is that your children will wander in with all curiosity to sample the raw fruits and vegetables. Vivi loved the raw zucchini, something she likely would have turned her nose up to had it not been for the "this is for Jasmine" statement that proceeded her bite!

Once the food is steamed to a nice soft consistency, you will want to cool them before blending. While the apples here are cooling, I whipped up some bananas with a little water for thinning. Use only very ripe (almost brown) bananas for the most nutritious form of this fruit.
Some fruits need to be slightly ripe, others very ripe.

Pour the banana puree in your containers.

Then label and date (items stay fresh for 3 months frozen).
It is important to label because you will forget what it is and you need to introduce new fruits and vegetables one at a time by themselves for 3 days to make sure your child does not have a reaction to it.

These are my favorite containers, Baby Cubes. You can pop them in your diaper bag and they are typically thawed enough by the time you get to where you are going! Just as easy as jar food!

If you are cooking yams, pumpkin, potatoes, or squash you will want to prick them and put them in the oven for an hour...then cool and puree with water as needed.

There ya have it, fresh food for your baby!
To thaw, I just leave it room temp. for an hour before mealtime, or soak in a cup of hot water. You will not want to microwave as hot spots can occur. If using ice trays to do your food, you will want to freeze in the tray until just frozen, and then transfer the cubes into labeled ziploc freezer bags to preserve their freshness and prevent freezer burn.

The latest website that I read daily is Wholesomebabyfood.com
It is an awesome resource for knowing when to start certain foods, how to prepare and store foods, and even has recipes for combining foods your baby has already tried plain. When Jasmine is around 6/7 months old I will begin to puree fresh herbs in her food so her palate will be challenged. I hope this post encourages you that you too can make your baby's food! It is really as easy as preparing a meal for your family.