home made baby food?

Lesley - posted on 06/29/2009

I make Isabella's foods and have from day 1. I'm cooking for us anyway - I just put a little bit off to the side for her so that it's not seasoned. She likes beef and chicken and with just about any kind of veggie...carrots, peas, green beans, pumpkin, sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower. And loves all fruits. At night when she gets her cereal, I mix in a bit of fruit for a different taste for her. She also likes lentils and I will make a lentil stew for her once winter arrives. But she will eat them now mixed with peas or carrots. The jar food is disgusting!! It smells horrible and I figure if I won't eat it - why give it to my daughter!! Good luck and happy cooking!!! xox

Tracy - posted on 06/25/2009

I just started making my own at 8 months - I still use some jarred food, but now that we're moving past the "basics," I wanted to start making my own. I also vote for Annabel Karmel's 100 Best Baby Purees - I like that it's simple to navigate, lets you know which foods freeze well and which don't, etc.

Amy - posted on 06/25/2009

Keep it up, Lauren! I've made mostly organic food for my baby right from the beginning. I thought it was going to be alot of work, but it's really quite easy. Especially if you take a couple ours ever 2-3 weeks to make it in bulk. Now that she's almost 9 months we're going to venture into meat. But up til now she's eaten just about any veggie we've made, or fruit. She like a lentil recipe that I found in the What to Expect in the first year book and we've just started a new recipe with veggie stock, carrots, potatoes, celery, onion - super easy and really yummy! We've also mixed tofu in with her food - which she really likes. I have the Super Baby Food book, as well as 100 Top Purees - both have good info and yummy recipes. In addition to being healthier and tastier than jar food, I know we're saving money and the environment by not having all those jars around. I typically freeze the food in ice cube trays or reusable plastic containers - that we'll continue to use down the road. Good luck!

Laura - posted on 06/25/2009

Quoting Ashley:

i really like the website wholesomebabyfood.com.

This is the same sight I was going to suggest!

Nicole - posted on 06/23/2009

I love making baby food. Pureed strawberries with cottage cheese and mango with yogurt are two of phoebe's favorites. Mashed potatoes with breastmilk mixed in is another good one for us. I make a "baby" hummus too- a basic hummus without the salt. My one year old niece is addicted to it.

Becky - posted on 06/22/2009

Hi Lauren - my son has only had veggies so far, but he liked sweet potatoes, corn, and beans the best, I do use the organic container ones if we are out since those don't need refrigeration. It is really easy to do, and you can save tons of money, and it is not that time-consuming. I work FT and go to school PT, so you see, it doesn't take a lot if time at all!

Jennifer - posted on 06/22/2009

I make my son's in bulk and freeze them in ice cube trays. It's much cheaper and always there when I need it.

Kelly - posted on 06/22/2009

There are lots of good websites with recipes. I also like the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron, which I mostly use as a guide for the right age-appropriate foods and how to make food combinations with the right nutritional balance.

Rebecca - posted on 06/22/2009

my daughter loves
1)mashed bannana and strawberrys,
2) sweet potatoes with peas and swede
3)bluberrys and apple
4)carrot potatoe and leek
5) peas brocoli and cauliflower

hope something is useful

Katherine - posted on 06/22/2009

I make all my own food - we went away recently and took some premade food and he really didn't like it and was picky at eating it. I use Annabel Karmel's recipes mostly (there are some on her website if you google her) but now he's 8 months we sometimes give him what we are eating (we use no salt due to my parent's high blood pressure). Thomas really likes his apple, pear and peach with vanilla combination and also a beef stew with carrots. I'm glad to be past the reducing things to mush stage already and now we only mash things up to get him used to chewing. He doesn't mind things like garlic, onions and I use leeks and celery to add flavour also. I cook with whole milk - things like cheese sauce because it is amazing how many calories they use up. If you want some more recipes send me a message and I'm happy to share some of the ones Thomas really enjoys.
:)

Heather - posted on 06/15/2009

i make it in bulk then freeze it. i prefer this i know exactly what she is getting and i can change up the variety. breakfast i do whole organic yogurt with cottage cheese then add some pureed fruit which i varey. lunch vegetables one must be a green vegetable she loves peas and beans the most. i add pureed black and kidney beans plus a starch. i vary the vegetables and starches sometimes rices sometimes potatoes or pumpkin. vegetables will be like carrots or squash. dinner is similar to lunch i add two sets of vegetables on at least green vegetables then the meat. usually chicken or turkey pureed at least twice a week salmon or tuna. and on occasions meat but not ground beef. i just puree the steak or roast. doctors vary on what babys can have at what age but after extensive research i found out they can eat almost anything after 6 mos except of course the allergy type foods such as nuts, berries, shell fish and so on. i also use basic seasoning little to no salt, onions, and peppers for flavor if you dont like the taste neither will your baby

Rachel - posted on 06/10/2009

I make my daughters food at home and It is wonderful. Not only am I not spending more money on the jars I know exactly what ingredients are going in! It is really easy to make all her food for two weeks in one session as well. The best way to store homemade food is to freeze it in ice cube trays after preparing. Once the food is frozen pop them out of the tray and store in a freezer bag. For reheating I put 1-2 cubes in a custard cup and put that cup in about a half inch of water in a sauce pan. heat the water to boiling and it will melt the cube.

As for combos I would start out with one kind of food in a cube. Then once your son is used to the flavors move on to combining peas and carrots or sweet potatoes and carrots. I have not tried many combos yet...

Jennifer - posted on 06/09/2009

We just started making baby food yesterday actually, and he loved it!! My little guy started on the jarred foods, but about a week ago started being really fussy with his eating. A friend let me borrow a book called "First meals" by Annabel Karmel, we stocked up on groceries from our local organic grocery store, and spent all day preparing a variety of purees for our little man! The food smells so good, and tastes even better! The extra bonus was my hubby and I had a lot of fun cooking and preparing everything, and the wee man got a klick out of hanging out in the kitchen with us! We made TONS of stuff for the money we spent, and have a fully stocked freezer now of the best baby food I've ever tasted! We made homemade chicken casserole, lentil and vegetable puree, root vegetable puree (carrots, potatoes, and parsnip), sweet potato with broccolli and carrot puree, apple puree, and a combo of apples, blueberries and peaches.

Would really like to find a sugar free teething biscuit recipe if anyone has one though!!

Juthamas - posted on 05/22/2009

At his 4th month of age, i did some carrot for him. But My Dr.told me after that we should avoid to cook some vegetable like carrot, beets and spinach. So now if i want him to eat all of these food i give him a Jar food :( Otherwise, i cook some potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, broccoli , i mixed then freeze them separately. Then when i feed him i just mix some of these with a cube of chicken onion soup which i also freeze separately.
And i give him sometime some plain yogurt around tea time.

Nicola - posted on 05/19/2009

I do too, its good to know what you're actaully giving them!
I do pear and apple and blueberries
CHicken, sweet potato, pototo
Rice pasta (its rice but pasta, confusing i know) with apricot chicken (in aus you can buy already made sauce)
Pumkin and rice
oh my gosh i could go on!

Michelle - posted on 05/19/2009

we did this you can mix all kinds of things together try www.wholesomebabyfood.com
munchkin will now only eat big people food

Leonie - posted on 05/18/2009

Funny you say that - it never crossed my mind to make her food initially - then one of the girls in my Mother's group was talking about making food for her son and mentioned she only uses the jars of food in an emergency or when going somewhere... So, I bought a book and haven't looked back! (Annabel Karmel - Best baby purees)

Shannon - posted on 05/17/2009

I've been making my DD's food since she was 4 months and I agree with pp that you will save a lot of money (see http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/cost.ht...) and you always know what your DC is eating, ie no preservatives or added salt or sugar. I make all my veggies and fruits with the exception of pruines (which I buy) and I don't make my own meats.

Katie - posted on 05/17/2009

I haven't given my daughter any jars. Just started out with baby rice then pureed veg and fruit - now she is 7 months we give her pretty much what we eat just mashed/pureed down.

Kat - posted on 05/17/2009

I make my daughter all her food. I feel very comfortable in everything I give her. I have been advised that after 6 months you can give most foods that you would eat yourself (apart from the high allergenic obvious ones), they just need to be pureed or mashed for them. My daughter at 7.5 months has had almost anything you can imagine. Spaghetti bolognase, Irish stew, beef cassarole. Making your own also helps enable you to eliminate foods if you think there is something in there that they don't like. If you gave a jar of Irish stew for example & they didn't like it, it could be just one food in there that they don't like or react to. I mix apples & pears. Pumpkin goes in with a lot of the veges as it is tasty as well as nice and juicy compared to some veges. I mix fruit into yogurt or custard as well. I tend to make things that I think I would like myself. I have a Annabell Karmell cookbook which I love (it's English not American).

Lauren - posted on 05/14/2009

I make all her baby food, and it's almost all organic. She loves it and i love the piece of mind that i know exactly what she is eating... it's really really simple and there are tons of recipies...just get a good book and you'll be all set. I do recommend making alot and freezing it, i do this and itsvery convenient when you have a busy day!

Mylene - posted on 05/14/2009

I have been making my own baby food since he started solids. It is so much better to know exactly what is in the food you give your baby and yes it is much cheaper in the end.
You can give meats to a baby starting at 6 months and you can also give tofu, egg yolks you can also give cheese and yogurt but no milk to drink.

Rachel - posted on 05/14/2009

I also make my own food, and did the same for my first baby. It's really not a big deal if you have a good gadget for pureeing - I use a hand blender and it's so easy. You can steam and puree all kinds of fruits and vegetables, or grind up organic rice and use that to make your own rice cereal. And you can freeze the food in ice cube trays to use later.

Nancy - posted on 05/13/2009

I make my daughter's food. I have a recipe book called "The Baby's Table" which has awesome recipes that are easy to make. I tasted the jar food before my daughter was born and thought it tasted awful. My daughter loves her sweet potatoes, squash and green beans. She's not keen on carrots so I mix it with apple or sweet potato.

Ashley - posted on 05/13/2009

i really like the website wholesomebabyfood.com.

Hope - posted on 05/13/2009

i have and will only make my own food, you will save money, and have more control over what he will eat. the Jar food will introduce you baby to foods that are not age Appropriate for example they will have you giving your child chicken at 6 months. Children should not be exposed to chicken till 8+ months. You will do so much better making your own. There are a lot of good books out there and you can find a lot out on line. My baby favorites are anything with pears mixed in and she love avocados. Good luck with this it is much easer that most people think.