With my first son, I never bothered much making his food. Between balancing going back to work and his multiple food allergies it was just easier to buy the pre-made baby food. This time around I decided to give baby food making a try, and I’m sure glad I did. It’s less expensive, and I have total control over what goes into the food.
Here are a few tips I’ve learned this time around:
Tip 1: Start with what you have. I started with apples because everyone in my house loves apples, so we always have them on hand. Since I wasn’t sure how my son would like it, I started with making only 2 apples. Luckily he loved it, and I kept going.
Tip 2: Don’t be afraid to try things you don’t like to eat to expand your child’s pallet. For example, I’m not a huge fan of pears, and I actually dislike avocado. My little guy enjoys both.
Tip 3: Once you know what your baby likes, make a big batch and store it in the freezer or in a mason jar in the fridge. I am a huge fan of mason jars, so any time I can find a new use for them, I feel accomplished. Every other Sunday or so, I spend the first half of my morning prepping my baby food.
Tip 4: You don’t need a special baby food maker. Any type of blender will do. I like using a little blender. Blending in smaller batches helps me keep the consistency the way I like it.
Tip 5: Not all foods need to be cooked. Think avocados and bananas. Bananas are another fruit we all like, but once they get past bright yellow, no one but the baby likes to eat them. Luckily they mix well with the avocados or cereal. Also, I like using this to serve the fruits all raw too, if soft enough.
Tip 6: Know when to stop…for example, I have made apples, avocados, bananas, carrots, green beans, pears, and sweet potatoes, but when I wanted to introduce prunes, I just bought them pre-made. I am going to try to make turkey…one of the foods I did try to make for my first son. Hopefully this time it goes better.
Here are some links to the recipes I found on Pinterest to help me start out:
Stage 1 Foods in Your Home Blender
Do/did you make your baby’s food? Any recipes you’d like to share?
