I am no gourmet chef, and I like to think about eating all home cooked meals, but in reality I enjoy fast food almost everyday and regularly cave in to my husband’s pleas of pizza for dinner. This is not a lifestyle I want for my child. I would like him to grow up eating fresh, healthy foods cooked free of preservatives and fillers. Well, at least for as long as possible. I know he is his father’s son, and one day soon I will arrive home from the farmer’s market to see them enjoying pizza rolls while watching ESPN.
While I was pregnant I decided I would make my own baby food. This seemed to startle most of my friends and family. I think most of them thought it sounded good, but how long could it work/be convenient/not annoy me. I don’t have a big issue with Gerber or BeechNut, but I think its funny that I can buy a jar of baby beets, but have never known anyone to actually cook and eat them.
A little about my background. I am a developmental specialist who works with infants and toddlers who are developmentally delayed/different from their peers. I see a lot of kids who have a lot of trouble eating foods or transitioning to table foods. I work with both dietitians and feeding therapists and know the strategies they recommend. Homemade baby food allows you to control the texture for your baby’s needs. This combined with my desire for my child to enjoy food with minimal processing led me to my plan.
First I did some online research, bought some equipment, and looked at a few cookbooks. It turns out to be way easier than I expected! All you do it this:
1. Select food to introduce – I started with apples and squash because it was the on sale that day.
2. Wash and chop food to desired size.
3. Place into pan with 1 inch of water-I use a steamer basket- and cover and steam for 10 minutes or so, just until food is soft.
4. Let cool and then put into food processor or blender and puree to desired consistency.
5. Pour into container for storage. I usually pour some into freezer trays and some into bowl for the fridge to use over the next day or so.
6. Feed to your kid.
This whole process takes 30 minutes or so, including feeding. Not a big deal. I usually cook 2 times a week. When you use the freezer cube things you can pop them out (after frozen obviously) and store in a freezer bag. This will last another 7 feedings. I just pull one out from freezer bag and defrost (usually in microwave) and add water, formula or rice cereal to thin or thicken to desired consistancy. It’s kind of fun, and I have been experimenting here and there and learning from my mistakes. It’s also super cheap. I am not necessarily doing it to save money- but when the sweet potatoes I bought for $3 makes 30 oz of baby food it’s pretty exciting.
Try it, you might impress yourself! Or better yet-other people!
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