Making Your Own Baby Food is Simple

When I found out that I was pregnant with triplets one of the first things I thought about was feeding my babies. It was a no brainer that for the first few months they would be breast and bottle feeding. What would I do after that though? Buying baby food could be costly especially for three babies. So I decided that I should make my own baby food. Of course some people thought I was crazy and taking on a huge undertaking. To me it seemed simple and easy. Once I got the idea I just went hog wild with it.

Making baby food was simple once I had the right tools. All you need is a food processor and several ice trays. Oh and of course the food.

I would go to the store once a week for fresh produce and I would make my food either once a week or every other week. It truly was simple. I had six ice trays so that was enough for six different foods. I would choose six different types of foods for example; potatoes, yams, apples, pears, peas and carrots. I would cook the foods when necessary and then puree them in a food processor. I would let the food cool a bit and then fill up an ice tray with the food and stick them in the freezer.

When it was time for a meal I would take out 1 cube of three or four foods for each child. I could take them out a little before meal time and either let them thaw naturally or set them in a dish and place that dish in hot water. I could also microwave them if I needed to but only for a few seconds. This enabled me to give my kids several different types of food for each meal without wasting food. The ice cube sized foods were enough for a meal.

The steps for making baby food are quite simple;

1. Find Fruit or Vegetable – Some good foods to use are apples, pears, yams, peas, carrots, potatoes and squash to name a few. If you are using bananas just mush them up there is no need to freeze.

2. Cook Fruit or Vegetable – Each fruit and vegetable is cooked differently so find the best way to cook them. Try not to overcook them so that they keep their nutrients. If you are cooking carrots scrape them first and then boil them. If you are cooking potatoes or yams you can bake them in their skins and then peel them when they are done cooking.

3. Puree Fruit or Vegetable – Once the fruit or vegetable is cooked you can put it in the Cuisinart or food processor and puree the foods so that it is a smooth consistency. Some food processors can handle the foods whole or you can simple cut them up before you put them in which helps to puree them quicker.

4. Put Fruit or Vegetable in Ice Tray – Once you have the fruit or vegetable the right consistency then you can dish it into the ice trays. Try to keep the same food in the same ice tray so that you know which is which. I would cover the trays in plastic wrap and write the food type and date on the plastic wrap using a Sharpie. This is helpful if you find that your child does not like a certain food or if you find that you child is allergic to a type of food you will know right away which foods you used.

5. Take out Fruit or Vegetable Cube for Meal – Once you are ready to feed your baby or babies. Pop out the cubes you want to use to feed your child. I would usually do one fruit and two veggies to start with and I would try and have different selections at each meal. You can either heat the meal in the microwave or set the food in a dish that can be set in another dish of hot water. Just make sure that the food is not too hot.

Making baby food is very easy to do. Making baby food might take some time but once you get used to it, it becomes a breeze. I found that making baby food was very cost effective and it gave me more choices and less waste of food. The ice cube portions were just enough for my little babies and when they grew and needed more food I would simply add another cube of food to their meal.