Make Your Own Baby

Easy Ways to Make Your Own Baby Food

The top three reasons to make your own baby food (other than not having to run out to the store again!) are:

Also, many of the foods available on the baby food aisle (e.g. applesauce) are exactly the same as those sold on the canned food aisle, but can be twice the price.

2. It is healthier for your baby
Although it is very surprising, some of the most trusted brands of baby food are not as healthy as we would expect them to be. 3. It takes less of a toll on the environment
For every bottle, jar or package of prepared baby food that you buy, you are adding to the Earth's trash burden. Giving up disposable diapers can be difficult, but switching to homemade baby food is an easy way to be green.

Whatever your reasons for making your own baby food, it is really easy! In fact, I never even considered buying prepared foods because it just seemed easier to take things that I already had in my freezer, refrigerator and pantry, and convert them into yummy and good-for-you foods that my baby devoured.

Here are three simple (and I mean really, really simple!) baby food recipes. 1. Smashed peas
Step 1: Take a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer
Step 2: Measure out about 1 cup into a microwaveable bowl
Step 3: Place the bowl in the microwave and cook until defrosted
Step 4: Place the defrosted peas in your blender, add a little bit of water, and blend
Step 5: Feed the peas to your baby; store the extra in the refrigerator or freeze for later

3. Yummy Yams
Step 1: Clean one yam or sweet potato thoroughly and put it in the microwave to cook
Step 2: Once fully cooked, smash the yam with a fork or put it in the blender
Step 3: Feed the yam to your baby; store the extra in the refrigerator or freeze for later

Most of the baby's diet will consist of milk for weeks yet. Starting a baby on solids and making your own baby food is a very serious matter, so choosing first foods is more a matter of avoiding the few types that are particularly likely to cause allergic reactions than selecting those that will be particularly good for him. When making your own baby food and starting a baby on solids should make you realize that some foods are especially liable to provoke allergic reactions in young babies and should therefore be avoided altogether until at least six months and then introduced in tiny quantities and one at the time: wheat cereals and wheat flour (including bread); eggs (yolk as well as white); citrus fruits (including orange juice marketed for babies); nuts and peanut butter (even the smooth kind).

Rice or cornmeal cereals are the traditional first choices when making your own baby food. Those little containers of baby food sure are expensive once you start totaling up how much you use in a day. And now you are probably wondering how you could possibly save money on baby food (besides those $.25 coupons). Well, you can't save money on those little containers, but you can on baby food itself. How? Let me tell you how easy it can be to make your own baby food. Yes, it takes a bit of time, but knowing that you're giving your baby the best food for him (uh huh, better than the baby food you buy in the store) and saving some money at the same time it is all worth it! Canned foods usually have too much sodium or preservatives in them. Besides bananas and melons, most foods need to be cooked or steamed first. Steaming is the best choice for preparing your baby food. When they've been pureed, you will either use fresh water or the water left over from being steamed to mix with the pureed food to make it thinner for the baby to eat. Try making some baby food yourself.