I kind of can't believe we haven't covered this already. This seems like it should be Mama Monday 101...right up there with cloth diapering since I get a ton of emails about both. I'll proceed with the typical list in a minute but first let me tell you why I make my own baby food. I don't want anyone to think that I'm some sort of foodie snob who thinks my kids are too good for jarred food. Not at all. Like a lot of the things I do for my kids it's something that my mom did for us growing up so it seemed natural. And then when I lived in Colorado all of the other moms in my playgroup were into it so it was something we did together. That was fun. Then after getting into the routine of it it just seemed easy and normal. Plus it tastes waaaaay better. I like that I know exactly what is going into my babies' mouths and where it came from. And while I don't eat nearly as local and organic as I should I am pretty concious of "whole" foods and the idea that the closer food is to it's original state the better it is for us.
So. Here we go.
1. If you're thinking of starting to make your own baby food check out a good book or find a website to use as a resource. Many people recommended Super Baby Food to me when I started but I found that the book wasn't well organized and the schedule for introduction of new foods was drastically different from what most pediatricians recommend. A basic oldy-but-goody is Feed Me I'm Yours. It's what my mom used 25+ years ago (yes, I'm still in denial about being in my late 20's) and I thought it gave a very good, basic overview on the whole process. As far as websites go I really like wholesomebabyfood.com and, in particular, their detailed schedule for different ages.
2. The process pretty much goes like this: clean, cook, puree, pour into ice trays, freeze, pop out, store in labeled freezer bags. It really is easy - especially if you already have the tools you'll need. I had a small (and LOUD) food processor when I was making food for Sarah and I've since upgraded to a nicer 14 cup cuisinart that makes my job sooooo much easier. They sell little baby food processors too but unless you only plan to make things in 1-2 meal size batches I would just get a larger one and use the freeze method.
3. When you're cooking fruits, veggies, or whatever, try to use whatever method retains as much of the nutrients as possible. The less water and heat you use the more vitamins and nutrients you'll retain. So I prefer to steam or roast my food before pureeing. If you do need to boil large batches of, say, apples then reserve the cooking liquid and use it to thin the puree if needed.
4. Once you've made a whole mess of food (a very exact Southern term, thank you.) you'll have plenty of options for your little one when it comes to serving up the good stuff. In the beginning 1-2 cubes will be enough for a meal but as your baby grows 3-4 will probably be more the norm. Ephraim is 8 months old and for lunch today he had 2 cubes of broccoli/cauliflower puree and 1 cube of butternut squash mixed with some rice cereal AND a quarter of a grilled cheese sandwich pulled into small pieces. The boy can eat.
5. Believe it or not you can actually make your own baby cereals as well. I did it with Sarah but it hasn't worked out with Ephraim. With Sarah I had a blender which I used to grind the dried rice into a find powder before cooking it. I don't have a blender anymore and the food processor I have just doesn't get the rice fine enough. One word about this though: If you're still nursing then you may want to forego making your own cereal and just stick with the kind off the shelf because it's iron fortified. Baby cereals are a good way to get in the iron that your body may not still be passing onto your baby. Either that or iron supplements and I hear those can be a struggle. Talk with your pediatrician if you need more info. Okay, back to making cereal. To make rice cereal just grind the dried rice about a cup at a time in a blender until it's a fine powder. Now you can store that powder in the fridge indefinitely and use as needed. To cook it bring about a cup of water to a boil and then add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of the rice flour. Bring it down to a simmer and let it simmer covered or uncovered for several minutes. Once it thickens it's ready. Sorry for the lack of exactitude...it's been a while. I would usually make enough cereal for about 4 or 5 meals and divide them up in little containers in the fridge. Then I could grab one when I needed it and mix in whatever defrosted cubes I wanted to serve that day. The same process goes for oatmeal too but I usually just cooked that in the microwave one meal at a time.
6. Don't be afraid to mix things together either as you're cooking or once you're defrosting. Just be sure that your baby has had at least one or both of the foods you're mixing previously to avoid confusion over an allergy. There are many books and sites with baby food "recipes" but I tend to just put things together that I think would taste good.
7. With Sarah I pretty much stuck to a simple, strict schedule of food introduction and fairly bland diet. With Ephraim I've been much more lax and willing to just puree things that we're already eating. For example, when I roasted some sweet potatoes and pears (seasoned with ginger, cinnamon, etc.) I just pureed the leftovers and gave them to him. I don't think I ever would have done that with Sarah but he gobbled them down!
I'm not sure what else to add but if you have a question, ask! And don't forget to either blog about your own experience or leave info in the comments section for others to read. I know there's a wealth of info out there about this!
Buddy Posters:
Marilee at Mishpacha
Heather at the SarahBear (a very good sport!)
Heather at TigerTales
20 comments:
great timing erin! I am just starting to make teagan's baby food. It's been a looooong time! I made Ty's but that was 11 years ago. I couldn't make taryn's because we didn't have a kitchen thanks to the hurricane at this age. I am totally looking forward to it this go around. thanks for the info!
oh yay Lindsay...I'm glad it will be helpful!
I'm making my own baby food using the Super Baby Food book as a guide. I've found that the freezing method is awesome. In a few hours on a Saturday morning, I can make enough food to last Ava a month. Also, for making the cereal ahead of time, I bought those Gerber bowls with lids. They're cheap and hold just the right amount of cereal. Ava isn't patient enough for me to take 10 minutes to make her cereal on the stove, so I only do it every four days or so. Works like a charm!
I am so excited about this post! It's perfect timing for me! Maggie is 6 months now! I still haven't introduced foods yet to her... It's hard! She'd my last! But, I know it's time... she's watching us eat all but licking her lips! Following the forks as they go into our mouths... it's so sad! I know she's gonna love trying all her new home made baby food!
Okay, as much as I would love to take credit for this little tip, I can't. My husband thought of this when I was making baby food for my first. When gong to fill the Ice cube trays, use a turkey baster. You just stick it in the puree and squeeze to fill it, then squeeze it into the tray. It was so much less messy than trying to pour or spoon it in. I was very happy he thought of it.
Erin-I love this topic. I'm hoping to blog about it tonight. I'll let you know when it's done. (It maybe a late night monday mama!!!:))
wow... i never thought about making my own rice cereal!
buddy poster @ mishpacha!
You can always watch "Baby Boom" for inspiration!
Pathetic buddy post :)
www.thesarahbear.blogspot.com
wow! This is so helpful. We're going to starting Darin on rice cereal here shortly, and slowly I'll be making baby foods for him. I never knew about making cereal!!! I'm gonna have to try it! Thanks!
I tried the rice in the blender and it just didn't work for me. I would think maybe a spice (coffee) grinder would work like a charm, though.
Erin, we've buddy posted on one of my favorite mama topics :)
bhamtigertales.blogspot.com
I read your blog all the time and love it. I have never posted a comment though. I found your blog through Amy. This was a great topic. As a working mom, I have tried to stay away from the jarred foods when possible. My first child ate lots of fresh foods, but had a fair amount of jarred foods. I totally echo your thoughts and actions on the second one. I have been less strict about introducing foods, but I have also made a lot more of her foods. Now, she doesn't like jarred foods at 9 months! Other easy foods that require no prep - "peel" and mash - are avacados and bananas. A mini-avacado masher is a great tool with a baby.
Terrific Mama Monday topic! To this day it is one of the most satisfying things I have done for Luke, Jack and Zoe. So many think it takes too much time, but the fact it can be done in batches makes it very "doable"! Wish we didn't have family in visiting, I would do a buddy post! For all of you trying to decide if you should do this or not, give it a try! To this day, I believe it is why my kiddos are such good, healthy, Non-picky eaters!
Oooh, a Mama Monday that I can comment on! Some random thoughts on my experience...
1. It really is easy. And I'm all about easy.
2. wholesomebabyfood.com was my bible and they've got great instructions.
3. I have a Cuisinart Duet and did all my processing in the blender.
4. I work full time and my daughter goes to day care. My day care was great about me bringing in her cubes. A couple of other moms made their own food too. If your baby goes to day care, you can still do homemade food.
5. I know I was lucky to get a nonpicky eater, but also think that eating "real" food contributes to her willingness to try food. Here's a funny conversation:
My mom: I can't believe she's eating a cucumber slice and liking it so much at such a young age.
Me: It's just because it was covered in guacamole a second ago.
My mom: Okay, I can't believe she likes guacamole.
6. I like to take Shannon to the produce market to pick out the foods she eats. Started doing this when I was "making" her fruits and veggies.
7. Heidi, love the turkey baster tip! Will totally have to remember to do that the next time around!
I'm incredibly excited about this post. I've been wanting to do this for a while now!!! Thanks so much!
I left a little comment on The Whole Mishpacha...I won't retype it here, but there is a "plop" method for freezing that I found handy mentioned there.
Too bad our kids are out of this stage...great post!
Ooh, I'm sooo using the turkey baster.
Most of what I do for my daughter has been mentioned here, but a few more thoughts:
1). I use a hand blender/stick blender for most of my foods. It's the easiest to clean. Sometimes it's harder to use and deal with than a blender/food processor, but the easy cleanup makes it SO worth it to me.
2). I'm one of those weird people that don't have a microwave. :) To re-heat the food, I put a few cubes in the smallest pot I own and turn on the stove. I heat it up until the cubes of food are MOSTLY melted, but not completely. Then I put the food in a bowl, stir, and the remaining frozen parts cool down the rest of the food nicely.
3). Don't be a afraid of letting your child self-feed. It's a HUGE mess and I've actually put a hat on Addie during breakfast if I know that we're going somewhere important later that day. I just feel it's super important to let them explore their food and experience it for themselves. Sure, it's harder to deal with, but it makes for a lot of fun photo ops, too :)
4). Addie never loved purees. In fact, she's a solid solid-food fan, so even though she's just barely 9 months, she only gets puree for breakfast (usually a cube of a fruit like pear, a cube of prunes (she's prone to constipation) and a cube or two of a "veggie" mix of squash, sweet potato and kale) so I can get her iron-fortified grains in and her probiotic (again...the constipation).
Her other two "meals" (lunch is really more of a snack) are solid foods and I trrrrry to balance them as much as I can but find that challenging as she's still in the "try each food separately stage" so while she's had a lot since she turned 6 months, I feel like I repeat ALL the time.
A book that is great for helping figure out how to incorporate the foods you eat to the foods you feed your child is called "Feeding the Whole Family" by Cynthia Lair. It gives a recipe for the whole family and then will say "for 6 months+ use the beans/sweet potatoes/fill in blank and puree for child" for example.
5). I know this post is about making baby food, but I just found the coolest product this week for finger food feeders. It's a mat you can take to a restaurant and your kid can eat off of it instead of the table:
http://www.kiddopotamus.com/p_tiny.php
We don't eat out often, but it's also nice to have to bring to other people's houses if you're eating meals there. I'm not a huge germophobe--I actually think this is just as helpful for keeping the mess contained as keeping the kid from eating off the germs or chemicals they clean the tables with!
Thanks Erin, for another great mama monday!
Wow. So many great ideas here that I'm going to try out now! Thanks you guys!
I'm way behind so nobody is probably reading comments on this one anymore, but the only thing I have to add is the book I used—it's a great one: Mommy Made and Daddy Too by Martha and David Kimmel. It has a great food introduction schedule which I really needed (not knowing much about babies 6 years ago!) and great recipes for toddlers/things adults will eat too. One of my favorites was for avocado ice cream, which sounds weird, but is pretty awesome. : )
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