Do You Make Your Own Baby Food?

I made food for the first baby. There are a couple of receipe books available. It is pretty easy, just boil whatever food you are making. Use bottle or filtered water. Only use enough water to cover the food. Boil until soft and put it in a food processor to make soft. Don't throw out the water some of the nutrients from the food go into the water. The water will help make it smooth, if it's not smooth enough add more water. Use an ice tray to freeze that way you have single serve portions ready to go.

I have loved the "Petit Appetit" cookbook book by Lisa Barnes (www.smartfoodshealthykids.com/index.php?option=com_conten.... It goes from infancy to toddlers and the receipes are easy, quick and honestly quite delicious!

My little guy is refusing the bottle so I can't help with how much he should be eating. The Dr. will know, (s)he'll tell you if you should or should not be concerned.

Good luck and Bon Appetit!

I didn't read the other responses that you have received so far but my daughter only ever took 4 oz bottles until she was almost a year old. Some babies just don't ever drink more than that. I wouldn't worry about it.

The best book I've seen out there is "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. She gives so much wonderful information, it's almost too much! Good luck and good for you for undertaking this! It is so worth it!

Another book I'd like to recommend for your child's overall health, is an older one, but is still so relevant today. It's called "Superimmunity For Kids" by Leo Galland, MD. It might be out of print, but so worth searching for. Publisher is Dell Publishing. ISBN: 0-440-50679-4. This talks about how to give your child the proper nutrition at all stages of life so their immune systems function as they should.

I have been making all of my 7 month old sons food and have come up with some variations he seems to love.
1) Canned peaches (rinse off the heavy syrup) mixed in the Cuisinart with some baby oatmeal to thicken.
2) Canned pears in pear juice concentrate (not heavy syrup) blended with rice cereal to thicken.
3) Peel and steam some sweet potatoes cut into large chunks. Blend with some of the pear juice concentrate from the canned pears to mix to a smooth consistency. Don't over mix or the potatoes get to sticky and starchy, almost glue like.
4) Peel and steam yams cut into large chunks. When soft, blend with some apple juice to a smooth consistency.
5) Boil a whole chicken in water to cover. Take off the meat and blend with just a little of the broth.
6) Use the extra chicken broth to make a large batch of brown rice. Then use the rice to blend with canned (no-salt) green beans and and green peas.

Once you get started you will find some great variations. Just look at what is sold at the store and see what Gerber, Beechnut and other baby food manufacturers have come up with. It's not hard to go from there.

Also, I place about 5 ounces of each food into a zipped snack bag, label and freeze. I also have a supply of self made creamed corn, apricots, blueberries (in ice cubes), and mixed fruit.
Enjoy!

just keep nursing. no need for formula. and my favorite baby food cook books are by anabel karmel. she also has a website with message boards, etc.

we started with bananas/avacadoes first. don't start with cereals - it only encourages the appetite for carbs and better to start with fruits/veggies and regardless of what people say you don't have to start with a veggie before a fruit - especially when your child has been breastfed. breastmilk is very sweet tasting. dr sears suggests bananas and/or avacadoes as the first food.

good luck!

I do make my own, and really it is so easy and economical! Also, I know what is in my child's food. The best book I have found so far is SuperFoods For Babies and Children by Annabel Karmel. I love this book for so many reasons, but cheifly that the recipes are easy, nutritious (doesn't add unecessary salt/sugar etc), and is real food, so it has FLAVOR! My family is amazed how my child takes to "normal" foods that have onions, etc... If you are breastfeeding, the tastes of things you eat will be familiar to them as well. It gradually works you up from beginning eaters to toddlers and beyond, and gives easy to follow meal plans, which I appreciated. The book denotes which recipes are suitable for freezing, which ones are vegetarian, and details the number of servings each batch will make. Alot of the recipes are good "base" recipes that you could easily build on to please the older palates in your house, so you aren't making a separate meal just for baby.

As to breastfeeding, keep in mind that what you are able to pump is not necessarily what baby is getting when they nurse, as they are way more efficient than any pump can be. So, when he directly nurses, he may be taking a bigger meal at that time. Also, pay attention to the number of wet diapers...if those are on track and the baby is satisfied after feedings, he's getting what he needs
Hope this helps!

There is a great resource at your fingertips. Check out
www.wholesomebabyfood.com
This is a great web-site that has some wonderful recipes and suggestions on making your own baby food.

If your son is gaining weight appropriately and seems satisfied I would not supplement with formula. Just because you are only able to pump 6-8 ounces while you're working, doesn't mean that that is what he is getting while he's actually on the breast. In fact, a pump is never as effective as your baby, so chances are pretty good that he is getting more from you than the pump is. Don't force him to eat more than he is requesting. Let him regulate his intake.

Hi K.,

I made all of my sons baby food and it was sooooo easy and cheaper than jarred food. I simply bought organic vegetable and produce, steamed them them pureed them in the food processor. I would then put them in ice cube trays and freeze. Once they were frozen I put them in freezer bags and labeled it. When he was ready for a meal I would put some cubes in a little bowl and microwave until thawed and a little warm. It worked out really well especially for daycare. The food cubes would be frozen but would thaw in time for luncha nd they simply warmed it a little. Its really easy and you don't need a book to direct you in this venture. Target ahs some great ice cube trays that have lids that slide over them. All of the fruit and vegetables can be added to cereal to thcken them if necessary. This worked well with plums and peaches. Good luck and good for you for making your own food.

On the breast feeding note: if you are pumping 6-8 ounces thats awesome! Many womens bodies don't respond to the pump and they can't produce enough that way. You are giving him way more than that when he nurses. He is growing and chunky so he is FINE!

I used to do that it was great. I used to make it ahead of time. I would boil some veggies w/ a little water then blend it and pour it into ice trays. then when frozen I would place the ice cubes in ziplock bags. this way I do not waste and I can also make it ahead of time. As for recipes?? I am not sure about those. No you do not have to supplement formula expecially if he is growing well. I am not 100% sure but I think they need 20-24 oz of milk a day at 6 months. Take care

The Super Baby Food book is great. I didn't follow the recommended ages for each food but it is really comprehensive and easy to use. There are also good cooking recipes for kids as they get older too.

My friend gave me a great book, "Baby Bites" by Bridget Swinny. That gives great info. I would just take the recipes and use organic produce to make the goodies! Also, check out: www.wholesomebabyfood.com <http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com&gt; <http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/&gt;

I do not think you need to supplement with formula. only do so if your child is obviously still hungry after a feeding and you are certain he is not getting enough food. they will let you know!

I'm using the DK book First Meals. It tells you what not to give, recommends certain foods a different stages, what you can freeze and what you don't need to cook. I remeber the foods that don't need to be cooked first, as that is what I would order/feed him at restaurants, and not have to worry about bringing food with me. Also, when I would make food to freeze, I got containers from the dollor store in 2 oz meals with caps. I think Ziploc makes small re-usable/disposable contaiers, too. I tried the plastic containers from a catlog once-- spend$8 on 10 contaiers witht eh tray--Not worth it! You can always try the ice tray method, too. But bear in mind that you have to do a lot of handling with that, too. Good luck!

I loved makng my own baby food. i would brown the meat any kind, beef or chicken then i would boil it, like making a stew or soup. i flavored it with salt and pepper, i would use fresh veggies, sometimes frozen change it up a bit. i would simmer it for a while and then mash it up with a masher, food processor would work too! the reason i started to do it is, that my little lovee all of his baby food seem to have carrots in it, and his face was turning orange, i swear, the dr said it was normal. well i didnt like it so that is why i made my own, not to mention it is better i believe. good luck!!

I wanted to respond to the later part of your posting. My daugther will only drink 4-5oz per feeding at 9 months and only twice while I'm away at work. I was worried but our pediatrician said not to worry since she is not underweight and she is a little bit on the chunky side. I got a little worked up for awhile when I heard other moms feeding their babies 8oz of breastmilk or formula. So I guess I'm sharing with you that not all babies will drink a lot from the bottle... Now for your first question, I've been pretty lazy about making baby food for her. I've mainly used the jar/ready made ones. I've just recently started to mash up some foods for her. Two books that I've read and found helpful were First Meals by Annabel Karmel and Super Baby foods by Ruth Yaron. Hope this helps!

If you're looking for a book , FEED ME I'M YOURS has been around for years.

In regard to breastfeeding, the introduction of solids does have some effect on how hungry he may be. If he is irritable in between feedings ie. showing signs of being hungry then it might be something to consider.
You don't want to supplement unless you plan on switching him to formula. Personally, if he is not losing weight and your still willing and able to breastfeed keep with it as long as you can.

I never needed a cookbook to make my own baby food. Just steam the vegetables (a little water and the microwave is the easiest way!) then puree away! :) When my son was that age, I mixed all sorts of different vegetables with one another in order to get all of the vitamins each one provides, and he loved it! If you ARE wanting receipes, though, check out wholesomebabyfood.com. It's got great tips and even a breakdown of what's in season because I even tend to forget that since we live in some a plentiful agricultural area. Hope this helps!!

I did! My daughter is now 20 months, and I still use a wonderful book that was a gift when she was born, it has great nutrition information, good advice on making your own baby food, simple easy-to-follow recipes for babies, and month-to-month recipes for toddlers to the whole family. It's called 1,2,3 Cook for Me, by Karin Knight, R.N. I highly recommend it!
Re: Breastfeeding, it sounds like your son is doing just fine, but do bring it up with your doctor!

I haven't tried making baby food myself yet, but I am still breastfeeding my 8 month old. I only pump about 4 to 5 ounces at work, so I can assume he only gets about 5 to 6 ounces when nursing. (he is more effecient than the pump.) We do supplement a little with formula during the weekdays, maybe one bottle. However, we don't supplement at all during the weekends since I am with him around the clock. He too is not underweight, so I think each baby will determine how many ounces they really need. Good luck!

I make my own baby food and love doing it!! I have a baby boy who is almost 6 months and he eats everything I make!! I got one cookbook at Whole Foods and its called Simply Natural Baby Food. I also got one at Barnes and Noble called Mommy Made *and daddy too! I really like that one. I think if you were to buy just one the Mommy Made is perfect! Good Luck!! I love making the food. I sort of find it soothing... strange I know! A.

I haven't made my own but there is a great book about it and feeding your baby in general, recipes, etc.: Super Baby Food. Good luck!

Super Baby Food is a good, comprehensive book that gives you great information as well as recipes. Ruth Yaron is the author and some of her advice is a little out there, but overall I think it's great. Regarding the amount he's drinking, if he's gaining weight and having good urine output and no constipation, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I've really enjoyed making my daughter's food and I feel better that I know what she's getting!

I have in the past (my daughter is 10 now). I basically bought fresh, seasonal local organic produce, steamed & pureed it. Nothing added, it tasted great. I have not invested in a food mill, but I have pushed pureed food through a wire mesh strainer to make it a finer consistency (depending on what it was).

Your son sounds super healthy - keep doing what you're doing! Don't supplement with formula - it will cause you to produce less milk (unless you pump to keep up your supply).

K.

Check out Super Food for your Super Baby book.
I used it with my son. It is full of great ideas.
Babies vary in how much they eat especially with breastmilk.
Babies drink from 3 to 6 ounces of breastmilk from my experience. As long as a baby is gaining weight they should be okay. I have worked caring for infants for the last six years and have received many trainings from a registered nutritionist.

I used a book called MOMMY MADE - HOME COOKING FOR A HEALTHY BABY & TODDLER by Martha and David Kimmel. I thought the recipes were pretty easy, healthy and it has all the basics - how to prepare different fruits and veggies as well as when to introduce certain food items.

Good luck!

Hi K.
I am a mother of 4 children and what my husband and I did is what ever we ate they ate to yes we tried the baby food but wow was it expensive so we bought a food chopper and that was the best thing we ever did we even grindered steak up they ate what ever we ate try it it works for some parents and others it it don't Good luck and GOD BLESS Danielle mother of 4

Get the book super baby food. It is great, lots of healthy receipes and ideas for making your own food.

J.
www.sf.citymommy.com invite code: newmom

Yes I have always made my own food for my 3 children. I am English and the book that I recommend and have used for all 3 is great. I think that you can get it here too. It is called, "Feeding You Baby and Toddler" by Annabel Karmel. I can't tell you what a fan I am of her book and of making my own baby food as it's so easy!!! She writes chapters for 4-6 months, 6-9, 9-12, 12-18 months etc There are recipes like baby's first chicken casserole and also childrens party food. I just don't see the point in feeding canned baby food 3 times a day when you can make it yourself. She also tells you how to freeze the food in ice cube trays. Do it!!

Good Luck! R.

I made my own baby food for my sons. I used Feed Me, I'm Yours (which you can get on Amazon.com, I checked) as a jumping off place. From that I figured out how to adapt my regular recipes so that they could be palatable to my son when pureed -- and still enjoyed by the family. The boys still eat some of the same recipes at 15, 12 and 10! (Only not pureed . . .)

I also purchased a small manual babyfood grinder which I kept in the diaper bag (in a ziploc). That way we could eat out quite easily since I could turn anything on my plate into babyfood. I still have that grinder -- and am amazed that I still find uses for it!

I make some of my son's foods. I really like this website:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

I'm still nursing my son (and he's almost 11 months old!), so I'm not really sure how much he is actually drinking. I say that if your son is nursing as much as he wants to and is gaining weight and is happy, then he's getting enough milk!

Anything can be made into baby food. I made my own for my kids who are now nearly 18, 14 and 12. Any veggies, any fruits ( strain the ones with seeds like strawberries or other seeded berries. I did everything, pasta, fruits, veggies, chicken, beans, rice. And now with the current rage on the new "super food" quinoa, you don't even need to worry about beef. It makes his poop stinkier anyway. Quinoa is a 100% protein food and is so easy to make. Just like making rice. And, mother's milk is best or go to rice milk.
The best to you and your new little one.
Want to stay home and still earn $$? Check out my mom-owned business.

Hi K.,
There is an excellent website for making your own baby food that I used to get recipes from. It is www.wholesomebabyfood.com They have all sorts of tips and ideas. One thing that worked really well is I bought ice cube trays with lids so I could make a lot at once and just pop a couple cubes out when needed and heat them in the microwave, its a definite must when making your own food. Once the food was frozen I would put them in a sandwich bag and could make more food to store with my trays.

Also, my daughter was the same way and only drank 4 ounces at a time. People told me that she should be drinking more, but once I spoke to my doctor they said that if she was satisfied and not under weight, then it was okay. Your baby may just eat more frequently then one who is drinking 6 ounces. Eventually my daughter moved up to drinking 6 ounces but she is now 9 months old and only drinks 6 ounces plus an 8 ounce at bedtime.

Hello,

I found a recipe book at a Potterybarn Kids store (they don't sell it online), "Top 100 Baby Purees" by Annabel Karmel. My son is just turning 4 months so I haven't made anything yet, but I can't wait; everything looks really good!
Good luck!

one more note about food for your 6 month old, egg yolk. At first I was hesitant when I read this but my 11 month old loves it now. In the morning when I make breakfast (for my 10 year old ,husband and myself,) I boil an organic free range (very important that it has no antibiotics junk in it)egg for 6 min, peel it, discard the white and put the RUNNY YOLK in a egg cup ,add a pinch of salt and voila you have brain food for your child. Children actually need cholesterol and sodium for brain development, and 6 months is not to early. And let him be messy! It's all about exploring with fun right now.Have FUN!

Super Baby Food...is my bible

Good for you! I made my own baby food for my son until he started eating table food... I guess I still made that, it just wasn't so special :-).

Food- At this point you really don't need a recipe book. Until he's been introduced to all the foods you plan to feed him, one at a time (one a week) you don't want to mix them. I'm sure it sounds borring, but just cook whatever it is until its soft then puree.

I bought those little tiny rubbermaid tupperware things (use them now for raisins, crackers etc) then just portioned out the puree. Pop the cups (lids on) in the freezer and you've got lasting baby food that's every bit as convenient as jar food, but without all the extra "stuff." Just pull them out and microwave on half power until they're the temp he likes.

"Recipes" my son loved at this age:
carrots, butternut squash, lentils, apples, banana(mash and eat, don't try to keep), pear, peas(strain them), yams and combinations of these: apple/carrot, lentil/apple, apple/squash, lentil/squash

As for the breastmilk, unless you have an indication that he isn't getting enough, there is no reason to supplement with formula. As long as you are still nursing and pumping, he's probably fine. Formula tastes pretty nasty compared to breastmilk (try it) so he might not even want it :-)

I made my own baby food and the best book was Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. It has recommendations on when to start what and how to's as well as nutrition information for the whole family.

Have Fun!

N.

I tried to make my own baby food when my son was young, but it just didn't last very long, and I ended up throwing out more then he ate.

Books - we didn't have any that I could afford 25 years
ago. :(

Tips
#1: Simple is better
#2: No spices, and as little sugar as possible

Quantity of milk at 6 months - my son was started on rice cereal at 3 months because I couldn't produce enough milk for him, plus he had supplemented formula, because he was allergic to the store-bought formulas (Isomeal, etc.).

Good luck with your son!
L.

I made my own baby food for my now-6YO twins - mostly steamed veggies mashed with a potato masher or pureed with a hand stick blender. I second the rec for wholesomebabyfood.com (partly b/c I know the mom who started it, she has twin boys that are a few months younger than my girls and we used to email our babyfood notes back and forth) . A book I found helpful not for recipes but for general info on child nutrition and feeding habits is "Child of Mine, feeding with love and good sense" by nutritionist Ellyn Satter.
Sounds like your boy is a healthy eater - if he's growing fine I wouldn't worry about how many ounces he's drinking (think about it - if he was nursing directly from the source every time you wouldn't know how many ounces he was drinking, you'd just figure he'd stop when he's full and not worry about it).

Congrats on JJ and good luck on making your own food. I am going to make my own as well. I bought the Everything Cooking for Baby and Toddler Book. I found it much easier to read then some of the others. I liked this one because it started as soon as 4 months and goes up in stages to add other food. I also used the Everything Pregnancy Book which I liked as well, so I guess it was an easy choice for me. I need to get a better processor. I used my blender and the blades weren't sharp enough to powder up the rice.

Good Luck and Keep Cooking!

First Meals by Annabel Karmel is a great book. It's got recipes for every stage as well as for the entire family.
You'll be surprised at how easy making your own baby food is!

K.,

I don't know if this will be all that helpful, but I too wanted to make my own baby food for financial reasons. I didn't find a cookbook, but rather just looked at the ingredients on the baby food and was surprised to see that it was simply "squash and water" so that is what I did. I microwaved, steamed or broiled the vegetables until they were super soft. put them into the blender with water until everything was smooth and then stored them in the baby jars I saved or in ice cube trays and froze them. This saved so much money! If you need some instructions for making purees I know have purchased the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" and found that has numerous suggestions for baby food and food you could make for a toddler.

A little about me:
I'm 31 and have a 15month old. I stayed home with her for 9 months and then went back to teaching.

A good book is Super Baby Foods

Hi K.,
What does your mom give him during the day?
D.

I never made my own baby food like you see in jars. My son just started eating steamed veggies and bananas (now he eats everything at 16 months old).

I wanted to respond to your milk question. Your baby is only going to drink as much as he needs or wants. That's one of the benefits of breastfeeding. My son and I had a lot of problems in the beginning, and I had to pump to bring my milk production up, etc. My lactation consultant had a good point when a couple weeks later, she told me that I would have no clue how much my son was really drinking if it weren't for pumping and being able to see how many ounces there were. I wouldn't worry about it, especially if he's a "chunk-a-dunk" like you say... and like my son was at 5 months!! haha

We use Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. Our pediatrician also said it was a good diet. Making his food easy -- we just often take the veggies we're cooking for ourselves and then mash them or use a food mill.

I also wouldn't worry too much about the exact ounces he's taking in. If he's growing and content, then he's probably getting enough. My little boy didn't drink as much from his bottles as the guidelines suggested. I also nursed him at night regularly (which also I think helped keep up my supply when I returned to work and pumped).

K.,

I recently started making my own baby food. The book i'm using is Super Baby Food. It has lots of good info other than just recipes.

As for your breasfeeding question as long as your son is gaining weight I wouldn't worry. You may just be producing a more concentrated breast milk than the average woman.

I have a question for you though. What food processor did you buy and do you like it? I've been using my hand blender with it's mini processor attachment and I'm not happy with the results. My mom's been telling me to get a food mill (that's what she used when she made my baby food) but I know they're a pain to clean.

-A.