Infant Making Baby Food - Albuquerque, NM

To make it simple and easy, I just take some of whatever we're eating as a family, like steamed vegetables or spaghetti or soup before I add the milk, and blend it in my magic bullet and feed it to my baby. If we're going to have grilled veggies I buy an extra zuchinni or something to grill and blend for her, so I'm not doing extra work really other than blending it. So I throw what we're eating into the blender, especially as the baby gets older and can eat more things, because it's healthier.

I also buy butternut squash or zuchinni, peas (pretty much whatever is in baby food jars) and cook it and blend it, then freeze it in an ice cube tray and then put the cubes in a freezer ziplock. I just pulled out a couple cubes at a time to feed her. And now that my baby is older I even throw in beans, cheese, or chicken or whatever we're eating for dinner and blend. You can also do cous cous (tiny pasta), rice, oatmeal, yogurt, boiled eggs, tofu, fresh fruit. My kids love bananas and I don't really even have to mash them.

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This place will have a Making Babyfood class in October.
http://www.bodymindandspiritabq.com

They go over many different food philosophies and approaches to feeding baby. In general, Super Baby Food is a standard and a good one. If you want to really challenge your nutritional philosophies and what it means to feed your family nutrient dense foods, check out http://www.westonaprice.org

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I made all my daughter's food- here's a great site I recommend. I also really liked using the ice cube trays :-).

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

:-) T.

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I loved being able to make my own baby food - cheap and under my control. Anyway, I used wholesomebabyfood.com as a reference a lot as far as what babies eat when. It's not comprehensive, but it gives some good advice and recipe ideas. I always just bought bags of frozen veges like peas, green beans, or carrots; steamed them a bit; put them in the food processor; and then spooned them into ice cube trays. The next day, I'd dump them into freezer bags, and I'd be good to go for the next week or two. I would just set them out in a bowl in the morning to thaw for about 3 hours. One cube is good to start with, but the regular serving size seems to be 2 cubes (about a baby food jar size). I still puree pears and peaches and put them in ice cube trays for my 2-year-old. He eats fine, but it's easier for me because I sweeten his oatmeal every morning with fruit. So, all I have to do is set out two cubes within the hour before breakfast. It cools down the oatmeal and is a nutritious sweetener.

Other good baby food items: cooked (I steamed mine) sweet potatoes or butternut squash, bananas mashed is always an easy winner, and avocados mashed (supposedly avocados is nutrient-wise the closest to breastmilk, so it is easy for the baby to digest and supplies a dose of really nutritious fat). I'm sure there's plenty others, but these are the staples that we used. Later on, bean recipes are good too because they mash easily. Hope that helps. Enjoy.

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I also recommend the So Easy Baby Food book by Joan Ahlers and Cheryl Tallman. The recipes are simple, healthy, and very easy, and they have lots of great suggestions for yummy flavor combinations. I don't know if you can get it apart from the kit, but the kit is great. I also got a food mill that I never used. A medium sized food processor works perfectly.

Hi, I made all my own baby food and totally recommend it. A useful website is www.wholesomebabyfood.com
Good luck.

In addition to the super baby food book others are recommending, I bought a hand held mixer. It looks like the kind of "shake maker" that you put inside the glass to mix a shake up, but it's heavier duty. I got it at William Sonoma and it was about $100. Well worth it when making baby food! Also, I got the food chopper from Pampered Chef. And, I bought a coffee grinder that I keep separate to grind grains, nuts and seeds. All three tools made it much easier for me.

Also, the Super BAby Food book is a vegetarian book. Don't be afraid to apply the techniques to chicken, etc. when your baby is ready. I mixed chicken with garbanzo beans (and olive oil, I think - don't remember my exact recipe) for a super protien cube. Experiment!

My 2nd baby is almost 4 months and I'll be cooking with you at the 6 month mark, too.
B.

Hi K.. I personally did not make my own baby food but would have if I had realized how easy and inexpensive it would be. A girlfriend of mine used Superfoods- for babies and children and absolutely LOVED it. I have tried to attach a link for you to check out. Best of luck to you.

http://www.amazon.com/Superfoods-Babies-Children-Annabel-...

I have the book Feed Me I'm Yours which includes baby food and toddler food ideas. My mom used the book with me.

I used the book "Super Baby Food" and really enjoyed it. It's easier than it sounds! Basically one is just using a blender to blend cooked fruit, vegetables and grains and then freezing them (not the grains) to use later. We didn't take all of her suggestions (we're not vegetarians, for example), but that book got us off to a great start.

Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron has been my baby food making "bible." Can't say enough about this book- love it!

If you have freezer space and are organized the ideas you have will work fine. If you are thinking alternatively you might want to get a good food dehydrator (one with a fan as well as the heating element) and dry fruits and veggies. Once they are dried you can put them in the blender and powder them. Store the powders in labeled jars or air-tight plastic containers to keep moisture/humidity out. Then all you have to do is re-constitute with water just the amount you need. It makes mixing foods easier (a little of this and a little of that) plus makes feeding out of the home or while traveling easier because you don't have some melting goo in your bag. Dried foods retain their nutrients very effectively. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Good luck.

We were big fans of the KidCo Food Mill. We just would cook whatever food we wanted, grind it up and have fresh, healthy baby food. As our daughter got older, we would just grind a little of our meal up for her. Worked great!

I loved making my son baby food when he was ready for solids. I would buy fresh yams/sweet potatoes, boil, peel, mash, and add either formula or breastmilk. Blend it up into a good consistency and then freeze in small containers. At feeding time, I'd reheat with some cereal and he would LOVE IT. I felt good because it tasted so much better than the jarred food and was good for him. I would also microwave an apple or banana, mash that up and mix with cereal rather than buy flavored cereal. If they like peas, you could try that also well and blend in a blender. It's very easy just takes special planning. I'd usually make a few days worth. Good luck!

20 years ago I made baby food for our second son. All I did was cook to a softer consistency and not add any spices (including salt) until after I took out for him. Just adding at the table for everyone else worked too. That way you just cook more at a time (not much more) and can use the leftovers too. They had a special baby food grinder back then, but a food processor/blender should work too. I stored in the freezer in small tupperware containers or reused baby food jars that I had already emptied and washed in the dishwasher.

Good luck!

B.

You can stick to ice trays but I do recommend the So Easy baby food system (trays and book) because it's made here in the USA from safe plastic, unlike most standard ice cube trays which are made in China of god knows what. And they have lids which make it easy. And the book tells you how much to buy and make to fit in the trays -- ie, buy 3 medium zuchinni to fill two of their trays. You don't realize it but it's actually hard to figure that stuff out in your head, esp because you will find that once you cook and puree the stuff it's just about impossible to predict how much you will have in the end. They did all that leg work for you.

I highly recommend that system for the initial pureed stuff. Then once the lil one's eating more varied foods and textures, I LOVE the book Naturally Delicious Meals for Baby by Gerrie Hawes. I mean, this book blows every other baby food book out of the water!!

My final suggestion is to go to the library and check out every baby food book they have before you buy any. I have found that a lot of them just don't jive with our cooking/eating style and after all half the point of making your own baby food is to get them used to YOUR cooking style to help prevent food wars later on. If you local branch doesn't have many, request inter-library loans (you can do it online on the library's website).

Good luck and congrats on doing what's best for your baby's nutrition - nursing and homemade baby food!!

Hi K.,
We're big on getting our babies started on veggies right away. I'd buy frozen in bulk or fresh, prepare, blend, and freeze in small, twist-top ZipLock storage containers (then you can thaw in the fridge just enough for 5 - 7 days at a time). The easiest veggies to prepare were sweet potatoes, squash and peas, but there are plenty to choose from. Make sure they're cooked until soft.

Other easy and nutritious foods are beans and lentils. You can prepare a croc-pot of stew full of goodies, blend, and store the same way. Add meats as their little tummy can take it.

I think we averaged $0.10 a serving!

I always mixed in infant rice cereal to get extra nutrients in.

Have fun!
T

I use the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron.
It is an excellent book. Teaches you what to give them, when and how to do it yourself.

I love the book "Child of Mine" by Ellyn Satter. She's a dietitian and has very practical, nutritious, economical ideas.

Hey K.. I am in the same boat as you. I did a lot of research about making homemade baby foods and looked at all the books. I ended up finding a website http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/ its amazing. they have tons of recipes, advice and general information. I printed all the recipes and put them in a folder and made my own cookbook.

also i found the covered ice cube trays and linens and things. I use them for freezing breast milk sometimes so that i can use it in preparing the baby food later. and I bought them to freeze the food and i plan on storing them in freezer bags or tubberware containers. Anyway they hold 1/2 ounce servings

here is a link http://www.lnt.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1349101&am...#

hopefully this helps some! good luck!!

Hi, I never really got to much into making babyfood, but I did study it quite a bit. The book that I purchased and really liked well was Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. It has a ton of advice and is pretty much step by step on feeding and making your own baby food. I hope this helps some.

The book "First Meals" by Karmel is a great book - I have a 4 1/2 month old so I haven't made anything yet, but there is a lot of good information in there!

Hello K.,
The ice cube tray and freezer bags are the best way to go. Make big batches at once. Do not add any salt, butter, or spices to any of it. Most of it ends up on the baby and the floor.

Magic Bullet was perfect for us! We did everything in there....veggies, fruit, meat, rice, pasta. Just add a little water to make it extra creamy for wee babes. It comes with a couple different blade styles so it grew with baby. As baby got teeth, we were able to control the texture of the food....and even as they get older, you can hide all kinds of good stuff in your kids' meals without them knowing. I puree cauliflauer and garlic and add to cheesy eggs in the morning and my son LOVES it!

If you don't know how to prep the food, get the Super Baby Food book. Otherwise, if you already like to cook, you can figure it out on your own with just the Magic Bullet, some measuring cups and extra small freezer bags (they do make these), I just put everything straight into the freezer bags.

I highly recommend Deceptively Delicious also. It's a great cookbook for toddlers ....and my husband loves the food too! =)

Have Fun!

There's a great one called "Making Your Own Baby Food"
(Paperback) by Mary Turner (Author), James Turner (Author)

The book Super Baby Foods by Ruth Yaron has helped me out so much. I dont live by it 100% instead I just get the wonderful info I need that works well with my little guy. This book is rich with awesome ideas, I would recommend it to all moms!

I used Super Baby Food as my guide when I was making my daughter's food. It offers comprehensive information, and is strictly a whole food approach. If that's not your way, it might feel cumbersome, but whole foods are really best for babies. I would make up large batches, and freeze them in small portions. The ice cube trays were a pain in the neck for me, so I would drop teaspoonfuls on a cookie sheet and freeze for an hour or so, then pop them off into plastic freezer bags. So easy!

Hi Kristin,

I love to cook, but found it was difficult for me to get a good consistency that my son enjoyed when making my babyfood.

There is a company called Happy Baby Food and they sell frozen organic fruits,veggies, and meats. All items are 100%organic and individually packed per serving so you can just throw one in a cup of hot water to thaw in about 5 minutes or put it in you diaper bag and let in thaw on the go.

I hope this helps if for some reason the DIY method becomes frustrating.

N. Sietsema

I echo those who have recommended "Super Baby Food."

Hi!
I used these two web sites and oxo ice cube trays (they come with lids so I did not have to use storage bags).

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/

Good luck!!

A great book is Super Baby Food. Cant recall the author, but it has a purple cover. I dont agree with microwaving the food as the book suggests....warm it up in a glass cup set in a pan of water, heat, with lid on the pan. Is quite fast and without the potential harm of microwaves. Otherwise, the book is super|!

I recommend using http://freshbaby.com/ My friend's mother actually owns the company. I used their cookbook and freezer trays with lids. They have a video to watch the step by step process, just in case you aren't sure how. I found it to be so so much cheaper and felt so good about homeade baby food for my son. I wish I had done that with my oldest! You can make a wide variety of foods that they don't even sell in the store. I believe that another responder (Audrey B.) recommended the same product. The company is called fresh baby, but the baby food kit is called - So Easy. I am glad that so many people that responded make baby food for their kids too. Good job!

I made some baby food when my girls were little. I didn't make a lot of different kinds, but sure was easy and cheaper. I baked sweet potatoes, mashed it with some water (other wise it's too thick)and froze them in ice cube trays and transfered them to gallon freezer bags. I also made carrots and peas the same way. I would keep some empty baby food jars(large size) around to defrost the cubes in and take it with us when we went out to eat.

I use ice cube trays and then transfer to ziploc bags and it works just fine! I buy fruits and veggies at the store and puree them in my blender. Check out wholesomebabyfood.com for ideas! Good luck!

The Petite Appetite. Great book. I use glass jars to freeze my baby food in, just be sure to leave extra empty space at the top for expansion, or you'll have cracked glass. Good luck.