Need to Make Baby Food ASAP. HELP!!

Updated on September 10, 2009
H.G. asks from Wellington, FL
31 answers

Moms Help!
I'm in Israel visiting family with my husband and six month old son. I brought enough baby food with me for about 4 days thinking that I would be able to go to the store and buy more in that time. Today I went to 4 different stores and not only did I not find organic baby food, I hardly found any at all. All that was available were a few jars with apples, bananas and peas. My son eats peas, but has a problem with constipation so the doctor said no apples or bananas. I need help\advice on how to prepare food for him ASAP. My grandfather only has a small kitchen with 2 burners and no stove. I can go to my aunts house for a stove if need be. I also have access to a blender, but not a food processor. I feel like I'm on an episode of baby survivor. :) Please help! He has already been introduced to sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, peas, pears, prunes, oatmeal, and we tried avocado for the first time today (hated it so we'll have to try it again a little later). Thanks in advance

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P.B.

answers from Miami on

Ann Karmell books are the best, you can get great ideas from them, easy and fast. You won't need prcessor blender it's ok.
Good luck!

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M.V.

answers from Tampa on

Well, making baby food isn't really that hard. Just take whatever fruits or veggies you want to feed him, cook it until it is soft, and blend it until it is smooth. Add water, a little at a time, while blending to get it smooth and as thin as you want it. At 6 months, you will probably want it to be pretty smooth. You can do it! Good luck!

If you make more than you need, freeze it in little blobs (or in an ice cube tray), so you can pull out just what you need at each serving.

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C.M.

answers from Orlando on

been there. You can push steamed veggies thru a metal strainer, but you will need to blend any meats. Probably at this point veggies are all you are using. Then anything that can't go thru the strainer is the part you don't want him to get choked on. Steamed veggies are the best, good luck

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A.G.

answers from Orlando on

OK so this is possible no need to worry! :> You can just boil squash, carrots and sweet potatos - I would do them seperately until soft and then mash with a spoon. Hopefully there is a freezer accesible? If so what I did was make the food ahead of time and then create portions by scooping the food into an ice cube tray, then once frozen saving the cubed baby food in ziploc bags/containers with the date & food type. Then when it was time for meal warm up on stove with a little bit of water. If there is no freezer then you will have to make the food daily just cutting the vegetables into small chunks so it can cook faster. You can blend the raw oatmeal so it cooks faster and comes out smoother as well. You can also blend the fruits once you remove skin, etc and if it comes out too thin you can add to oatmeal as a flavor and he will still get his fruits for the day. Also check with local moms and see what they do for baby food? There may be some local foods that will work for you and your son.

Good luck on your adventure!

A.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

If you boil it well enough it should smash with a fork. And are you sure the doctor didn't say EAT apples?? Apples help with constipation...

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N.H.

answers from Tampa on

I made baby food from the blender for my first son. The fruit is easy. Just blend with a little juice or water and there you go.
Vegetables you can blend with a little water after boiling them. My ped. said to stay away from non-baby jar carrots until after 1 year.
I'm not sure what fruit and veggies they have there, but try not to introduce too many new foods at once (if possible).
I think pears add to the constipation problem too, but apple juice will do the opposite.
I have more ideas if you need more help.
Good luck,
N.

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L.H.

answers from Miami on

instead of boiling foods: STEAM them and then mash them.
you can do this w/ any fruit or veggie!
if you can't get a colander to put in a pot of boiling water, just take a frying pan and cook/steam raw chunks of the fruit/veggie w/ enough water so they cook and don't stick to the pan
then mash it up!

ENJOY your trip!
I LOVE Israel!!

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A.D.

answers from Fort Myers on

First of all don't panic. At 6 months he doesn't even need solid food. Teeth is the body's sign that proper digestive system is developed for food, otherwise breastmilk or formula is adequate nutrition for a 6 month old. You're travelling so this is a short-term situation anyway. If you feel a need to feed him adult food, just steam the veggies and mash them. Mix in water to make thinner for the infant stomach, but I really don't think you need to be concerned if you just skip solid foods for the duration of your visit.

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E.S.

answers from Tampa on

Here is a wonderful website you are sure to get a lot of very useful information from and I have used many times with both of our little ones.

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

Enjoy your travels!

Smiles!
E.

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S.M.

answers from Miami on

Hi, H.. Shalom! I'm shocked that Israeli stores don't stock baby food. Anyway, what you're feeding him now is great. You can try to go to a department store and find a baby food grinder that has a hand crank and will grind up table food such as meat, chicken, veggies, fruits, etc. You can also see if they have one of those inexpensive mini food processors; that would do the trick too.

However, sweet potatoes are extremely nourishing as are white or red potatoes (mix them with milk or formula, and you have good, complete protein). Squah, peas, oatmeal, etc., are all good foods. As long as he's not hungry, you're doing fine. He doesn't have to have every food group every day.

You can try putting cooked hamburger into a blender and blending it with tofu, soymilk, or even hummus if you need to eat kosher. This will give the pureed meat a creamy consistency. Have you tried him on hummus yet? It's just chickpeas pureed with sesame paste and a little lemon juice. It's very nutritious, and goes with everything. It's a neutral vegetable product, neither dairy nor meat.

Don't worry. You're not letting him starve. Enjoy Israel and let us know how everything went.

Peace,
Syl

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L.W.

answers from Tampa on

I never fed either of my kids baby food from a jar, we always just gave them whatever we had. My younger one always loved spicy food! the easiest veggie is Alvocado but since he doesn't like that you could try to mix it with something else, like oatmeal or mashed potatoes. If you get canned veggies they will be cooked already and pretty soft, you can just squish them with a fork or let him feed himself - i.e. green beans. Noodles are pretty easy to squish up if you over cook them, or try giving them to him to feed himself. I wouldn't really worry at all, just go with the flow and give him what you have, if he doesn't like it he will make up the difference with formula or nursing. Good luck and enjoy yourself!

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G.P.

answers from Miami on

Hello there.
If you can boil any of the sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, peas (by themselves or together)get them soft enough to put them in the blender. Blend them and either heat them up or cool them before feed them to the baby.
Pears: take the stem and seeds off, wash them good and blend them.
Prunes: Soak them in water for a while (no seeds) them blend them.

I hope this helps.

G. P

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V.V.

answers from Miami on

Hope your having fun in the holly land I use to steam carrots butternut squash broccoli sweet potato for about an hour then I would put it all in a bowl and smash it with a fork my daughter loved it

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A.P.

answers from Fort Myers on

Hi H.,

If you have access to burners and a saucepan, you're fine. Just get whatever veggies your son has already successfully tried, steam or boil them in water until they're very soft, then you can even mash everything with a fork or potato masher if you have to. I used to use a little breast milk (or you could use formula if you're not nursing) to make everything a little looser consistency. For fruit, you don't even need to use water. Just like when you make applesauce, you can take most fruits and cook them in a splash of juice or water, just so they don't stick and burn to the bottom of the pan. Again, once everything is nice and soft, add breast milk or formula and, voila! You have homemade baby food! :)

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T.B.

answers from Miami on

Wow....I'm always surprised when I see that parents so heavily rely on jarred food. Before there was food in a jar, babies ate what the parents ate. Okay, so you have a blender. That is GREAT! Now, what you do is put whatever you are going to eat into the blender. You may add water or flavored broth to the food because the texture may be too thick for your baby. Make sure the food is not too spicy or too heavily seasoned with spices. I never bought jarred food for my 3 children. I pureed everything I made for a meal and fed it to my baby. Sometimes I pureed it BEFORE adding the spices if I thought the spices would be too heavy for my baby. With meats, it's a good idea to shred the meat somewhat before placing it into the blender just to make blending it easier. I'm sure you have some sort of market in Israel, so you can get your fresh veggies and steam them by placing the vegetables in a colander, if you have one, over a pot of boiling water. IF you don't have a colander, don't worry. Just put the vegetables in a pot with a little water and the veggies will steam that way. Adding too much water will boil them and you want to preserve the vitamins in the vegetable by not boiling them...steaming is better but boiling will work if that is all you have to work with. DON'T worry! Your baby will eat what you eat. You don't need jarred food. Many blessings!

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B.B.

answers from Miami on

Boil squash, potatoes, just a little of salt (they can't have too much at this age). Then you can probably find a gadget called potato ricer. Put everything there and smash it. You can refrigerate it for 1 day and you can't freeze it because it has potatoes on it.

Hope that helps! :-)

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L.P.

answers from Miami on

don't panic, I understand how you feel as you suddenly have to change your and his habits. I do that all the time, if I travel or stay home, I mostly prepare my baby food anyway!
He is only 6 month old, so he does not need a lot to diversify his meals. Give him his (formula only or breast milk) 4 times day. For lunch you can prepare him a simple puree of veggie, a little bit of carrot (not much if he has a tendency to get constipated), and greens such as zucchini. He does not really need meat at 6 month old, moreover that you have no food processor, harder to grind with just a fork. so, his veggie puree, and for example of mashed (fork mashed) banana, or peach. You can give him fruits raw or cooked.
To cook your veggie, 2 simple ways:
1) put enough water to cover your cut veggie, NO SALT, bring to boil and then let cook on slow for about 15 min (or until your carrot easily get smashed with a fork or your blender). Do not throw the water, you may use the broth to liquefy a bit your puree. You can make it more liquid as a soup and cut a larger hole in his bottle for him to drink the soup.
Breakfast: (formula) milk
Lunch: veggie puree, smashed fruit + milk (4 oz)
snack: milk + smashed fruit
dinner: soup in his bottle + some milk or simply his milk in the veggie broth or just milk.
If you do not find any baby cereal, try "farina" or simply ask some locals (with babies) in the store to help you. He will be fine without cereal anyway.
If you need to give him a new formula, that's ok, but do not give him regular milk though. It has to be a baby milk.

2) the other way to cook veggie/fruits and to preserve their vitamins is to make a bain-marie steamer: use a pot in which you put water in the bottom, inside put a stainless steel strainer, inside the strainer put your cut veggie, veggie should not be sunk in water, cover and let the steam cook your veggie. Time... just depend on how soft you want the veggies. (make sure there is always a little bit of water at the bottom)

sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, carrots, peas, pears, apple, peach, bananas is way sufficient for a 6 month old, you do not need to diversify more at that point unless you do not find any of these items in store ( I doubt though).
You can keep in your fridge the "preparation" for 2 days, or freeze it, so you don't have to cook for every meals
don't forget his milk and give him plenty of water.

Enjoy your trip, this is great "tasty" experience for the baby!!!!

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Y.F.

answers from Orlando on

I would make my baby food at home. By the fruit or vegetable of choice, boil it, put it through a blender on puree setting than put it in small containers (if you have the empty baby food bottles use those) refrigerate and feed him. Hope this works.

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T.F.

answers from Orlando on

This won't be the popular answer... but...Sounds like it's time to introduce more solid foods. At 6 months, all 3 of my kids were eating nearly every thing we were eating-- just give teeny itty bitty crumb size bites. Unless he has allergies or you have a huge history of allergies in your family, just feed him what you're eating. Most of his diet at that age comes from breast milk or formula anyway, so take this opportunity to experiement with taste and texture

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R.W.

answers from Tampa on

I always made most of my baby food. Just take the veggies you prepare for yourself and put them in the blender. They are better for him than anything you can buy in a jar. You can even cook regular oatmeal and then if you think he can't handle it put it in the blender with a little milk. It works great. Most everything you mention you can cook and blend. You don't need a food processer. I used a blender. Also mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes are good and easy. You can take can fruit, put it in the blender. Or fresh fruit and blend it. I honestly don't understand why you are freaking out. Feeding a baby is simple.

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M.A.

answers from Fort Myers on

Apples do cause constipation - that's why they are part of the BRAT diet to help with diarrhea. Anyway, I wouldn't really sweat it - he's really young and probably is mostly eating solids to try different tastes and textures, right? How long will you be away? If it's not too long he's fine on breastmilk/formula until you get back.

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D.L.

answers from Miami on

You can boil all of the vegetables and then throw them into the blender or mash them with a fork (you may have to add some water to get the right consistency). Use a ice cube tray to make portions and freeze it. Depending upon how much you are feeding your boy, defrost one or two "cubes" for a meal.

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K.J.

answers from Orlando on

You didn't mention how long your visit was.. but at six months babies only need breast milk or formula for all their nutritional needs for the 1st year. When we introduce solids it's only for learning how to eat and to experience different tastes and textures. So even if you went back to only giving him a bottle for a few weeks, he would be fine. You already recieved good info on how to make baby food, and if you have the time and want to, go for it! But if you are on vacation and want less of the hassle, just give him the bottle! :) have fun, and don't worry, you can get back on the schedule and routine when you get home!

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C.P.

answers from Tampa on

I did it for my first and it's super easy. I used this website:
www.wholesomebabyfood.com

T.J.

answers from Fort Walton Beach on

You didn't say which foods you have access to. You really can give him an array of foods... keep trying the avocado and make sure it's ripe.

Can you ask a neighbor their or another mom with kids what they did/do?

I think Ana did a great job on the suggestions!

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L.L.

answers from Pensacola on

try just using your blender and and putting in fresh
fruits and veggies and adding enough water so baby can eat it.
blend it until smooth..wash every thing really well before blending.

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L.N.

answers from New York on

calm down
:)
you're overseas so all your schedule goes out of the window anyhow. is there ANY baby food? forget organic. i mean ANY jar baby food? what do other moms do? there must be something. do non-organic while you're there and you'll get back in track when you come back.
right now, his main food is still breastmilk or formula. keep giving that. is there ANY kind of cereal? if yes, give that. enjoy your stay.

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M.G.

answers from Orlando on

I made all our daughter's baby food w/ a blender, a pot of water where needed, and a freezer! Check out this site for ALL you need to know, from how to puree/prepare food to how to store (i.e. what freezes best as a puree vs as a slice.) For example - I would steam veggies, blend to texture desired, place in ice cube trays (1 cube = 1 serving), when cubes frozen place in ziploc freezer bag (freezer life of 30 days). Learned that pears freeze better when peeled and sliced, mash slices when ready to serve. Cubes thaw in minutes, or faster in microwave.

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

For Toddlers: http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com/

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A.A.

answers from Atlanta on

Hello Hader, I am impressed by your tenacity to give your baby the very best. I am going to help you make the most nourishing foods for your baby. The burners, a pot and a blender would do just fine but we need to get only produce that has no outer layers like peas and green beans since you are limited on handy tools.

It would be helpful to know what food items you have out there (please send me a private email with the choices and I will send you detail steps on how to make each and everyone)

For sweet potato., wash, peel the skin off, cut in small cubes, put a cup of water in the pot and bring to a quick boil, add peeled sweet potato and cover, let it cook until it is tender (you can pick with a fork), pour into a shallow pan and put in the refrigerator to cool (this is critical, you want to completely cool the food to below 40f before blending, you can actually put in a freezer) make sure food is properly cooled down (chilled to the touch) pour cold potato and the cooking liquid into the blender and a little more water to the consistency of what texture your baby is used to and blend away. Also please make sure you are using clean potable water.

You can use this process to make squash , potato, etc

Please send me a direct email- go to our website www.yummyspoonfuls.com and look at any thing you would like and I will send you the directions on how to make it with the little tools you have.

Good Luck with your baby and safe travels

All the best

A.

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J.R.

answers from Miami on

Dear H.,
I live in Tel AViv Israel. There is one shop I discovered that carries organic baby food. On Yehuda macabe in Tel Aviv. It is called Super Teva Zafon. The number is 03-###-###-####. They carry Nature's Harvest I believe and have -- apples and apricot, apples and plums, pears, summer veggies, peas and brown rice, and carrots......
another option -- if you want to introduce chicken while you are here -- is you can buy organic chicken at eden market in gan ha'ir or the health food store on Sheinkin street, both in Tel Aviv.

as for snacking crackers -- the local version of zwiback is called "bis bis" ...they are gluten free rice crackers and are sold at the superfarm. Materna makes a nice tasting teething biscuit.

if you need other local tips, please email me at ____@____.com luck.

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R.S.

answers from Tampa on

All you need to do is cook or bake whatever he already eats, then puree, and then put in an ice cube tray and freeze it. After it is frozen, put in frezer bags or containers or such and pull out what you need as you need it and you can put it is a bowl in boiling water to defrost it or very carefully in the microwave. Hope this helps. Good Luck

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