Giving Homemade Baby Food a Thought...

Yeah for you! That rocks! It is not only cheaper, but it is soooo fun! I did it with my daughter (she is now 3 and such a great eater!) and I enjoyed it. I got a book from one of my g-friends called Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. It is a great guide...I loved it! Hope this helps!

My son loved mashed avacado at first. He hated baby cereal. The book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron was a huge help to me.

I would recommend First Meals by Annabel Karmel. That's the book I'm using. I got it at the library. It is time consuming though. I first steam whatever it is in the steamer, and then mash it up with a hand mixer. I make larger portions and freeze it. My sister in law is giving me her magic bullet which she says is wonderful for this job, and can make a little at a time.
One thought though- you don't have to start at 4 months. I started around 5 because my daughter was grabbing my food out of my hands, but the AAP recommends not starting solids until 6 months. But if you girl seems ready like mine was, give it a try. Just don't push it, and remember only one new food every 4-7 days.
Good luck!

I made my own baby food. My boys are now 8 and almost 11! you really don't need a recipe just have fun with it. I used a food processor. I started out with single vegetables. I would do a large batch or carrots. keep some out fresh, and freeze the rest in ice cube trays. Then you pop the food cubes into a ziplock freezer bag and you have ready meals! wait a few days to a week between foods to introduce new ones so if something doesn't agree you can pin point it. As they get older, you can do veggie blends, (this is where we really had fun with trying new things mixed with tried and true favs)fruit blends (Daddy and I often snuck bites of this - especially the blueberry applesauce one) or even add in a little meat with the veggies. We eventually would just "chop up" what we had, or parts of it before we over seasoned and our boys would try that. (Spaghetti was the absolute favorite) They hated the jar stuff. My kids are great eaters now. They aren't afraid to try anything! I don't fight with them about veggies or anything (they do refuse to try liver - but I don't eat it so why should they?) It was the best thing I ever did and so worth the effort. I work part time - I even took my own food to the sitters. I used the same food processor up until about 6 month ago too. (Obviously not for making baby food anymore.) It sure did it's time. You won't be sorry. Let me know if you would like more specifics. B

L.,

We are making our own babyfood with our daughter also. It is so easy and I don't know why we didn't do it with our son. We bought a Kitchen Aide hand blender (boat motor). I made her fresh pears, apples, potatoes, broccoli, carrots and sweet potatoes. I peeled and chopped and then cooked it in a little water to soften it up. Blend it up, pour it in ice cube trays and Presto, Babyfood! I read somewhere that you are not supposed to do that with meat because of the risk for e coli. I would check with you dr. I wish you luck. Have fun knowing you are giving the best fresh food to your baby!

T.

Our pediatrician had us wait until she could sit up on her own before we started solid foods--which was this week at 26 weeks. Reasons? 1. It's not for nutrition yet it's for the texture, 2. she is to feed herself so nothing pureed, steam or boil any fruit or veg til soft (even broccoli tops), 3. have the pieces small enough yet big enough so she can pick them up, 4. one food any few days for reaction. Waiting til now was also safety--she's sitting so also is strong enough to cough up anything if she needs to! He even nixed the idea of rice or other cereals, blamed marketing for getting us to think she needs other carbs, starches -- all that is from breastmilk or formula.

I bought a magic bullet and put whatever I was eating in it and just ground it up. Worked great for things like broccoli. I don't think you need recipes just blend whatever you want. I do have the Anabel Carmel book and it's good. I don't remember the name of it.
FYI You don't need to start with rice cereal. It's really constipating and really adds nothing to their diet that is at all nutritious. It's simply filler.
As soon as she's getting how to chew, you can give her table food that is small and soft. Banana, avocado, cooked carrots, etc. My son has never had baby food and is doing great. I started solids at 6 months and he truly got interested in them at about 8 months. Now he eats everything we eat at 9 months. He's still not a huge eater but tries everything and doing well. Don't stress about food, just have fun with your daughter!

Hi L.- Homemade baby food is easy and a huge cost saving. I have two great books- Healthy Baby Meal Planner and the Organic Baby Food book, both available from Amazon. Really, all you have to do is boil food (for now) and puree. I started with apples, then pears (after cereal of course) and then went on from there. Veggies that are super easy are zucchini and butternut squash...also any types of potatoes. Along with that, you can just mash up bananas in the cereal or mash avocados and bananas together. It is a joy to cook for my baby and know exactly where his food is coming from. I do everything organic and it is still way less than buying the cheapest baby food out there. Oh, when Jack was little, I used the kidco electric food mill and trays but you can use any food processor (a smaller one would work best) or blender and any ice cube tray that you can cover. Each food cube is about 1 ounce if you get the regular size. As he eats more and starts to like textures, you just puree less so it is chunkier and then move on to finger foods like toast, boiled potatoes diced in small pieces and any types of veggies diced (or fruits). Jack is a fantastic eater and I think that not doing baby food is beneficial because they get a little more texture whereas jarred baby food is all pretty much the same consistancy always. I also use little ziplock containers to take it if we are eating out or something like that. It works just as well as the jars and if you freeze stuff you always have it on hand. Hope this helps...email me with any questions. Sam

Making your own baby food is fun and easy! I work full-time and was still able to make my son ALL of his baby food. You don't need a cookbook, the site that other moms have recommended www.wholesomebabyfood.com is great, but I found that I liked having a book for a little extra guidance and reassurance. The one that I used (and LOVED) was Mommy Made! (and Daddy too!) It is a great book with simple recipes, food charts, recommendations to make your own blends, etc. It also has recommendations for things that you can make for the whole family and then use part of it for baby. Homemade food is a lot healthier and tastes a heck of a lot better than the processed (they do not add anything to the pre-made, with the exception of the cereals, which are fortified.) My son loved the food and my family was surprised that they generally liked my baby food as well. All I usually used was a pot with a steamer basket, a cookie sheet (for roasting things like sweet potatoes), a food processor. And for things like bananas and avocados all you need is a fork! But as others said, 4 months is very early for food. I'd wait until at least 6 mo or until she is really starting to show interest in your food. Good luck!

You are not over ambitious, making baby food is super easy. I bought the magic bullet from Bed, Bath and Beyond (used my 20% coupon) and voila, it was that easy! I bought these baby food cubes from One Step Ahead (google it). I also got the book, Super Baby Food which talks you through each stage, step by step process which foods are safe to introduce at what months, etc. The first safe foods are rice cereal, avocado (great fat for the brain) bananas, and organic sweet potatoes. When buying fresh or frozen produce, you want to buy the organic whenever you can, especially for the dirty dozen list. Go to www.ewg.org for that list. It is a list of the 12 fruits and veggies that contain the highest level of pesticide residue. Oats is not a safe food especially at 4m b/c it can cause allergies to gluten later in life, you typically wait until 7-8m for that one.

However...4m is still very early to be introducing foods, anything before 6m will make them likely to develop food intolerances or food allergies. And is she sitting up on her own? I noticed someone else brought that up. So just b/c she is of the "safe" age, she may not by physically ready either. Putting the cereal in the bottle is not recommended either, it will expand their stomachs and cause over-feeding.

Another great book called Mother Daughter Wisdom by Dr. Christine Northrup is wonderful and discusses this in her book. (It is a book you'll have through life, it talks about each life stage through the age of 21yrs, it is beautfully written and Oprah's favorite OB/GYN).

I always bought some jarred food by Earth Organics or O Organics first to introduce the foods before I made them, you have to be careful of the seeded fruits like rasberries, strawberries, b/c baby food companies take out the seeds, if you buy frozen and puree them, the seeds is what causes the allergies.

It is a lot of fun, well worth the time investment and you'll save about $300-$400 per year by making your own baby food.

Let me know if you have questions, I specialize in Mother and Children health and wellness.

J. W. MPH
Wellness Educator/Lifestyle and Wellness Consultant

Hi L.,

First off, I think it is wonderful that you want to give it a try...I made all my daughters food & the first book that really got me started with the purees was "First Meals" by Annabel Karmel. Lots of ideas for making purees which is what you will be starting off with. I used those disposable containers from Babies R Us for the fresh & used ice cube trays & freezer bags when making bulk & freezing into portion sizes. I used a babyfood maker from Babies R Us & still use it now in my cooking it was about $20 & I used a hand crank circluar device for peas etc. It was not that hard & was able to give my daughter food only cooked by me--I never gave her jarred food--it started with me going to the store & seeing them on the shelf & how far off their expiration dates were, I just wondered what was in them!! Thats what made me start & after awhile it became second nature & I even pureed our food we ate veggies/potatoes as she got older. The biggest problem I ran into was pureeing meat--just seemed real gritty--until I googled it & found out you should never puree while it is warm---it needs to be cold so you can get a smoother consistency & after that time my daughter had a lot of her teeth & we realized she loved anything bbq'd--to this day she still does & she is three, & she is a great eater--she can get picky, but she eats broccoli, cauliflower, my mother-in-law cant believe how well she eats & she still loves bbq!! i bought one large pot with a handle from Target specifically for steaming & the expandable instert & the two baby food devices at Babies R Us & I was set! (oh & the book) Lia's first puree was avacado & to this day if we are at a Mexican Restaurant she loves the guacamole. If you have any questions, please contact me, I have a lot of different recipes, my daughter will be 3 in 2 weeks & I am expecting my second in Spring.

Hi L.! I made baby food for both of my girls and it really is not that hard! It take some organizing to be on top of things but you can make a large batch at one time, pop them in the freezer and you are good to go.

I really liked this book (an I think you can buy it locally here also. I am pretty sure I have seen it at The Right Start). Then you get ice cube trays with lids (to keep them from getting freezer burn) and you are all set!

http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Start-Cworkbook-Personalized-...

GOOD LUCK!
I really enjoyed being able to expand their palette once they were past stage 1 foods!

Try to find fresh fruits and veggies or use frozen. Steam them where you can capture the juice and then puree in a food processor with the juice (to get all the vitamins). Freeze in ice cube trays. Then place them in labeled zip lock bags.

I feed my five month old son (who is rather large) two cubes at each feeding. I feed him two to three times a day in addition to his numerous feedings at the breast.

Rice cereal/oatmeal is a good start because it's bland and light on their digestive system, which needs to "learn" how to break down solids at this point. These "fillers" are important steps for their bodies in learning how to swallow and digest, as well as the babies are less likely to have allergic reactions to them. An allergic reaction at this point has more risks than often discussed, but with special care, and a watchful eye, we can lessen this risk. Catching anything earlier is always better. They are also starches, which they need due to the amount of energy their little bodies use as they grow. You can also try plain potatos mashed and mixed with breast milk or formula. Adding a flavor they are used to helps the process. This works with all stage 1's. Once my kids got used to Rice cereal I mixed it in with veggies to get them used to other flavors. Now both kids love fresh fruit and most veggies. My son begs for peas and broccoli for snacks now.
The reason they say to wait till four months for any solids including rice cereal and oatmeal is because the digestive system is usually unable to properly process sugars, due to lack of maturity, and you can increase your childs risk of developing diabetes at some point in their lives by 75%. Thus another reason for starting with rice cereal. It is easier for their systems to digest.

As for making your own baby food...Good for you! I tried, and got fed up. Don't put a lot of pressure on yourself by making this an end all be all. I didn't like having to heat up and cool down a frozen cube every time he was hungry. I felt it was too much work, but that was a personal decision. I was also pregnant again when my son was 8 months old, which was the point at which I gave up because it was so much easier to just open up a tub, and throw it away when finished. It was also easier to travel with. He thrived on Gerber, as I did, and now my daughter also is as well.

I used a food processor, but now Williams Sonoma has a baby food processor, which steams and mashes the food in one machine. I have a friend who has one, and swears by it. She claims it takes all of the guess work out, and is a lot easier, as well as worth the cost. For recipes and help I used the book First Meals by Annabel Karmel.
Good luck to you!

Dear L., I just wanted to let you know my sister in law made all of her little girls baby food when she started solids and her teeth came in almost all rotten. The Doctor told her she did'nt get enough vitamins in her diet. He said baby food has added vitamins in it. Maybe ask your Doctor for sure. Could have been just the way my sister in law made her food. Good Luck.

We've had really good luck making our own baby food, and it's been pretty simple. For the most part, we steam whatever fruit or vegetable we're preparing until it's soft, toss it in the food processor and puree it until it's smooth. (I baked sweet potatoes last week, which I think made for better flavor. They were a huge hit!)

We did big batches of some stuff over the summer and put those things into ice cube trays. Each cube is about 1 tablespoon, so we know that four of them equals the 1/4 cup she's supposed to be eating per meal (that's the same amount as the stage 1 commercial baby food jars). This also makes it easier to deal with the day-to-day of getting our daughter fed. We can just grab four cubes of something from the freezer, pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds, and dinner (or lunch or whatever) is ready. It's great. Last Sunday, we cooked up a few sweet potatoes, pureed them and just kept them in the refrigerator. Then all we had to do was scoop out a serving when it was time for dinner.

There are a bunch of recipe books out there, but I really like the Petit Appetit Cookbook by L. Barnes. It has recipes for beginners all the way up through toddlers.

I really encourage you to try it. It does take some extra time, but not a lot, and buying produce (even the organic stuff) is so much cheaper than the pre-made baby food. Good luck!

I liked the cookbook First Foods by Annabel Karmel for the later months. It is really easy to make your own food. I started with mashed up avocado or banana. Once they got the idea of eating those, we branched out to sweet potato and other root veggies. I would buy whatever was in season at the store -- both my kids were starting solids in the fall, so it was root veggies and squash mostly.

Remember that you will start with watery mashed up stuff then get chunkier as baby progresses until you get to soft chunky things they can pick up with their hands. You won't really need very many recipes. All I did was steam whatever veggie then grind it up in the food processor. I froze "servings" in a covered ice cube tray then once they were frozen I put them in freezer bags. I could defrost a couple of "cubes" for each meal. You'll only be doing this for a few months because baby will be moving on to finger foods by the time s/he is 9 - 12 months.

L.,

I made my dtr homemade baby food (except carrots) and I worked 3 days a week. I found it to be rather easy. You can check out some books at the library. Her serving size is 1-2 tablespoons. About the same size as an ice cube. I used frozen and also fresh veggies and fruit to make her food. I then froze the serving sizes. I did not refreeze meat, just veggies or fruit. I found making her baby food to be simple and much cheaper. The book I used as a reference was Homemade Baby Food Pure & Simple by Connie Linardakis. The only caviot being if you have a history of food allergies be sure to avoid highly allergenic foods (peanuts, fish, berries, ect). Baby 411 has a good list.

Keep it simple. Steam or bake your veggies. Puree in the blender, put into an empty ice cube tray and feeze. You can pop out one to two cubes to thaw or warm and serve. This way you do not disturb the integrity of the whole food. No perserviatives or additives. Just the way mother nauture intended it to be. Have fun!!
N.-Nutrition Naturally
www.jp4ahealthieryou.com

I started with the Annabel Karmal book, but once I got started, I found a few other websites I like better:

http://www.annabelkarmel.com/ (I bought the book, but you'll get everything you need from her website.)
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/
http://weelicious.com/

I actually like the second one best for these early stages, but they are a little conservative in what they tell you the baby can eat (which they admit). For example, I made my six month old broccoli, and he adores it, but Wholesomebabyfood says babies can't tolerate it until much later. Don't be afraid to experiment. Weelicious is really creative.

Key items I use - a large sauce pan, a basket steamer, a stick blender, ice cube trays, and Ziploc freezer bags. The first foods are super easy to make as others have said. I make large batches and freeze them in ice cube trays. Don't forgot to transfer the "cubes" to Ziploc freezer bags so they don't get freezer burn and note the date you made it. My approach is similar to what others have suggested - usually steam - but then I use a stick blender to puree. I erred in the beginning with too much flavor because my husband and I tend to eat veggies on the less cooked side. But, babies are building up their palate so don't be afraid to cook the veggies a little more than you normally would, add water when you puree, or add breastmilk or formula just before you serve it to the baby.

Technically, you are only supposed to feed carrots and spinach (and a few other things like Collard Greens) from a commercial preparation. I use Earth's Best carrots and spinach. Also think about frozen fruit and veggies for some things. You can buy organic, and get good flavor on some things not in season. Frozen peas are key.

These first purees are generally easy to make, and you can experiment with a lot of neat things like pumpkin and avacado. I recommend making a ton of applesauce and pear sauce ahead of times - you'll likely end up using a lot of both to introduce new foods. Best way to do that is to mix a bit of the new food in with a spoonful of something they love and increase the proportion so they are eventually tasting all of the new food. We're also really aggressive about combining foods hoping the blends will expand his taste horizons as well.

The goal of these first foods is to get the baby used to eating food and tastes other than breastmilk/formula so don't stress about how much your daughter eats. Her nutrition still comes from the milk she drinks. I've found the process to be a lot of fun - I get especially excited when he likes something really "unusual" like avacado or kiwi. Good luck!

Oh my. Don't make it a big deal. My son wasn't interested in solids till 10 months, so I breastfed him exclusively till then. At 10 months we started using a baby food grinder at the table & giving him small mashed-up portions of what we ate. If you eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and healthy protein, this should work for you too. But I encourage you not to rush--4 months is still pretty young to digest solids.

My son is 5 months old and I have been making his baby food for the last month. I always keep a few storebought jars on hand just in case, but it is easy to make! The only things I won't make are carrots (because of the nitrates) and prunes. I know there are some good books out there - I have one called "Cooking for Baby" and I love it, but even if you don't have a book, it's simple. I steam most everything (boiling takes out more nutrients). What I can't steam, I bake (squash, sweet potatoes, etc). Let it cool, then puree in the food processor. I freeze it in ice cube trays - one cube is a little less than a jar. Once they are solid, take them out of the trays and transfer them to freezer bags, label and you have food for a while! I add breastmilk to them once they are thawed to get the consistency my baby can handle. You don't have to freeze it, but I usually make a little to keep for a few days in the refrigerator then freeze the rest.

It's a really great feeling knowing that you are making your baby's food. You know exactly what's in there and can introduce more foods than the stores carry. Good luck!

Hi, we are doing the same for our son. You can also try Happy baby frozen food for your baby. Our son loves it!! You can find it at super target. It's neat because they mix the veggies with the fruits to make it more tasty. There are different levels for different ages. There is also a good book to follow called Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron... Good luck

Hi L.,

Making babyfood is easy, but having it be the right consistency requires some practice. I have the "So Easy Baby Food" cookbook, and think it's great. In addition to recipes it has a run-down on nutrition, when to introduce which foods, etc.

I'm pretty sure it's available from Babies R Us.

Once you know your daughter likes something, you can make it in quantity and freeze it (in ice cube trays -- then transfer to plastic bags or containers). Then you just defrost one cube each time you want to feed your baby.

Best of luck!
R.

You'd be amazed at how easy it is! Just get a little food grinder/food processer, and put a few spoon fulls of whatever you made for dinner (before you add the salt, butter, whatever) and give the button a push. I don't know that I could have done it for my first, because I hadn't really learned how to cook at that point (and I was 31!!) but by the time I had my third, I was cooking good, balanced meals every night, and it was a breeze. One of her favorites was home-made applesauce. Just peel, core and slice an apple, microwave it till it's soft, and run it through the food processor. Add a little water or breast milk if you think it's too thick. I found my daughter liked golden delicious or gala apples best, because they're more naturally sweet than some other varieties. You'll do just fine, you'll feel great about serving her great food, and you'll save a bundle of money, too! Those jars of baby food are for emergencies only! Blessings to you and your little one.

I, too, make my own baby food. I find that it is cheaper, I know exactly what my daughter is getting, and I am getting her used to the way "real" food tastes (I don't think store-bought baby food tastes the same as freshly made fruits/veggies). I have used the website wholesomebabyfood.com as my guide and it has been really helpful! I also bought the Kidco electric food grinder and 10 Kidco freezer trays to help with the process(just look up their website). I found that they work better than icecube trays because they are covered and stackable (ice cube trays tend to stick together when stacked). A few tips: do not make your own carrots (too many nitrates pass through their thin skins), don't feed a young infant avacado (my pediatrician advised against it), and making your own prunes is more trouble than it's worth (I did it once, and will just by the store-bought version from now on!). Make in bulk - it's easire that way. Also, I try to by organic as much as possible to ensure the quality/purity of the food. Good luck and enjoy the process... I find it very rewarding to make my little girl's food myself!

hi!
making your own baby food is awsome, cheap and so rewarding!
the best resource i have used is www.wholesomebabyfood.com it has all the info and answers you need. i reference it daily. its so fantastic.
i got the book healthy baby meal planner but havent used it much. i really like 'whole foods for the whole family by cynthia liar'. it has adult recipes and then tells you what do reserve for the baby to eat.
good luck and have fun!
L.

Hi L.,

I am a mom to two wonderful kids and when they were little
I made all of their food. If you taste everything that comes into a jar before feeding to your little one, you probably wouldn't feed it to her. I fed my kids everything that I ate. I would just puree it first. I always felt that if I made it at least I knew what they were eating (no hidden preservatives and junk). Wheather it was ham or roast, I just pureed a little meat, potatoes
and vegetable so the meal is well balanced. I started my kids with real food and never had a problem with them eating home cooked meals. They now would rather have it compared to fast food. Good luck! Remember keep it simple and balanced.

I definitely recommend making your own baby food. It's pretty simple and much more economical! Even better, you can introduce your child to a whole variety of foods not offered in commercial baby food jars.

If you don't already have a healthy supply of ice cube trays, head out to the store and pick up half a dozen or so. Then, fill one little cup with water and dump it into something so you can measure how big the cubes are. I have some trays that are about 2 tablespoons and others that are 1 tablespoon. It's just helpful to know how big they are so you know how many cubes to thaw later. (For a reference point, I believe the first foods jars are about 3-4 tablespoons, but if you pay close attention your baby should let you know how much she wants.)

Once you have your trays, you're ready to get started. Steam or bake the veggies. Puree in a food processor or blender, adding enough water (cooking water is great if you steamed...more vitamins) to get to a smooth consistency. I tried both a food processor and blender and found the blender did a better job of completely pureeing the food. Once it's pureed, spoon it into the ice cube trays, cover and freeze. The next day, pop them out and into a freezer bag labeled with the item and the date.

I also recommend keeping fresh bananas and avocados on hand. Half of either is easy to mash on the spot. I've actually seen some books that recommend avocado as a first food. Both of my kids started them pretty early on and really enjoyed them. My daughter even liked them better than her cereal.

As far as when to introduce foods, the general rule is to start the baby on veggies (yellow & sweet potatoes, then green) before fruits. If they get too accustomed to the sweetness of fruit, they may reject the veggies. Don't forget...feed each new food for 4 days in a row, watching for signs of allergies, before introducing anything else.

Good luck and and don't get too overwhelmed. You can always start by just making a little extra of whatever you are already cooking for yourself. :)

L.,
It's not as daunting a task as many make it seem. I made food for both of my kids until they were on table food.
My suggestion is to pick 1 day a week to make food when someone (your husband maybe) is available to watch the baby for 1-2 hours (or during naps).
Most fruits and vegetables can either be baked or steamed/boiled until soft and pureed with a food processor, adding water to reach a suitable consistency for your child's readiness. (I suggest adding water when feeding so you don't thin the whole batch in case they are ready for more thickness at a later feeding) There are several recipe books out there as well, but I never used any...
I made large batches and froze individual portions in ice cube trays that could be warmed quickly. Each portion ended up being about 1oz allowing me to keep track of how much they were getting and also to mix foods and offer several options once the initial allergy potential was ruled out.
Keep in mind that as long as they are eating and gaining properly all kids will eat different amounts from day to day.....let their appetite be a better guide than a specific # of ozs.
I personally think the biggest advantage was that they transitioned extremely well to table food and still eat a large variety b/c they are already used to the way "real" food tastes. (and I got a few hours a week to myself...even if it was cooking :)
Good luck with whatever you decide....and remember...whether you make their food or buy it, they'll be just fine. Don't let anyone guilt you into doing something that's not right for you and your family!

get the book, super baby food i have used it for both my daughters and i love it. it gives you the basics plus great recipes for when they are a little older, and i have to say i have the best eaters, and i believe its because of the book and exposing them to so many different foods than store bought baby food, good luck!!!

L.,
I have been using www.wholesomebabyfood.com for recipes and instructions to feed my 10 month old daughter solids for the past 4 months. Thanks to this website, I have only had to buy a couple jars of food for her -- and that was when I was out of the house and she was hungry!
A.

Home made food is a great idea. Also saves money. I used a food processer. If the food needed to be thinner you can add formula to the food until it is just the right texture for your baby. Here is another great idea my friend just told me she does with her grandson. She makes the food then puts it into ice trays and freezes it and then places the cubes into zip lock bags until ready to use. Just warm it up in the micowave. I think you can freeze for 6 months but I don't think you will have them that long. Bananas I just mash up with a fork really good. Add formula if needed. It's so simple. When I made dinner for my family, whatever meat we were having. I would make an extra one plain. Then put into processer with a veggie.

I found this great website. It's full of info.

www.wholesomebabyfood.com

I bought organic veggies and fruits, some fresh, some frozen. Steam it (it took only about 10 minutes), and put it in magic bullet. Since it is small portion, most of the time I don't have to freeze it. Many times I put it on the steamer all together (but not mixed) to save time, but blender it separately. I use the empty jar of store bought baby food to store it. That way I know how much my baby is eating.
I only spent about 1/3 of the organic jar food will cost by doing this. And usually from start to finish it will took me about 1/2 hour, and I can have about 9-12 jars of veggies and fruits (2-4 oz). Add baby water if the consistency is too thick.

Later on I made porridge-type food. I cooked brown rice/potato with some veggies and also add protein (chicken/beef) all together with a lot of water in a small pot. Once it cooked and soft, you can blend it with magic bullet or hand blender (just stick it to your pot). This will also make a good 9-12 jars (2-4 oz).

Why start with cereal? Your baby doesn't need it at all. It's just empty calories with some iron tossed in for consumer appeal. Give the girl mashed banana first, and proceed with other fruits first. Then introduce other mashed foods (beans, vegetables, then grains) slowly over the months. Chances are that since she's so young, she won't even be interested. My girl didn't start solids until 8 months because she just didn't want them yet, and it was difficult to spoon gunk into her mouth just to have her spit it out.

check out wholesomebabyfood.com
it's a great site!

People have been feeding their kids home made food for eternity. Don't get too stressed out about it.

The easiest most nutritious foods are sweet potatoes and bananas. Bake the sweet potatoes in the skin and put in fridge. When ready to use just slice off the size portion. You can also mash the potato and make sweet potato frozen portions by using ice cube trays. Just press potato into cube sections and freeze, when frozen pop them out and keep in a freezer bag. Take a couple out to defrost as needed.

Bananas are great! Just peel the banana a little at a time and scoop out a small spoonful...feed baby and wa-la...a meal! If baby only eats half, just fold the peel over for the next meal...so easy.

There are some great receipts for baby food on line. Keep it simple...no salt and no sugar is best at this very young age.

Don't worry about measuring the food. Baby will tell you when she's done eating. Also, baby's stomach is small and will need to eat several times a day to keep healthy and growing strong.

La Leche League recommends waiting til baby is 6-8 months old to start solids. When your baby starts showing interest in your foods (grabbing at it) that is the time to start solids.

Good luck, have fun...you have at least 18 more years of shopping, cooking and cleaning the kitchen all in the name of feeding your kid.

"Blender Baby Food" cookbook has been a great resource for me, I've been using it to make my twins' food for 4 months now. It has recipes based on age (by months) and also daily feeding plan examples. I've picked and chosen through the recipes and have sampled everything made, it all tastes great! Here's an Amazon link for the book: http://www.amazon.com/Blender-Baby-Food-Recipes-Homemade/...

Lastly, I've found that simply steaming whatever veggies & fruits you have on hand into small pieces (or mashed for younger babies) works just fine. Also, if you don't already have it, buy a baby food blender, this is the one I use, it's so simple, practical and easy to store: Electric Food Mill by Kid Co - you can buy it at Target, Babies R Us, etc.

I really haven't found that making their food is too ambitious or even that time consuming. The ice cube trays are a good idea, I've also reused store-bought baby food plastic containers, and have bought mini plastic containers around the size of baby food jars.

Best wishes, I think you are definitely on the right track to feed your little girl in a very healthy manner!