Make Your Own Baby Food

Published on Thursday, March 5, 2009, by CHOW Food Team / Edit Post

Make Your Own Baby Food

CHOW tested, baby approved

Ever since Gerber put strained peas in a jar in 1928, baby food has been big business. There are lots of reasons to buy it: It’s quick; you don’t have to worry about adequate nutrition; it’s easy. Except it’s not so quick if it means an extra supermarket trip. And it’s not necessarily ounce-for-ounce nutritionally optimal—it’s got fillers and starches. It is, however, easy.

Making your own is pretty easy, too—and cheap. With a food processor or a fork, you can mash up your own cooked peas or carrots. It’s part of the joy, too: Revealing solid food to your kid, one green bean at a time, is one of the great experiences of the first year. (You won’t, however, be able to make a baby food flower garden or envelope licker).

There are a lot of rules about what a baby can eat when, so we’ve summed it up (very broadly) for you. Always turn to your doctor first. But remember, you’re raising a Chowhound: Eating is a pleasure.

BABY FOOD RECIPES

6 MONTHS PLUS

Pear Baby Food

Sweet Potato and Squash Baby Food

7 MONTHS PLUS

Green Bean Baby Food

Broccoli Baby Food

10 MONTHS PLUS

Chicken and Sweet Pea Baby Food

Over at our sister site, UrbanBaby, there are lots of discussions on baby food, from what to eat when, to how to make it:
» Advantages of homemade
» Whether homemade food makes for less picky eaters
» Whether it’s worth it to make baby food from scratch
» How kids react to meat in baby food
» Coping with the guilt factor of buying baby food versus making it from scratch

And here are some books that we’ve found useful:
» Naturally Healthy First Foods for Baby: The Best Nutrition for the First Year and Beyond
» Super Baby Food
» First Meals (New Expanded Edition)
» Cooking for Baby: Wholesome, Homemade, Delicious Foods for 6 to 18 Months

Next page: Baby Feeding Guidelines 1 2

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POST A COMMENT |26 Comments

COMMENT

  • If you enjoy cooking, have a few extra minutes, and are interested in trying it, go ahead and make puree.
    If you don't care to try it, then buy the pre-made stuff.
    Pureed foods are a great way to introduce new foods to a child who doesn't have the hand/eye coordination to feed him/herself, or the chewing/teeth/swallowing ability to mush it him/herself. Why deny a growing infant (who clearly is...+READ

    If you enjoy cooking, have a few extra minutes, and are interested in trying it, go ahead and make puree.
    If you don't care to try it, then buy the pre-made stuff.
    Pureed foods are a great way to introduce new foods to a child who doesn't have the hand/eye coordination to feed him/herself, or the chewing/teeth/swallowing ability to mush it him/herself. Why deny a growing infant (who clearly is interested in putting everything else in his/her mouth) the opportunity to try something new until he/she is one year old?
    In the end, there is no "right" answer to the question "what is the best way to feed my child?" Do what works for you.
    Don't feel guilty you aren't doing it the other way. Your child will grow up strong, healthy, and happy, as long as you love him/her.-COLLAPSE

  • I completely agree with VikingKvinna - prepared baby food is unnecessary.

    By the time (whenever that time is for your particular child) is ready to start on real food, they are ready for fork mashed fruits and veggies, rice and the other things VK mentions. Keeping in mind the known allergins as well as choking hazards, there is no reason that a baby can't eat the same thing the...+READ

    I completely agree with VikingKvinna - prepared baby food is unnecessary.

    By the time (whenever that time is for your particular child) is ready to start on real food, they are ready for fork mashed fruits and veggies, rice and the other things VK mentions. Keeping in mind the known allergins as well as choking hazards, there is no reason that a baby can't eat the same thing the parents/caregivers have on their plates.

    Big business has done a fantastic job brain washing Americans into thinking processed baby foods are a necessary part of feeding a child.-COLLAPSE

  • Hi! Thanks for this nice post and your baby food recipes are excellent. Homemade infant food may help cut food costs, and provide baby with food as nutritious, if not more nutritious, than store-bought baby foods. Making your own baby food will also help baby get used to foods the family eats. When you prepare baby food, it's important that your work area and equipment be impeccably clean....+READ

    Hi! Thanks for this nice post and your baby food recipes are excellent. Homemade infant food may help cut food costs, and provide baby with food as nutritious, if not more nutritious, than store-bought baby foods. Making your own baby food will also help baby get used to foods the family eats. When you prepare baby food, it's important that your work area and equipment be impeccably clean. Homemade baby food is only as nutritious as you make it. If you overcook, home-prepared baby food scores fewer nutrients than the baby food you buy in the store.
    healthy children's recipes-COLLAPSE

  • Probably very tasty :)

  • Regardless of whether or not the jarred baby foods have fillers, they're still a) expensive, b) environmentally unfriendly, c) inconvenient, and d) unnecessary.

    For that matter, making and freezing cubes of baby food as this article recommends is unnecessary -- with the caveat that it's a great idea if you want to preserve a good seasonal vegetable (such as an organic winter squash). Otherwise,...+READ

    Regardless of whether or not the jarred baby foods have fillers, they're still a) expensive, b) environmentally unfriendly, c) inconvenient, and d) unnecessary.

    For that matter, making and freezing cubes of baby food as this article recommends is unnecessary -- with the caveat that it's a great idea if you want to preserve a good seasonal vegetable (such as an organic winter squash). Otherwise, there's no point to making special "baby food." A baby should get most of his or her calories from breastmilk until one year of age, at least. At that point, s/he can begin to eat regular adult-people food, in moderation of course: brown rice or other whole grains, pasta, small amounts of soft meats, tofu, cheese, shredded or mashed vegetables or fruits, scrambled or hardcooked eggs, beans, etc. Unless you eat a super-complicated, super-spicy diet, there ought to be some element of your own meal that baby can eat. If not, it's easy enough to mash up some ripe banana or avocado, serve some previously-steamed or roasted sweet potato, or give some leftover rice or beans. Scramble an egg, put down some cheese or whole-grain crackers. Done. Baby gets to play and eat, you get to enjoy your meal without fiddling around with frozen cubes of things, and everyone is happy.-COLLAPSE

  • To expand on my post re ingredients:

    http://www.gerber.com/Products/1st_FOODS_Vegetables.aspx?PLineId=dda9d694-100d-4877-a8a5-6fdddd5ce38b&PCatId=1ed6eb6b-4828-400b-be86-9c6491a530d5&PMilestoneId=e369128f-9a42-444d-9498-80f87937c8f8#

    ...+READ

    To expand on my post re ingredients:

    http://www.gerber.com/Products/1st_FOODS_Vegetables.aspx?PLineId=dda9d694-100d-4877-a8a5-6fdddd5ce38b&PCatId=1ed6eb6b-4828-400b-be86-9c6491a530d5&PMilestoneId=e369128f-9a42-444d-9498-80f87937c8f8#

    http://www.beechnut.com/Our%20Baby%20Food/product.asp?P=14509&Category=1&SearchValue=3&SearchVals=About%204%20-%206%20Months&ListValue=1&SearchType=By%20Age&ProdType=-COLLAPSE

  • Kudos to those who make their own baby food -- but did have the writers of this article looked at an ingredient list on a baby food jar recently? Except for custards and puddings, most "first foods" (like the recipes here) DON"T have fillers or starches -- its just a veg or fruit and water. Seriously -- I have a 5 month old and a 3 year old. I've bought a LOT of baby food recently.

    Research...+READ

    Kudos to those who make their own baby food -- but did have the writers of this article looked at an ingredient list on a baby food jar recently? Except for custards and puddings, most "first foods" (like the recipes here) DON"T have fillers or starches -- its just a veg or fruit and water. Seriously -- I have a 5 month old and a 3 year old. I've bought a LOT of baby food recently.

    Research please!-COLLAPSE

  • I think that baby with the messy face is adorable

  • I must be a sick person, but every time I see the icon of the little baby face with the carrot (sweet potato?) puree oozing out of her (his?) mouth on the side panel on the website, I just cannot concentrate. It's distracting because it's just, well... gross. Is it baby food, or vomit?

    Babies, yes. Babies with fluorescent orange sludge spattered and languidly dripping down the face, no. I know,...+READ

    I must be a sick person, but every time I see the icon of the little baby face with the carrot (sweet potato?) puree oozing out of her (his?) mouth on the side panel on the website, I just cannot concentrate. It's distracting because it's just, well... gross. Is it baby food, or vomit?

    Babies, yes. Babies with fluorescent orange sludge spattered and languidly dripping down the face, no. I know, give me a vasectomy.-COLLAPSE

  • Very helpful tips and tricks. I have primarilly fed my kids homemade food, but these tips for timesaving are great. I deffinately suggest starting with a veggie before a fruit to new eaters, so to avoid the sweet tooth.

  • This is innovative. I've never known anyone to make baby food. i never even considered it an option. It is definitely baby boom in my family so I will be passing this article on.

  • KIDCO baby food grinder: quickly and easliy prepares food for baby by grinding what you make for the rest of the family. No extra cooking.
    Also marketed under the name Happy Baby. My go-to baby shower gift and it gets rave reviews from Moms.

    http://www.happybabyproducts.com/kidcofoodmill1.html

  • Making your own baby food has the added bonus of knowing exactly what you put in it and is a real wallet saver too. Here are some more tips for what I found in making food for my son.
    http://www.examiner.com/x-3636-Seattle-Healthy-Food-Examiner~y2009m3d31-How-to-make-your-own-baby-food

  • I like your technique velvetjones! I will have to try that too. I recently used the latke/pancake technique to make sweet plantain pancakes with cinnamon apples (big hit!) and black bean, cooked rice, and shedded cheese (with cumin and garlic for flavor) I just used extra ingredients from our last chili night (we eat turkey and black bean chili, Texas-style over white rice. My baby insists on...+READ

    I like your technique velvetjones! I will have to try that too. I recently used the latke/pancake technique to make sweet plantain pancakes with cinnamon apples (big hit!) and black bean, cooked rice, and shedded cheese (with cumin and garlic for flavor) I just used extra ingredients from our last chili night (we eat turkey and black bean chili, Texas-style over white rice. My baby insists on feeding herself and I just take these out of the freezer (parchment or wax paper between the pancakes saves a lot of headache later on), defrost and rip into bite sized pieces.

    I think the rice and bean ones would make an intesting grown-up appetizer--they were delicious, maybe with a adobo sour cream dip?

    When DD was younger I made her lots of baby hummus. I just leave out the tahini. Makes a good puree to freeze.-COLLAPSE

  • I've been making baby food for my 7 month old for several weeks, it's really very easy. this is a little over the top, but for his cereals (rice, oat and barley) I have a great mr. coffee grinder that I just got at target, it has a removable cup that you can throw in the dishwasher. i grind the grains, then cook like cream of wheat . After it's cooled a bit I put it into a ziploc bag, cut the...+READ

    I've been making baby food for my 7 month old for several weeks, it's really very easy. this is a little over the top, but for his cereals (rice, oat and barley) I have a great mr. coffee grinder that I just got at target, it has a removable cup that you can throw in the dishwasher. i grind the grains, then cook like cream of wheat . After it's cooled a bit I put it into a ziploc bag, cut the corner off and make "cookies" on a parchment lined sheet. Once those are frozen I throw them into a ziploc bag.-COLLAPSE

  • This is another useful site, with recipes and a lot of info about the age at which you can introduce various foods to your baby's diet:

    http://wholesomebabyfood.com/

    My wife and I make all of our baby's food, and it's no more effort than making a few extra side dishes a week. If you use the cubes to freeze individual portions, you can make several weeks' worth of meals in an afternoon.

  • I think it is easiest to make your own food and serve some to your baby. My favorite resource is:
    http://www.babyfood101.com
    I hope this is helpful.
    Lisa

  • That baby is adorable! Here's another great and "free" resource for homemade baby food recipes...

    www.nurture-baby.com

  • We found the trick to doing our own baby food (we didn't buy a single jar for either of our children) was preparation.

    Sunday night after shopping, we would load carrots, squash and sweet potatoes, pears and apples into our oven and baked them until soft. Frozen green beans and peas would be cooked on the stovetop with a scant amount of water.

    Oatmeal was milled down in a food processor and...+READ

    We found the trick to doing our own baby food (we didn't buy a single jar for either of our children) was preparation.

    Sunday night after shopping, we would load carrots, squash and sweet potatoes, pears and apples into our oven and baked them until soft. Frozen green beans and peas would be cooked on the stovetop with a scant amount of water.

    Oatmeal was milled down in a food processor and stored in ziplocs -- it had the perfect consistency when warmed formula/breast milk was added (smushed apples and pears usually added.)

    We had a bunch of empty jars from friends/family that we would fill up and stash in the fridge -- that would usually keep us through the week.

    Anyway, the kids really enjoyed the food, it really stretched a dollar, and they have grown healthy.-COLLAPSE

  • Thanks for the great article. What beautiful models!

  • If you're sending your child to daycare, you can pack the frozen cubes of food in a container and they'll be thawed in time for lunch- and my daughter never minded eating the food cool/lukewarm.

  • whoops, lots of typos, sorry. I forgot to say that I added some baby cereal to the batter to make it a little smoother--I think it was barley cereal. Anyway, next we are going to make them with plantains!

  • If you really want to get gourmet for bebe once she's old enough for finger foods (and old enough to eat egg yokes helped alot too!) try making various pancakes for her to enjoy. I experimented with one sweet potatoe (grated), 2 small apples (ditto), one small white potato (finely grated), 2 egg yokes, and my baby's fav spices, nutmeg and cinnamon. I fried them up like potato pancakes in some...+READ

    If you really want to get gourmet for bebe once she's old enough for finger foods (and old enough to eat egg yokes helped alot too!) try making various pancakes for her to enjoy. I experimented with one sweet potatoe (grated), 2 small apples (ditto), one small white potato (finely grated), 2 egg yokes, and my baby's fav spices, nutmeg and cinnamon. I fried them up like potato pancakes in some butter (my dentist is big on buter for calcium) and voila, baby pancakes that were so tasty DH and I both ate some. I froze the left overs for later meals.-COLLAPSE

  • I don't get baby-haters. YOU WERE ONE ONCE. Also, please look at news photos published after any terrorist attacks (i.e. Mumbai) and then re-define what you consider stomach turning.

  • That baby is the most adorable baby ever. Seeing the picture brings a smile to my face, too cute.

  • The picture for this article shows up all over the place, whether or not you are interested in reading this article.
    Do we all have to look at a baby with food smeared on its face? Seriously? That picture is absolutely stomach turning.