it's time for me to jump into the land of solids!!!!
I've been looking forward to this for SO long & I know Claire has too! She's beyond ready to expand her eating habits from just milk. I can just picture what she's thinking every time I feed her "mommm, this is so boring. I'm sick of milkkkkk!" Ha.
You all know how frugal I am, so of course I am going to be ambitious & attempt to make Lu's baby food. But you know what? I have no idea where to even begin. What supplies do I need? Can I just use a blender? Or do I need one of those fancy, expensive baby food makers? What foods do I buy first?
I feel so overwhelmed with all of the options there are out there!
This is where you baby-food-makin' momma's come in. I need your advice & suggestions on how you make your babe's food & what you've been making! Anything you've got! I'm so lost as to where to even begin.
I think tonight, we are going to try rice cereal for the first time. I'm nervous & excited... & lame. Lol.
I can't believe this is finally happening! So thankful that the surgery is over with & Claire is back to her normal, happy {improved} self!
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Okay. I'm no expert here, but this week we tried Elli for the first time on CARROTS, and I am making her own food as well. I have a small Krups food processor, and I purchased a puree book (http://www.amazon.com/Top-100-Baby-Purees-Healthy/dp/0743289579/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300217805&sr=8-1) for 8.00. and baby food trays http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Baby-Easy-Breast-Trays/dp/B0007CS4EU/ref=pd_sim_b_5.
ReplyDeletehope this helps!
I need tips too. I have a nice blender its just not a baby food making one but it can steam foods so I'm thinking it will work when the time comes. I also have one of these :
ReplyDeletehttp://www.beabausa.com/product-multiportions.cfm
I am not sure if it will work or not because my baby boy is 4.5 months old and we haven't tried it yet. I am going to start with the rice cereal at 6 months and go from there with new foods. I look forward to seeing what everyone says about good baby food recipes though! Claire is seriously adorable!
Megan
So I made all my twins food myself, while one of those baby food makers is probably nice to have they are a little too spendy for me. I used my food processor or my blender. Check out this book
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Baby-Love-Healthy-Delicious-Toddler/dp/0312621922/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300218784&sr=8-1
I love this book, it shows you the age of baby that the food is meant for, has great combinations of fruits and veggies and even recipes that include chicken an salmon. It also shows you the most frugal way possible to make the purees.
You can easily freeze in an ice cube tray and then pop them out and store in bags, or purchase small gladware containers.
I loved making their food for them, and it tastes so much better then those lttle jars.
We have the beabea cook or however you spell it. it's nice, but definitely NOT necessary. If you can steam the food, and have a food processor or a blender I'm sure you're good. Avocado is good because you don't need to do any cooking or anything, just mash it up. Ryann hated it, but whatever :o).
ReplyDeleteActually, to be honest, Ryann hated everything I made for her. But hopefully Claire will be a little more accepting of what you give her!
Can't help you with the food making process... you're too cheap to buy baby food & I was too lazy to make it haha!
ReplyDeleteBut you have to film her eating & put it up! So exciting!!
I have heard a good blender is just fine! And I also heard that many people freeze the food in ice cube trays to save money on containers and then store it in freezer bags :)
ReplyDeleteI make all my LO's food... and I post a blog about how I made it each time I make a new food!
ReplyDeleteYou don't need a baby food maker. I use a kitchenaide food processor, a strainer, and basic utensils you probably already have (apple corer, knife, veggie peeler...)
wholesomebabyfood.com is a great resource!
You can definitely use a food processor and a simple metal steamer basket in a pot- you don't need to buy anything fancy. Avocado and banana are great first choices, as well, and only require mushing with a fork. Sweet potato is another good first that is super easy- just steam and puree!
ReplyDeleteSince my lo isn't here yet, I can't tell you from experience, but only what I've been told... I have also dont plenty of research on which foods to start when. Here is a great article I found, and there is also a book (I believe it's called Super Foods) that will walk you through it in more depth. I do know that you shouldn't add too many foods at once and give it a good week between trying something new. Good luck - I cannot wait to start making my own food. Hope she loves it!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.survivalinsight.com/homemade-baby-food.html
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ReplyDeleteYAY for real food....I never made any....maybe this time I will try!! I have a food processor...so it would probably be easy!! Good luck :)
ReplyDeleteI just made my first batch yesterday and it was SO easy! I only spent $5 and made 3 ice cube trays filled with apples, carrots, and broccoli. I just used a steamer and my food processor. I bought a book on my nook that gives me 100 recipes. So worth it!
ReplyDeleteI think it's awesome that you're going to make her food yourself. I don't have any
ReplyDeletehelpful advice considering my (so far) barren womb... but I just wanted to say how cute it is that you nick-named her Lu! love it!!
Here is a friend's blog, she has awesome tips and tricks! Best of luck! http://styleberryblog.com/2010/08/02/creating-a-new-normal-efficient-homemade-baby-food/
ReplyDeleteI am by no means an expert, but I have been really successful in making food for Quinn. Making your own baby food is the best. It is so easy. It is so cheap. And it is so much healthier.
ReplyDeleteI use this site as a reference for the best way to prepare food, and the order to introduce them. www.wholesomebabyfood.com
I usually bake (cut it up, put some water in the bottom of a pyrex, and bake at 350 for about a half an hour, give or take) whatever I am going to make, throw it in the blender (using the water from the bottom of the pryex if I need to thin it) and then freeze it in ice cub trays.
Quinn is (obviously) a picky eater, but she will eat and ice cube or two at a time.
We also skipped rice cereal, because it just turns to sugar when digested and did oatmeal as our first grain. We have also tried barely, but Quinn does not like that as much.
Avocados make a great first food, as do apples and yams.
Good luck! I hope you love it.
I made my daughters baby food and used the baebe cook, but you totally don't need it. Just steam the food and use a blender or food processor to puree it. I would start with a vegetable first, maybe sweet potato or butternut squash since people are rarely allergic to these foods and they are a little bit sweet, but not as sweet as a fruit. And not too binding like some foods. Some foods you don't need to do anything more than mush with a fork, like banana and a ripe pear or peach.
ReplyDeleteI always made big batches and then froze individual portions in ice cube trays or plastic baby food containers.
Good luck! And have fun feeding your baby...it is such a fun milestone!
I have the cookbook Love in Spoonfuls, plus the site wholesomebabyfood.com is an amazing resource. I just use a food processor because we already had one, though I have heard from friends that the Beaba Babycook is great.
ReplyDeleteI freeze the food in these silicone ice cube trays from Bed Bath & Beyond: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17293010
can't believe no one mentioned wholesomebabyfood,com, very good and very informative site with instructions and recipes for each age range, even toddlers.
ReplyDeleteif you didn't already love me, you're going to love me even more after tomorrow- i have a HUGE picture-full post scheduled for tomorrow that details alot of how I make Carter's babyfood.. and best yet? Like Nicole mentioned above, I use WholesomeBabyFood.com..which is an AWESOME and FREE resource.. but I go into all that.. You have so many different options :) Be sure to read it tomorrow! PLEASE?!!!?? LoL, it took FOREVER to put together with a crazy 7 month old!!
ReplyDeleteDef check out wholesomebabyfood.com. They have some great recipes and tips for all stages of introducing solids! I tried making some stuff for my Leila when she was starting out, but ended up turning to Gerber because it was just easier for us. Bananas, along with avocados, are really easy... just mash and serve - no cooking required!
ReplyDeleteGood luck! I'm so happy for you guys!
I also found that wholesomebabyfood.com helped so much. I made all my own food- very easy. Also just wanted to share the stylish blogger award with you. I posted it here: http://thewilsonhousehold.blogspot.com/2011/03/stylish-blogger.html
ReplyDeleteI'm with Nicole on this one. www.wholesomebabyfood.com is a God send! Its so much easier and cheaper than buying a book. And when I made Cheyanne's rice cereal, I found that a coffee grinder did the job MUCH better than a food processor or blender. Just a hint. Of course I cleaned the coffee grinder really well ahead of time. Super super easy. Go you for making her food!!
ReplyDeleteI also use wholesomebabyfood.com.
ReplyDeleteI do just use my blender though! :) Puree works just fine and I don't have to deal with my food processor parts!
Good luck!
So glad she is home!! and I made ALL my kids food from scratch, and I too used the website wholesomebabyfood.com ALL the time. I actually bought a few of those baby food grinders and NEVER used them. I just home cooked my babies food in mass quantities and froze it so it would last about a month. At first it took a little work but was totally worth it!
ReplyDeleteIt is so easy to make & yes you can use a blender; I am sure that those baby food makers make it 10 times easier & maybe cut off some time too BUT I too am cheap/frugal & refused to purchase one when I made B's foods. I LOVED making B's food & hope that you enjoy the process as well.
ReplyDeleteI found my recipes & the order in which he should eat what here:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/solidfood4to6montholdbaby.htm
Have you considered baby-led weaning? (Although I find the term "weaning" a bit misleading, since I have no intentions of weaning anytime soon.) That is what I've done with my son Shane and it's worked really well. He loves to be able to grasp the food and feed himself. If you plan to continue nursing, make sure you nurse before feeding, whether you use purees or BLW. A few websites are: http://www.babyledweaning.com/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/babyledweaning.htm
Yay. I see other people have posted the wholesome baby food website, so I won't...but that is seriously the "go-to" website if you are going to make Claire's food.
ReplyDeleteWhen Liv started out, instead of steaming her veggies/fruit, I would boil it with a little water...but make sure to use that water when blending in a food processor/blender, because some of the nutrients gets lost in the water. When she was older I started steaming because she could handle a thicker consistency.
I think I started with sweet potatoes, but the doctor later told me I should have started with something green. Liv didn't have a problem later being introduced to green foods. She loved them all (hello big non-picky babies!), just something to consider.
Good luck!
Desi
First of all I'm so glad she's getting ready to eat all the good and yummie solids she deserves :)
ReplyDeleteMy son hated the rice cereal so don't be surprised if she does. I hear some kids love it.
I never made my baby food like a good home mom would. :( I wish I did. It would have been so much healthier I think.
We just bought Walmarts brand baby food and he liked it.
We just did trials and tried different flavors and we figured out pretty quickly what he liked.
Its fun and frustrating at the same time.
You'll enjoy watching her little faces.
Take pics.
I make all of Aiden's food, and wholesomebabyfood.com is the only web site I have ever needed. I only have a normal el cheapo food processor, and I freeze mine in regular old ice cube trays and then store the cubes in freezer bags or tupperware. I save a ton of money making my own, and Aiden eats more and it doesn't upset his tummy like some of the store varieties.
ReplyDelete