Frugal Friday- Homemade Baby Food

Posted on Friday, May 11, 2007 at 1:27

Here's a Frugal Friday Tip for all you mommies!!

Did you realize that "parents who use processed baby food spend an average of $300 or more on baby food during their baby's first year of life??"  Whew, that's a lot of money!  "Making baby food at home is extremely cost-effective. On average, baby food prepared at home can cost as little as $55 in the first year!!"  (Source, the Pregnancy Store)  In other words, if you are the mother of a small baby, you can't afford NOT to make baby food!!    Our youngest daughter, Emily, will soon celebrate her first birthday, and she has been enjoying homemade baby food since she first started solids at five months old.  In fact, in the rare event that she's given store-bought baby food, I can hardly get her to eat it!!  Making Emily's food has been highly rewarding for me because not only am I certain that she's getting a healthy diet, it's VERY cost efficient and easy to do!  Here are some simple tips to get you going, or, if you're already making your baby's food, to encourage you to keep on playing chef!   

1-Cook or steam some of your little one's favorite veggies and fruit.  Yummy choices include sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, bananas, etc.  The older your baby gets, the more you can vary his/her diet.  I give Emily oatmeal, rice, left-over casseroles, stews, etc.  Just stay away from spicy items, of course, or food items that can be "gassy" (broccolli, beans, etc).

2-Puree prepared foods in a food processor; the younger your baby is the longer you'll want to process it so there are no lumps.  To thin veggies or fruits, I use unsweetened applesauce or 100% fruit juice (not fruit punch) or sometimes just plan old filtered water.  If you're breastfeeding, you can also use breastmilk.  I steer clear of yogurt and cow's milk since lactose-intolerance runs on both sides of our families, but you can use milk products if your baby's tummy can handle them.

3-If you're going to serve the baby food right away, place it in an air tight bowl and store in fridge.  Otherwise, spoon food into ice cube trays and freeze for a few hours.  Once your baby food is solid, remove from trays and store in  freezer-safe containers or freezer bags.  Baby food will keep for about 3 months in the freezer, but chances are you'll use it up long before then!   

TIP- A single "cube" in an ice cube tray is approx. 1 ounce.  You can purchase actual baby food trays, made by Fresh Baby, online or at some department stores.  I used plain old ice cube trays for a while, then recently purchased a set of Fresh Baby trays.  The only perk about the trays vs. ice cube trays is that Baby Fresh trays have lids.  I bought mine from our health food co-op for $7.99 for a pair.  You can do a search on the web and find them at various places for reasonable prices. 

Baby Meal Ideas:   You can make some yummy "baby meals" by combining your baby's favorite foods together in the blender.  For instance, I started feeding Emily pureed oatmeal for breakfast to help her have good bowel movements when she was little; since bananas are great for cloth diapered babies (helps keep their bowels fibrous and easy to clean off the diapers), I pureed oatmeal and bananas together with apple juice for a delicious morning meal!  I've also added fruits like pears or peaches with oatmeal.  Other tasty combos are mixed veggies (carrots & peas, for instance), rice & veggies,  or mixed fruit.  Making baby food is also a great way to use up left-overs... vegetable soups, chowders, and casseroles are especially easy to make into baby food.  Just pop them in the blender then  freeze! 

Frugal Friday

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, May 11, 2007 at 2:23 - Link

These are great ideas, and I did some of this when mine were little. You can get ideas for food combinations from the baby food jars. And not only are you saving $$$, you're giving your baby fresher, healthier food.

I do wish I had known about that oatmeal for cloth diaper babies with my first. I might be a bit saner today. ;-)

Sherry
http://redbudslane.blogspot.com

Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, May 11, 2007 at 8:19 - Link

Thanks for the ideas! My little one is almost on table food alone, but I could still freeze little bits of leftover for quick, baby-size lunches.

Meredith from Like Merchant Ships

Hi

Posted by MyThreeDaughters on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 1:05 - Link

Bananas were one of my babies first foods. I mashed them with a fork. If they are not ripened properly to squash you can help them along with the microwave.

Couscous is a great baby food in place of pasta.

Good Post...

Posted by rellamom on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 1:21 - Link

I don't think many people realize how easy and convenient it is to just avoid baby food jars/pkgs altogether!

You don't even need to prepare your own in special batches for freezing, etc... Just give your little one what the family is eating!

We always had SOMETHING for a meal that the baby would enjoy/be able to digest.

Using a fork to mash the food, or using a mini-food processor (we found one for less than $5) or baby food grinder (I got one off of ebay for $5, new) just prepare something yummy for your little one that you've already cooked the rest of the family.

Carrie