Is that beets or did my baby turn into a vampire? Despite the smile, Bo isn’t a big fan of beets!
Recently, Leslie left a comment asking about how the frozen avocado turned out and if it had a brown layer. To answer her question, no, my avocado did not have a brown layer but it was mixed with breastmilk. I am not sure if that makes any difference or not? I pureed it in the Cuisinart, added breastmilk and froze it in “Bo pellets” immediately. It’s one of Bo’s favorite foods!
Currently, Bo is eating quite the variety of foods. He still has cereal for one meal a day (usually with a fruit) and he is eating a large variety of fruits and vegetables for the other meal. So far I have made: avocado, carrots, sweet potato, pears, peaches, beets, squash, peas, green beans, broccoli, papaya, mango, and banana. (Suggestions for new foods are always appreciated!)
This weekend I hope to make two new foods – plums and apricots. Unfortunately, we will have to make a produce run first. Wal-Mart doesn’t exactly have a wide variety of organic fresh produce!!
Overall, making and freezing the food is quite easy. It takes a little time but I usually do it while I am making dinner so it isn’t like I am cooking at a different time — I am in the kitchen anyway. I usually make about 30-35 servings of an ingredient at a time and that lasts quite awhile!
The beets were the most difficult to make because they had to be boiled for two hours and then there was red juice everywhere! Ugh! They smelled kinda weird too!
Bo is not a big fan of broccoli, green beans, or beets. I thought maybe it was a problem with the homemade green beans (they aren’t totally smooth) and invested in some organic green bean babyfood but he wouldn’t eat that either. So far the green beans is the only pre-made babyfood he has tried and he didn’t like it — but I think he just doesn’t like green beans yet. Go figure! I’ve also given him jarred organic applesauce. Everything else, I’ve made at home.
To get him use to foods like green beans I’ve been mixing them with other foods that he really likes. For example I may give him 2 pellets of sweet potato and mix it with 1 pellet of green beans. This method must mask the green beans enough because he will eat it — no problem. I hope to slowly cut down the amount of the sweet potato so that one day he will eat just the plain green beans!
Many people commented on the last post I wrote about this topic that they didn’t make their own food because it required too much time. Honestly, if you cook anyway, I think you would only have to add about 30 minutes a week to make your own babyfood. And with the $$ saved, it is well worth it to me. I know it’s not for everyone, but I’m enjoying making it for Bo.
All of the hours spent researching high chairs paid off. Our high chair with a red cushion has worked out perfectly. It looks nice and works well. In my opinion, it was well worth it! I’m excited to see how well it transitions as he continues to grow. I guess I can say that I’m spending the money I’m saving on the babyfood on the chair but I’ve been so happy with it!!
Even better, Reagan likes it too…
Warning, long comment:
My feeds didn’t pop up your new post yet, but I was coming back to read your last post on infant foods and was glad to see another one.
For my mom’s daycare babies she just ground up what the other kids were eating and make their meals daily. Of course that was after they had already been introduced to everything. I am probably going to use your method for fruits and veggies at first for LG.
I am thinking about using regular oatmeal with LG instead of baby oatmeal. I read the ingredients in the baby oatmeal, it’s not just oatmeal! It also may contain traces of wheat, I’m a little worried, my sister had a wheat allergy when she was little. In your research have you come across anything about using regular oatmeal? I can’t find anything.
When I worked for the daycare food program we required infant cereal because of the iron fortification, but the oatmeal I buy for myself has the same amount of iron, so I don’t think it would be a problem.
hey! i’ve been lurking on your blog for a little while now – your little boy is too adorable!! – and have a couple questions about making your own babyfood. Do you just steam the veggies then puree them? Do you add any liquid to them (besides what you mentioned about the avocado)? And do you cook the fruits at all before pureeing? Did you just freeze everything in ice cube trays? My second child isn’t due until September, so there’s some time, but I’d love to make this one’s food rather than buy food like I did the first time. Thanks!! (my email: kristalucas(at)gmail(dot)com.) Thank you!! 🙂
Yah for the homemade baby food. You know that we made some of our own as well. Now I wish we had made more. There is always next time! It’s so easy and I think it helped M with transistioning to finger foods — same taste/same food. A great baby food resource is wholesomebabyfood(dot)com and wholesometoddlerfood(dot)com. I used this almost religiously. Great info and many great recipes!
FYI for those interested, the site mentioned will give you instructions for how to prepare and store almost any fruit, veggie, meat, and grain you can imagine.
First, I have to say that I really enjoy reading your blog. I started reading it from a link to a babyzone posting you made. I have a six month old little boy and have been making my own baby food as well. I want to recommend Blender Baby Food: http://www.amazon.com/Blender-Baby-Food-Recipes-Homemade/dp/0778801187/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210353198&sr=8-1
in addition to the books you listed. I don’t have any other friends breastfeeding or making their own food, so it is nice to have your blog for ideas. I work full time, but I agree with you, that making the food really doesn’t take up much time, plus I am enjoying it. Thanks and keep it up!
Bo is just gorgeous–he looks like a little model baby! 🙂
I make all the triplets’ food also. The only thing they’ve had that I didn’t make was applesauce, but now I make my own applesauce too. It just tastes better. Someone else recommended wholesomebabyfood[dot]com, which is a site I reference occasionally, but mostly, I don’t use books or websites. I just… I just make food. I started the babies on chicken this week and they LOVE IT. Absolutely LOVE it. And yes, it takes a little bit of time to do, but not that much. I am making food for three babies on top of working full time, taking care of my four year old, my house, my husband… if I can make baby food for three babies, then anyone can make baby food!! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! 🙂