Homemade Baby Food

Well, as you know I have been making Barrett's baby food and I love it! :) I have so many friends with babies just a little bit younger than Barrett who are starting to ask how I make his food. As a result, I've decided to start posting about what I make and how I do it! I guess to start I'll talk about what supplies I've found work best to make baby food!

• Ice cube trays (any will work. If you're a perfectionist you may want square, silicon trays)
• Spatula
• Blender (When I first started I preferred the baby bullett to start, then used a full size blender, and have now been using a stick blender. Use what works best for you!)
• Deep pots for steaming foods
• Steaming trays that go in pots

Now you need some food! The first foods I made for Barrett were peas, carrotts, and sweet potatoes. You can start with whatever you want! Just keep in mind that if you start with fruits, some babies might not want to eat veggies because they aren't as sweet... That's why I started with veggies. Also, if you are a worrier about things, you might want to do some research about which foods are best to start for allergy sensitivities as well as nitrites {which I know nothing about...}. I wasn't too worried about that because neither TJ or I have any food allergies. Here is a great site that has tons of info about making baby food. [And once you check it out, I probably won't be that helpful. ;)]

The first step is to cook the food! Steaming and boiling are best because it keeps the most nutrients. When your baby is first brand new, you'll need to cook it very very well so that it is soft and easy to blend. After it's fully cooked, put the food in the blender and add a bit of breastmilk, formula, or water and blend. [FYI: I preferred to use breastmilk/formula because I felt like it added a bit more nutrition when Barrett was going through his "I don't want to drink anymore just eat everything I possibly can" phase. Now that he's past that, I just use water or the water that the food cooked in because there is still some nutrition in it. Blend it all up and pour it in the ice cube trays! I've found they work well because it's always right about one ounce and is easy to defrost. Plus, it's easy to put in ziplock baggies and store in the freezer. Just be sure to write what the food is and when it was made. They usually only last about three months in the freezer which is actually perfect because often they'll be ready for more texture by then! :) Good luck! Feel free to message me with any questions and I'll answer them as I can! :)