Makin' Baby Food

While I've always wanted to be a mom, there were many things I never thought about before becoming a mom. One of them was what I would feed them. I know that may sound a little crazy. I thought about their health, happiness, and well being, of course, but I never thought about which brand of diapers I would buy or which bottles I would use (who knew there were so many different brands/kinds of bottles out there!). Of course I knew I would feed them, but what brand of formula I would use or what kind of babyfood? Nope - never crossed my mind. I guess some things you just don't think about until you reach that point...

The backstory...

I knew from the get-go that I wanted to breastfeed and never in a million years thought I would have problems. Boy was I wrong! My oldest, the first night of her life, stopped breathing (they never really determined why, though they think it had something to do with eating...), and had to be put into the NICU. She was there for two days and one of the requirements for her release (she never had another issue, by the way, and is healthy and super duper active today) was for her to eat so many millileters of formula from a bottle.

Any mom who has breastfed knows that one of the things they tell you not to do until your baby learns how to latch on is give them a bottle (or a pacifier - which she got in NICU as well). They kept reassuring me that if I just kept pumping (they were giving her "the good stuff" in bottle form along with the formula), they would help us transition back to breastfeeding. I gave it the 'ol college try for a week. After many tears and much disappointment on my part, I was drying up and finally decided that for both of our sanities, it was time to move on to the bottle.

These are the bottles we happen to use, which was just what Aaron grabbed becaues we hadn't bought bottles before she was born - yes, I was that certain I would be able to breastfeed! Don't not buy bottles!

When I found out I was expecting again, I just knew I would be successful breastfeeding this time! We were in the hospital overnight and my youngest was doing a great job learning how to latch on! I was fairly successful at home, but when it came time for my milk to come in, it never really happened (in fact, I had to call the doctor because she got slightly dehydrated at one point and I had to give her formula) and so, once again, after giving it the 'ol college try, it was bottle time for her as well. Again - disappointed, but I transitioned a little better since I had already experienced the disappointment with Hailey.

Fastforward to "real" food...

This is Hailey eating avacado which was one of the first food's I fed her. We call this pictures "Shrek Lives"!

So fastforward a few months and it is time for my oldest to start trying her hand at the real stuff (in baby food form, of course). I hadn't really even thought about it before, but one day it occured to me...maybe I ought to try and make my own baby food! Of course, in the "olden" days, that was all they had, but now a-days, most moms purchase pre-made baby food. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that, but there were many reasons, in the end, I, personally, decided to make the "real" food I gave/give both my girls.

I know exactly the quality of the food that I am using to make their food.

It is much cheaper!

I can make things that aren't always available in pre-made baby food (at least ones that are readily available).

In my research I had read that some believe this can help babies be less picky eaters - though, honestly, that hasn't work with Hailey, but this was one of the reasons I wanted to give it a go. :-)

Because I couldn't breastfeed, I felt this was something I could do for them.

Makin' the food...

It is really easy to do, though it does require time and as a mom, sometimes we are short on time. I have found that when I do make a batch of food, I make quite a bit so that I'm not always having to make it. There are a few things that don't require you to cook them (bananas, avacados, mangos), but for most everything you need to cook it somehow (the best way is to steam or bake it).

A sweet potato that I wrap in foil and bake in the oven - then puree.

Fresh green beans that I steam - then puree.

Then, just puree it until it is super smooth! In the beginning, mix formula, breastmilk, or water with whatever it is to thin it out some if the consistency isn't right. Additionally, adding formula or breastmilk (whatever you are using) at first can help the baby adjust to the new tastes because it also has a familiar taste to it. Typically you measure out 2 ounce servings.

These are the containers that come with the baby bullet. They are full of banana - Hailey's first food!

There are quite a few helpful items out there that are available to help with storage of the food and even making the food! The most popular here in recent years is the "Baby Bullet". That is what I invested in and for making small batches, it works great! Personally, I have found that a good 'ol fashioned food processor (I actually use a Ninja because that's what I had) works great and, because I make big batches of stuff, works the best. I do use my bullet for the things that I don't cook (bananas, avacados, mangos) because I make those on demand.

The "Ninja" - full of pureed green beans.

 

The "Baby Bullet" base. 

**Note - this is not an advertisement for the Baby Bullet or Ninja food processor - these are just what I happen to use!

Once I make a batch of food, I freeze little 2 ounce popcicles of food (yum - a carrot popcicle) and, once they're good and frozen (I have trays that I use - much like ice cube trays...in fact, you can use those as well!), I pop them out and put them in a bag. Typcially you should use them within a month so I put the best by date on the bag and then, when I'm ready to feed the food, I pop it into the microwave.

 

The containers that I use to freeze the puree mix.

A bag of frozen carrots (the carrot pops) with the best by date clearly marked.

 

Some people pull the food they are feeding their baby into the fridge the day before to thaw that way (which is great!), but I never can seem to remember to do that. The danger with using a microwave is getting it too hot so I just use my head and test the food before I give it to them. :-)

It is super easy and if you are a mom of a baby who is about to start to transition from formula or breastmilk, you might consider making your own! Do a little research on the computer and get started! My favorite website is http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/. I pretty much learned all I need to know here and I refer back to it even now and even though I've done it before. It is a great website that includes the how-tos, what foods baby can eat when, and even includes charts you can print if you so desire! It is a great reference!!

So - I say - go for it! You can do it!

Are you a mom who has made your own baby food? Share some ideas with everyone that you found useful!