Making own baby food

Hi.  We have twin girls that are 7 months old and I was going to try to make their baby food.  Did anyone do this?  What are some tips for doing this?  Did you make some and freeze it and if so what did you freeze it in?  Thanks for any advice.
 
 

 

I made it as I went along--rather than making in advance and freezing. I got a stick blender that had a small "baby food" attachment. I would steam whatever veggies I was going to put in our own meal, take some out, puree it, then add the rest into the adult meal. This worked great for us. I never bought prepared food and I actually found this make-as-you-go method very easy. We don't have extra freezer space and we try to eat healthy ourselves so there was always something I could give my girls from our meal. I'd save a little extra just in the fridge for times they might eat when we weren't eating. With my son who is 5 years younger than my twins, he never took to purées so I held off with him and did baby lead weaning with him starting about 7.5 months. He was slow to take to food, but then when he took to it, he REALLY took to it.

 

I was going to say, save yourself the work and do baby led weaning! They can eat what you eat. We did it with our son and it was much simpler then worrying about purées.

 

Agreed! We never gave the boys puréed food. They are now 12.5 months and eat everything we do. It's great!

 

We're doing a bit of both here. My twins are a little over 8 months and often they eat what we do but not always, so I always have some frozen purees on hand for those times. Making it is actually super easy - steam or roast or whatever and blend and pour into ice cube trays. Mine love apples with cinnamon and roasted sweet potatoes. I've found having a bit of frozen stuff in hand helpful for nights we want to eat later or days when I really need to get to the grocery store.

 

I bought a food processor thinking i was going to make all their baby food.
Instead, I feed them a little mushed sweet potato, avocado, banana and then read about Baby Lead Weaning.  We never looked back.  Not only was it easier for me but they seemed to really enjoy their meals.  
Today, they will try almost anything I put in front of them.  I think that is partly just who they are, but i have no doubt, part of that healthy attitude about food came from the BLW approach.

 

One of my kids was MAJORLY sensitive to texture until around a year old, so I did purees for a long time.  I made them in ice trays and then when they were frozen, took them out of trays and double bagged them in freezer bag.  I found some things easier and more economical than others, and some things didn't seem to be worth the time, or got watery or whatever.  I had good luck with carrots, apples, peas, sweet potatoes, pears (and also some blends).  I tried butternut squash and it was a major flop.  Others I never really messed with, like corn, and just bought them.  It was time consuming to make them, but I felt it was worth it to know more for sure what was in the food I was giving them.  The biggest thing that helped me was getting a few basic recipes online to have some idea of the water to food ratio that worked best for the things I was making.  That way I knew it wouldn't be too runny or too chunky.
 
I would have done BLW, but one of my boys wouldn't even eat a mashed banana until almost a year old, and things like veggies from our meals, no way.  He'd just gag and spit it out and scream.  I would totally try BLW if it will work for you, but don't feel bad or like you're doing something wrong if it doesn't work for you.  For what it's worth, both my kids are great eaters now - about the only thing they won't eat is lima beans.  And much to my dismay, they take after their daddy and love everything seafood, which I can't stand. :nea: :lol:

 

I have done a bit of both as well. Started with pureed foods and have gradually increased the chunk/ texture. Ice cube trays work great. Once it's frozen I throw the cubes in a freezer storage bag. I usually don't make alot in advance. Even chicken will work wonderful. Boil it then throw it in the blender with some of the stock it cooked in. I only made just enough for about two weeks. Then to heat I boil water and throw in some cubes inside a small bowl to soften. My girls have zero teeth but they gum really well. I no longer mash bananas. They can eat rice and small pieces of chicken or beef. I think we will be done with baby food soon. It's not hard to make your own and it is a lot cheaper. Good luck and enjoy!

 

I would steam veggies and then mash them up.  I would fill an ice cube tray up with it and thaw when needed.  Worked VERY well!    We started out with sweet potatoes and went from there.