Resources for Homemade Baby Food

Hi friends!

I had several requests to share recipes and resources for homemade baby food, so here goes! My go-to website for recipes (and probably the most popular site out there on homemade baby food) is Wholesome Baby Food. There is a wealth of information on their site as to when it is advisable to start baby on solids, what foods to introduce when, how to prepare them, etc. Of course, consult your pediatrician and use your mommy instincts.
Wholesome Baby Food also has a good amount of information on baby-led weaning if you prefer to skip purees altogether and start with tiny bits of finger foods.
I was given this book, below, as a shower gift and it is so fun. Lots of good basic information on nutrition for baby as well as recipes for different age groups.

While there are plenty of ways to cook baby food, I have thus far been cooking a food (say apples or peaches or zucchini) with a bit of water until soft and then pureeing in my food processor and pouring into jars which then go into the freezer. If you want to add a cute fabric accent to your jars just cut a square of your favorite fabric a few inches larger than the diameter of the top of your lid and place the fabric between the metal lid and the ring. As an easy inexpensive alternative, you can pour your purees into ice cub trays, freeze, and then pop the frozen little servings into freezer bags as well.

There are fun baby gadgets you can buy to prepare baby food like the Beaba. So far I have had a great time just using the stove top method, but steaming, which the Beaba does, rather than boiling, is supposed to keep more nutrients in the food. As an aside, the stuff in the grocery store is boiled to such a high temp that it is safe on the shelf for up to two years.

The jars we used to store the baby food my friend and I made the other day were everyday ball jars (size extra small). Just hit up the canning section of your grocery store. We put the jars in the freezer to store the baby food. We did not can the food. Canning baby food is not recommended because of the increased risk of botulism, as explained here.

I hope this helps some of the other mommies out there. I am not an expert on this subject at all and am learning as I go! If you have a great baby food tip or recipe, etc., please leave it in a comment so we all can benefit. Thanks ahead of time! Have to run and serve Wynn some sweet potatoes now 🙂

Until later,

7 Comments

  1. We have been making baby food too. It is so easy and I know exactly what it is! Have you tried meats? I haven’t been successful with meat.

  2. apple sauce (as long as you check the ingredients list for no added sugar) works just as well… and the lunch size containers are super easy for on the go or keeping in the diaper bag too.:)

  3. I hope to make my own baby foods in the future – thanks for the information. It is great to see more and more parents choosing to make their own with fresh ingrediants!

    I am expecting my first child in February. Are you still planning on starting your WynnBaby line of bedding? I know you clearly have a lot going on in your life and may not have had as much time to devote to your WynnBaby line. I would love to purchase bedding from you, let me know if you have any for purchase or if you still plan on launching your online shop!

    djokerst@hotmail.com

  4. I will be sharing these resources with my daughter. She is planning on making her own baby food, for our new little one that arrived last Tuesday. Perfect timing. Jackie

  5. Thank you, Erin! Hey, I’ve been wanting to start a blog, but have been wondering about the “stalker” factor. I’m such a scaredy cat and I’d be afraid if I shared things about my family or even myself some crazy might show up at my door. Am I Looney Tunes myself for worrying about this? Does it ever cross your mind?

  6. An easy alternative container to a glass jar (since you shouldn’t freeze them) is those little 2 oz. take-out sauce containers. They’re great b/c they’re disposable, and the seal is excellent. I found them at Sam’s Club, something like 2000 for $17, then you also need to buy a box of lids for the same price… kind of pricey to start, but you’ll use them forever. I used them for my twins, and didn’t end up using a third of them. I sold the rest on craigslist for $20.

  7. My favorite way to store homemade purees is to make the puree a little on the thick side and use an ice cream scoop to scoop servings onto parchment lined cookie sheets to freeze. Once frozen move to a ziplock bag and when you’re ready to use just thaw and you can thin as needed with breast milk, water, milk or fresh juice depending on the age of the baby.

    It took me 3 babies to figure our this fast, easy method. No more fighting to get them out of or cleaning ice cube trays.

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