Homemade Baby Food

For those of you who do not currently have to feed any humans that require their foods to be pureed, please forgive me, as this post will probably make your eyes glaze over. At our house though, we are in the fun {messy} stages of baby food. We try to have a lot of fun when we are making food. So we are inundated with many nursery rhymes which really add an element of learning. I know a lot of people prefer to simply buy their baby food for their babes, and that is awesome, however one thing I do buy is holle goat milk formula as no other product is as good as that. I prefer though to use my homemade baby food whenever I possibly can. Don’t get me wrong, I for sure buy the organic pouches of food and use them when we are out and about all day, but 90% of the time, its the homemade game.

I could list a million pro’s and con’s to buying VS making, but i’ll just leave it at this: homemade baby food is cheaper and usually healthier. That’s all I am going to say on that debate:)

People ask me often how in the heck I keep up with Winstons eating, with not having to be in the kitchen all dang day everyday. I definitely spend time in the kitchen daily between feeding my whole family, but the method I use for making Winstons food helps keep that time to a minimum.

When it comes to making baby food, the biggest time saver you will get is to make it in big batches. You know those super healthy fitness people that have Meal Prep Sundays or whatever? Well I have Meal Prep baby food days:) I take the time during one of Winstons naps about twice a month and prep enough food to last at least two weeks. Here is how I do it:

Prepare the food which ever way you prefer. There are a bunch of different ways to prepare the types of food babies eat, but in the end its simply about getting the food softened. You can bake it, steam it, boil it, roast it, etc. My two go-to ways are steaming it in a pot on the stove, or baking it. Once the food is softened I throw it in my Vitamix and blend. This takes about 30 seconds because the Vitamix is a beast of a machine! I then pour it in to silicone trays that hold 1oz in each slot. Before putting it in the freezer I take a spatula and make sure to scrape it down so there is no food overlapping each slot. This makes them pop out a lot easier. Then it goes in the freezer, and once solid, I put it in individual bags labeled with the type of food and date. When it comes time to eat it, I take a few cubes out and heat them up {either microwave or in a pot}. Easy as that!

I freeze the good majority of the food I make, but I usually keep about 3-4 of the items fresh and in the refrigerator. This way over the next few days I can dish it out without having to defrost it.

Winston is currently almost 8 months, and so far to eat he has had: egg yolk, avocado, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, yellow squash, peas, spinach, broccoli, green beans, carrots, apples, pears, banana, and corn. He doesn’t get any dairy since up until two weeks ago he would react from just me having dairy and nursing him. The only grain he gets is corn, and its organic and in limited amounts. For my kids I have not given them dairy, grain, or sugar until they are one. I have done a lot of research on it, and what I have read lead me to feed them the way I do.

At each meal he usually gets 3 cubes with something mixed in. The cubes are 2 types of veggies and 1 fruit. For breakfast and dinner, he gets the cubes mixed with an runny organic egg yolk {put an egg in boiling water, take out after 3 1/2 minutes, and drop only the yolk in with the food {keep the whites out}}. He also eats about 1/2 an avocado daily, so that gets mixed in throughout. Did you know that about 1/2 of a days calories for a kid under 2 should be fats? Good fats obviously, but fats! The easiest way I have been able to do that is through avocados, egg yolks, coconut oil, and Kerrygold butter. I always have a good amount of some sort of fat in each meal of his, and plenty in storage too. Yes, I do wonder, does coconut oil go bad, but I haven’t had any spoil on me yet. I also add a few cubes of homemade Bone Broth in to his veggies before I blend them up. Its an incredible way to get that nutrient in him at such a young age!

I find a lot of importance in how I start my kids off with eating. I think you can teach them really healthy habits with food and eating from the very beginning. Braylen is an incredible eater. He eats anything I give him, and mass amounts! Now that isn’t to say that he is that amazing at it simply because of how I started him on foods, but I do believe it has something to do with it! {He also gets his fair share of donuts, ice cream, etc…don’t you think I deprive him {or myself for that matter!!} from treats often!

Each of us has our own opinions on everything when it comes to parenting, so please know that if you are choosing to feed in a different way- you are doing great! We are all doing the best we can for these sweet kiddos we love.

If you have any questions on any of this, please leave a comment and i’ll get right back to you!

These are some of the items that I have found to be super helpful when it comes to all things baby food:

Silicone Icecube trays in 1oz portions

Mesh Feeder {I like these ones specifically because other ones that have parts to take apart are a big pain, this one is just all one piece}

Small glass bowls with lids {great for plopping a few cubes in and heating them up, can also be taken on the go because of the lids}

Refillable Squueze Pouches {these are awesome because you can put your homemade baby food in them and take them easily on the go}

Oxotot divided plate {for when they start eating small chunks of food}

I don’t have a baby food cookbook that I use, but I do refer to Wholesome Baby Food website a lot. I just tend to ignore what I disagree with, and use it as a loose reference.