A Complete Guide On How To Make Your Own Baby Food

Are you interested in learning about how to make your own baby food? This complete guide will be your best friend!

When you make your own baby food, you are in complete control of how it is made. This is exactly why I love it so much! Making my own baby food is super important to me. There are so many benefits, which I will get into in a minute. As a mama myself, I am spilling the tea on how you make your own baby food puree.

You are going to learn about exactly how to make your own baby food at home from the benefits, tips, how to prepare, a few recipes to get you started, and so much more helpful information!

After reading this post, you are going to feel excited and ready to begin making your own baby food. Not to mention you will save money!

This post is all about how to make your own baby food. 

How To Make Your Own Baby Food

Some parents prefer baby-led weaning and others prefer purees. Go with what makes you feel most comfortable. Purees worked best for our family. You need to know how to make your own baby food.

I know there are so many busy mamas out there and you may be wondering how you will have the time to make your own baby food. Trust me, I wondered the same thing and I make it work easily. Sundays are the day I dedicate to prepping my daughter’s baby food. I make it in bulk and store it in baby food jars that are freezer safe. Super easy! I promise it is so worth it. Once you learn how to make your own baby food, you will see how beneficial it is for your family.

Benefits

There are SO many benefits! Let’s get into it.

One benefit is that you know exactly what ingredients are in the puree. This was the number one reason I decided to make my daughter’s baby food. A lot of baby food out there contains heavy metals. No thank you! I know exactly what ingredients are in my daughter’s baby food. I always reach for the organic food first. Healthy food is important to me.

Another benefit is that I save money. Who doesn’t like to save money? Is it cheaper to make your own baby food? ABSOLUTELY! At my local grocery store, Sprout Organics (3.5 ounces) cost $1.69 or $1.99 depending on the flavor you choose. Gerber baby food jars (2.5 ounces) cost $1.39. BeechNut Organics (4 ounces) cost $1.19 or $1.39 depending on the flavor you choose.

You have more control over meals. Your baby can eat what the family is eating. For example, when I make pinto beans I set some aside for my husband and I to have during the week. We are huge banana fans. We always have bananas in the house. My daughter actually refers to all food as nana. Working on correcting that! When I puree banana I also use banana puree for our my husband and I’s breakfast bars. Or I will freeze some to use for smoothies when I feel like switching it up for breakfast. I am all about easy! Sundays are my meal prep day. My baby girl loves when we are eating the same thing.

You are here because you are wondering how to make your own baby food. Keep reading.

Interested to learn about how to make your own baby food stage 1? Click on the related post below.

(RELATED POST: Beginner’s Guide: Baby Food Chart By Age | This Will Help You Plan Mealtime)

How To Make Your Own Baby Food Tips

Buy organic when possible- Personally I reach for organic first because these foods are grown without pesticides, they are non-GMO, and they’re free of antibiotics and hormones. I could go on and on about organic food, but I won’t!

If you are interested in a baby food subscription because you want healthy pureees but aren’t interested in making it yourself, I researched healthy companies for you to choose from. I got you! The link is below.

(RELATED POST: 11 Healthy Baby Food Subscription Options That Are Totally Worth It)

Introduce veggies first- Don’t make the mistake of starting with fruits first. Always introduce vegetables first. My pediatrician gave us a super helpful food chart detailing when we can introduce each food. Ask your pediatrician for one. I started with the vegetables recommended for her age, grains, then fruits last.

Invest in a food processor or baby puree maker- I am OBSESSED with my food processor for so many reasons. It makes working in the kitchen so ridiculously easy. It is also made for chopping, slicing, and dough. I highly recommend this product!

Soften any food you plan to puree as much as possible- Before preparing your little one’s food you want to make sure the food you are planning to make is as soft as possible. This will of course make it super easy for your baby to eat.

Add breast milk or water- If you are just starting to feed your baby solids, you’ll want to make sure the baby puree is a thin consistency, which makes it easy for your baby to eat. You can thin out your puree by adding breast milk or water. I always added as much breast milk as I felt comfortable. I would just pour in a little at a time until I felt comfortable.

Let’s learn how to make your own baby food.

What You Will Need

What supplies do I need to make my own baby food?

Food Processor– While a food processor or puree maker  isn’t an absolute must, it really does make life so much easier and does a great job pureeing food quickly. I also have a Vitamix and have tried pureeing in that and it just does not get the job done as well. I love it for my smoothies, but not for my baby food. The benefit of my food processor is that it can also can be used for chopping, slicing, and dough. It is such a versatile product. I highly recommend it! I use mine just about every day between making baby food, chopping vegetables for salads, and mixing ingredients for our family’s weekly breakfast bars.

Baby Food Jars– Making baby food in bulk is the way to go. It is such a time saver. However much you prepare at once you will need freezer-safe jars to store the food in. These are the jars I went with for my daughter. If you are interested in exploring other types of jars click the link below to read about other great options.

Plates– You will also need plates for your little one. I am a fan of the suction plates that are sectioned. These plates are really great as your child grows. Another plus is that they clean really easily and come with lids.

(RELATED POST: Where To Find A Great Baby Food Jar Researched By One Curious Mama)

How To Prepare

As I mentioned above, you really want to be sure that the food is as soft as possible for your little one.

When preparing the puree you can soften your ingredients by roasting, boiling, or steaming. How to make your own baby food bolls down to knowing the best way to prepare each type of food.

PRO TIP: Roasted carrots tastes amazing!

How To Store

I store my purees for 1-2 days in the fridge and freeze the rest. After freezing, it should be consumed within three months. I store my homemade baby food in glass baby food jars. I absolutely love these jars so I bought two sets of them. My favorite part is that you can write on the lid with an expo marker. These jars make labeling so simple. If you are looking for great storage options check out the blog post below.

(RELATED POST: Where To Find A Great Baby Food Jar | Researched By One Curious Mama)

How To Warm

Warming the food is a quick task. With the jars I have, I just fill up a bowl of water and sit the jar in it for a few minutes. After a few minutes I use a spoon to scoop out the puree and warm it in a pot until it is perfect for my baby girl to enjoy.

I know that you can also use a microwave. However, I don’t do that. I heat it up on the stove.

Recipe Ideas

I am sharing with you two of my favorite puree recipes for how to make your own baby food! Want to learn how to make pureed baby food? My daughter LOVES these recipes. So do I. I taste everything I make for her. I know that if I like it she will too.

How To Make Your Own Baby Food Recipe #1- Banana Apple Sauce

You will need 3 bananas and 5 apples. I always reach for organic.

Use a peeler to peel off the skin of the apples. Cut apple into slices and discard the core.

Put a thin layer of water in a large skillet and place apple slices in the pan. Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for 40 minutes to ensure that apples are soft.

Let the apples cool.

Once apples are cool enough, peel the bananas. Throw apples and bananas in the food processor and blend until smooth.

Warning: This is so good you are going to want to set some aside for yourself.

How To Make Your Own Baby Food Recipe #2 – Red Bell Pepper & Sweet Potato

You will need 2 sweet potatoes and 2 red bell peppers. Again, I go with organic.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

While you are waiting for the oven to heat, wash the sweet potatoes and cut up the bell peppers. Discard the seeds of the bell peppers and cut pepper into slices. Use a fork to puncture holes in the sweet potatoes.

Store the red pepper in fridge for now.

When the oven is ready, place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and cook them in the oven for an hour or until they are soft.

Once time is up, remove the sweet potatoes and slice them in half to let them cool down.

While you are waiting for the sweet potatoes to cool you can begin preparing the peppers. Fill a pan with 1-2 inches of water, place a steamer basket in the pan, and place the red pepper slices on top. Steam the peppers for 10 minutes or until the peppers are soft.

Once the sweet potatoes and peppers are cool enough, blend both ingredients in the food processor.

Looking for baby food recipes 6 8 months? View the blog linked below.

Looking for how to make baby food stage 2? View the blog linked below.

This post was all about how to make your own baby food. 

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