I've entered the world of Baby Food Making...and it's rather easy and not all that time-consuming. I bought more fruits and veggies (pears, mango, avocado, sweet potatoes, and peas) last time I was food shopping so I could start the process. Micah got his first taste of sweet potatoes this week (from Earth's Best) and is really liking them, so I went ahead and made my own pureed version. That's my plan of action: buy a few jars of the food I'm introducing that week (if available) and see if it agrees with Micah and then make my own.
Yesterday I made pears and sweet potatoes using the Magic Bullet (hand-held blender, very handy!). I had to peel, cut, and steam them first. Then I pureed them and put them in ice cube trays to freeze. Once they were done freezing, I took them out and put them in a plastic bag in the freezer. You just take out the necessary amount each time you need it. One cube equals about one ounce.
Then I did some math:
Stage 2 of Beechnut costs $0.19 per ounce of food, no matter the kind.
The pears I made myself came out to be about $0.09 per ounce and the sweet potatoes came out to be $0.04 per ounce. Each made 20 ounces, so it'll last me a few weeks.
Store-bought baby food is convenient, to a degree. It took me just about an hour to make 40 ounces of food. To get to the store, I have to pack up Micah, drive there, pick out which foods I want and hope they have them, stand in line, pay for them, pack Micah back up and drive home. I don't really spend any extra time buying the fruits and veggies I need to make his food because it's coupled with my regular food shopping trip. I like, too, that he'll have a lot more options now that I am making his food and hopefully won't be a picky eater. When all said and done, it probably took an extra half an hour to make my own food, but it's entirely worth it considering the much lower cost and knowing what's in the food I'm feeding him. Some foods are not worth making (butternut squash) and I'll always buy pureed carrots because of the nitrate levels in regular carrots. Overall, though, I enjoyed the experience. Today, I sliced up some avocado and put it in the freezer (came out to be $0.10 per ounce, except I haven't seen avocado baby food anywhere, so I guess there's not really a comparison!) so it's ready when I want to start Micah on it. Next up, peas!
Excellent website I found in my baby-food-making-research journies: www.wholesomebabyfood.com
by Steve and Eden , on February 25, 2009 2:57 PM
I completely agree with you. It's totally worth it. I do hope Micah isn't a picky eater and that he likes to eat. Olyvia has never really been a picky eater. Praise the Lord! She loves avocados. Actually, I think she pretty much likes anything that's healthy and good for her.
One big rule in our house that I think has really helped is: Try it no matter what. Don't makes a face if you don't like it. Don't say "that's yuck", etc.
Also when guests come over we explain to them the rule and that they must follow it. We never have any complaints about it; and someone usually ends up discovering something they "didn't like" b/c they finally actually tried it.
I personally believe that kids become picky or not picky mostly because of their parents and or b/c of the people that they are around. They see all the things that we listed that are not to be done, being done and therefore they immitate and don't even give things a try.
Does any of this make sense? lol
Sorry if that was totally long-winded and made absolutely no sense. lol
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It was great talking to you the other day, btw! We should do that more often.
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I think I have a book about making wholesome baby food around here somewhere. I'll have to dig around and see if I can find it and then mail it to you.
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Love you guys!
by Mary , on February 25, 2009 3:03 PM
Yeah, I never looked into making baby food, but I do know that the jarred stuff gets expensive.
I guess when you cook pears they get dark :)
by Moz + Pam , on February 25, 2009 5:30 PM
How long are baby foods good for? I tried making baby food once when I just had Sara. After 2 kids it's harder to find the time. ENJOY!
by Kristina , on February 25, 2009 6:37 PM
YAY JESSICA!! good job on the food making!!! :-)
by Sara , on February 27, 2009 11:00 PM
That's really cool that you're making our own baby food. It's a great idea, especially when they're first learning to eat and aren't necessarily going to like anything... then at least you didn't waste too much money. :0