Mommy Rule #2 DO try making your own babyfood

It's easy and it saves money.  Any mom who has ever bought commercial baby food for her child knows how expensive it can be.  Even if you buy the cheapest brand on the market, you will still pay 45 to 70 cents a jar depending on how old your child is and what stage of baby food they eat.  That doesn't seem like a lot of money but my tiny little girl eats an astounding amount for her size...AND when you compare it to the yield of a batch of baby food you make yourself and what it cost you...it is so much less expensive to make your own, hands down.

     Personally, I have taken this approach:  I purchase jarred baby food to pack with us when we are not at home during a mealtime - when Avonlea is in the nursery at church, days when I run errands, etc.  When we are at home, most of the time I use baby food that I have made myself.

     I really enjoy being able to control consistency of the food my daughter eats.  Despite the age recommendations on baby food, my daughter seems to desire foods that are one step ahead in texture.  Right now, she should be eating Stage 2 foods if I went by her age.  However, Avonlea seems to get frustrated when food is too thin.  She has two teeth now and more on the way and she enjoys the chunky pudding like consistency of Stage 3 foods. Even if your child seems to be right on with her age appropriate food or even likes their food thinner, this is not a problem when you make your own baby food.  I use a Black and Decker Food Processor that looks something like this...

  ...You get the idea.  With this little baby that you can purchase at most stores like Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe's, etc. for about $40, you can make purees as thick, thin, chunky or fine as you want.

     In addition, when you make your own babyfood, you can control exactly what your baby is eating.  You can also decide how you cook that food.  I bake, steam or simmer(in very little water).  I do not boil any of the babyfood I make because boiling leaches nutrients from fruits and vegetables.

     Anyway, when foods are cooked through I place them in my food processor and turn it on.  In about 10 seconds you can have a chunkier puree or you can add a bit of water or juice (if you're making a fruit puree) and let it go for 30-45 seconds for a very thin and fine puree.  After the processor has worked its magic, I spoon the puree into ice cube trays and freeze.  When the puree is frozen, I label a freezer bag and pop the babyfood cubes out and place them in the bag.  Back they go to the freezer where you can store them for months...but it doesn't last long at my house.

     Lastly, I enjoy being able to make different combinations of babyfood and also the ability to "camouflage" foods that Avonlea dislikes.  She does not enjoy carrots but she eats them eagerly, albeit unknowingly, mixed in with apples.  Usually we go 2 to 1, apples to carrots.  And, while carrots are really the only food that she simply refuses to eat on their own, she isn't crazy about a few other things...like pureed steamed cauliflower.  I don't blame her, I'm not much on it either...but I hide it in other things.  And like me, I'm sure she will be more than happy to eat that cauliflower when mixed in with some mashed potatoes. Yum!

     I think tomorrow will be another babyfood making day.  Got to make something green.  Av's been eating a lot of yellow and orange veggies lately, and as a result her nose is beginning to appear a bit orange.  But as I have explained, making babyfood is very easy when you have just a few helpful tools and just a few spare minutes. So...making up some green veggies will be a snap and then I'll be on the way to getting her nose back to it's original color! ;)

Happy Mothering!