Making Your Own Baby Food

By Angie Gilchrist

Did you know that you can make your baby’s own food? Some parents and caregivers don’t realize this and just assume buying commercially prepared baby food is the only option for their children. By making your own baby’s food not only do you know what exactly your child is consuming, but you also save money and have less waste. It is also an easy way to monitor food allergies.

Like many mothers, Huntsville’s Brandy Lighthall wanted to know exactly what was in her son’s food; in particular she wanted to avoid water and pesticides. The mother to two-year-old Elijah prepared her son’s baby food by diluting it with breast milk, if necessary, and making baby food using only homegrown vegetables and/or organic produce. Karen Fidler of Madison - mother of two boys, Aiden, 3, and Cian, 1 - needed to avoid peas in baby food due to a reaction her first son had. “I quickly discovered that most of the combination jarred baby foods had peas as an ingredient, so I began making his foods,” said Karen. “When my second began to eat solids, it was just natural to make his foods as well. Cian has had difficulty gaining weight, so in making his foods, I can control the ingredients and make them more nutrient and calorie dense than the jarred or prepared packaged foods,” said Karen. Sharon Kornberg of Madison, mother to Aiden, 16 months, also wanted to know exactly what was in her son’s food. “By preparing his food I didn’t have to worry about additives, preservatives and coloring,” said Sharon.

Cost is another factor that gets many parents to consider making their own baby food. Katherine Nichols of Harvest - mother of three girls, Makenna, 10 ½, Nadia, 7, Petra, 3 ½ and one boy, Luka, 11 months - makes her own baby food to save money. “Making your own baby food is not only healthy it is much cheaper,” said Katherine. She’s right, too! A two-pack of commercially prepared baby food can cost anywhere from .80 -$1. A one pound bag of frozen peas, green beans or carrots can cost you $1 to $2, but you can make at least seven one-ounce servings – if not more – from one bag. The serving amounts can vary due to baby food thickness and how much water, breast milk, formula (or other ingredients) you put in the food.

Erica Kirkland of Huntsville - mother of one daughter, Lily, 4, and one son, Holden, 1 - saw cost as a major advantage to preparing her children’s own baby food but also saw the benefits of an organic and healthful diet for herself and wanted that for her children. “I want my children to never experience ‘junk food’ and hopefully never have to suffer the consequences of putting the wrong fuel in their bodies,” said Erica. Erica is not alone in wanting to share her healthful eating habits with her child. Sharon Kornberg and her husband both eat very healthfully and they felt “it was only natural to have Aiden eat the same way,” said Sharon.

Ruth Yaron, author of Super Baby Food, prepared her twin boys’ baby food because they were premature and she had concerns about the additives (such as sugar, salt and water) in commercial baby food at the time when her children were eating baby food. She made her children’s baby food for many of the same reasons mentioned above but also because she knew her homemade foods were fresher and tastier for her children.

Another reason to consider making your own baby food is you have a lot more options like broccoli or cauliflower. You can also tailor your child’s diet to eat as your family does.

Don’t be intimidated by the thought of making your child’s own food, its quite fun and easy to do. All you need to get started are some pots to cook vegetables, beans or meats, or you can use a microwave, oven, slow cooker, grill, etc. After the foods are cooked you can use a food processor, blender or a simple food mill to puree the foods. As your baby gets older you can use a potato masher or fork to break the foods down. Then you can freeze the vegetables, meats or beans in ice cube trays. Each cube is a one ounce serving. After the cubes have frozen transfer them to plastic bags or containers to preserve freshness. Many of the mothers interviewed for this article prefer to prepare fruit-based baby food fresh from day to day because of its ease in preparation. “It is much easier to make fresh fruit daily; it’s very easy to put an apple in the microwave,” said Katherine Nichols. Karen Fidler added, “Most [fruits] don’t require cooking like vegetables do.”

If this seems like too much work, check out some of the trusted resources from Valley mothers listed in the side bar to help you get started on making your own foods.

Don’t think that you can’t take baby food with you on the go around the Valley or on vacations. “The best things for on the go are avocados and bananas – ‘nature’s fast food’ – they come in their own wrapper and all you do is mash it up,” said Erica Kirkland. Sharon Kornberg would bring her homemade baby food in a Tupperware container wherever they were going. “I didn’t see it as any different than a mother bringing commercially prepared baby food [on the go],” said Sharon.

Angie Gilchrist is a freelance writer and mother to Eli, 2, and Charlotte, three months. She made Eli’s baby food when he was younger and plans on doing the same with Charlotte.

Homemade Baby Food Recipes

Ginger-scented braised apple and squash puree

1 1/2 tbsp ginger root, grated
1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate
1 medium leek, white part only, coarsely chopped
3 large Golden Delicious apples peeled, cored and cut into eighths
3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut in chunks (about 1 large squash)
2 cups chicken broth

Combine ginger, leek and apple juice concentrate in a large pot; cover and simmer until leeks are tender, about 10 minutes. Add apples, squash and 1 cup of broth; cover and simmer until very tender, about 1 hour.

Purée braised apples and squash in pot using a hand-held immersion blender or in small batches in a blender, careful not to splatter the hot liquid. Slowly add second cup of chicken broth until it reaches desired consistency. This makes a lot! I make soup by adding more chicken broth, salt, pepper, and some milk for the rest of the family to eat.

Submitted by Karen Fidler

Mango, Apple and Carrot Puree (10 Baby Servings)
1/2 Cup Baby Carrots, chopped
1 Cup Mango, chopped
1 Cup Apple, peeled and chopped

Put carrots in a steamer pot over boiling water for 3 minutes. Add mango and apple for 2 minutes or until everything is fork tender. Put in a food processor until smooth. Cool and serve.

Submitted by Erica Kirkland