I’ve decided to make all of my kids’ food. OK, I’m not making my own cereals, those still come from a box. But as far as pureed fruits & veggies, I’m making as much of it as I possibly can. I didn’t really know ahead of time that I’d be “that person.” I have no moral objection to commercial baby foods, except that the times I’ve tried them have been on a dare (at a baby shower), and they were largely nasty. Then I started to realize that I had options other than the stuff in a jar, and that, frankly, homemade baby food isn’t just a crunchy hippie thing to do. (And crunchy, I’m not.) No, I have elected to make as much food for my kids as possible for a number of reasons:
- I like to cook! I’m home! Why not?
- If I make it, I know what’s in it. No weird starches or stabilizers of questionable nutritional value.
- It’s real food, with real flavors and textures. I can only hope this will help my children’s taste buds, though I know we’ll still go through a chicken fingers phase.
- It’s cheaper. Not that I’m a major penny pincher, but I’m paying less for better food and less waste (packaging). Sounds good to me.
- If I’m being completely honest with myself and you all, I have to admit that I find it sort of psychologically redeeming after not being able to breastfeed them.
Yes, I’m still talking about the breastfeeding that I stopped more than four months ago. Yes, I do still think it was the right decision for all of us, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still conflicted about it. And it’s not the primary factor behind my decision to make my own food. I actually really enjoy making it. I love seeing something at the grocery store and deciding my kids will try it. But there’s also a variety of reasons that I feel really good about that choice.
I’m not going to completely avoid all commercial food. It’s convenient for a reason. When we go to California next week (yes, we’re flying cross-country with two 7-month-olds, and no, I don’t want to talk about it), I will totally just get stuff from the store. But I’ll also take the opportunity to introduce my kids to the pure joy that is avocadoes. Mmm, baby guacamole.
I think one of the other things on my mind is trying to help my kids enjoy eating healthy, and hopefully encourage positive habits. I don’t plan on introducing juice any time soon (who needs it?), and I definitely won’t be adding any sugar to any of my purees. There’s so much sweet goodness in fruits, I see no need to add calories that are devoid of nutritional value. Yes, some of this is totally related to my own issues/struggles with food. But hey, if I can foster healthy habits in my kids (without being a total nutter), that’s a good thing.
Anyways, that’s what I’m up to. People assume it’s got to be so much work, but it really isn’t bad at all. I can throw some sweet potatoes in the oven or cook some apples on the weekend. Throw ‘em in the Cuisinart, freeze it in ice cube trays, and I’m good to go. The time-consuming part is the actual baby-feeding oatmeal/sweet potato carnage in my kitchen. Actually cooking it is no big deal at all. I get my guidelines (OK’d by my pediatrician, of course) from WholesomeBabyFood.com, if you want to check it out. I admit to being somewhat afraid of meat purees, but I’ll jump off that bridge in a couple of months.
I did the same thing–made most of our baby foods, but used the store bought when we traveled and to give my daughter some foods that were harder to prepare (like ones with meat in them). And I wouldn’t consider myself a “crunchy hippie.” I even used the same website for tips. Yes, use ice cube trays, then dump the little bricks into Ziploc baggies and voila–a freezer full of cheap and super-healthy baby food. Happy pureeing!
Good for you! I have to say if you can make most of your own, you will save TONS of $. I made some (butternut and acorn squash, sweet potatoes, mangos, applesauce) but not much more than that. My kids love baby food bananas, but hate real bananas. They eat a lot of yogurt, and I recently started pureeing them things like ham and potato soup that I made. They also eat toast, scrambled eggs and pancakes occassionally. I keep thinking that we are going to move on to more “finger foods,” but each time I am at the store, I am loading up my cart with little jars!
Even though I am still pumping for J, and nursing F, I am still sad that he quit nursing and that it didn’t work out for us in the traditional sense. And it has been 5 months, and I still think about it often.
I make most of Kate’s food and really like making it. I love looking in the freezer and see a rainbow of frozen cubes in baggies
The food we make at home tastes way better than the stuff on the shelf. I also hope by introducing our kiddos to fresh, healthy food, they will enjoy going to the farmer’s market, perusing recipes and cooking in the kitchen.
I also had to stop breastfeeding at just under 5 months because of a medicine I have to take–and I still feel bad about it. I miss it, but I don’t think Kate does.
Lisa
You won’t regret making their food. I have a compulsive inability to throw glass away, so we were swimming in glass jars! Once I began making Missy Hoohaw’s food, it was amazing how much more she would try. If you have a good blender, the meat isn’t too hard. I would make large batches of stock and freeze some in ice cube trays, then use a thawed cube of stock when I pureed the meat. I couldn’t give my kids baby food meat, the smell made me sick. Yes, you will go through a nothing- but- chicken- fingers phase, it’s inevitable. But it helps to know that at least they started out with wholesome food!
Way to go! I’ve written about this many times on my blog recently, and I agree with you 100% on all your points. I’m not crunchy, either, but I do love making all of Jack’s food, for the reasons you stated. I hear you on the point about the redemption of breastfeeding. Somehow making Jack’s food makes me feel better about not being completely successful at breastfeeding. Also, for me, making his food somehow atones for my being away from Jack during my work day. (Have I mentioned that my old friend Guilt and I are thisclose?) Like you said, it doesn’t take that much time. I have maybe 20 quart-sized bags of food in my freezer — I am not about to run out anytime soon, and it really saves me money and time.
When the time comes for meat, if you’d like to talk about that, I have volumes to say! So far I’ve discovered that Jack likes stewed beef with sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots. I’m not giving up on chicken, though. We’re also giving tofu on days when he won’t take meat. Anyway, meat intimidated me, too, but I’m finding that it’s not all that different to puree than the fruits and veggies. I am really weirded out by jarred meat foods.
I didn’t know you were coming to CA! Southern or Northern?
I used that website too, along with some other books (101 baby purees and la petite apetite).
My kids would NOT eat my made-with-love carrots…then someone suggested trying the jarred and they LOVED them. Isn’t that weird?
Same thing with my made-with-love apples.
Weird, weird children.
i, too, made most of a and o’s food. and for all our trips it was so convenient to just pick up all the food they needed at the local grocery store upon landing (although i always had enough for traveling, plus emergencies, in the diaper bag…you’d be surprised how a major chow-down session will happen while your in the airport!). i have to admit, though, that i always kept our pantry pretty well-stocked with their jarred favs (earth’s best), just in case we were in a pinch. as much as i planned and prepared, and always made tons of food, sometimes you just run out. or your kids are just too darn hungry to wait the 5 minutes for the berry sauce to defrost!
oh, i forgot one thing. i was buying SO MANY apples that i decided to do a cost analysis and it was actually cheaper to buy the organic store-brand applesauce than to make my own (from transitional apples bought in bulk from costco). i started doing this when the boys were around 9 months and was kind of bummed i hadn’t done it sooner because i can’t tell you how many apples i peeled and cored! i could then doctor up the base any way i wanted. the boys’ fav is appleberry (made with frozen blueberries, rasberries and blackberries – never strained the seeds or cooked first, just threw in the cuisinart still frozen!), and apricot-apple (i simmered dried apricots so they got nice and tender). i ended up loving the time i saved making tons of applesauce to devout to more “fun” recipes.
Here, here! For all those reasons you mentioned, I’m right there behind you. We aren’t officially starting solids beyond cereal until next month, but I’m looking forward to our own puree parade. In generations past, pureed table food was the only option. Now, with recalls abound, homemade food is such a great alternative.
I thought I’d also mention that a friend recommended the book, Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron.
Good luck and have fun!