After baby #1 I decided I need to do things differently when it comes to baby food. I didn't know a whole lot about making homemade baby food (or how cheap and easy it is), and resorted to buying the baby food pouches at the store. The baby food pouches cost more than the jars, but I loved them because my baby seemed to eat everything that came in them! When I found out reusable baby food pouches were available on the market, I got really excited to try making homemade baby food!
Little one (16-months) mostly eats what we eat for meals, but we are on the road a lot so I wanted to make some homemade baby food to put in pouches for when we are in the car. I was super excited to try out the Fresh FoodsCook-n-Blend Baby Food maker as it made my preparations super simple (it also has amazing reviews on Amazon)! I like that it steams, mashes, purees and defrosts all in one machine. There are two blend levels depending on the age of your baby and whether you want the baby food to have a smooth or chunky texture. I tried a veggie-apple mix first, and then an fruit/oatmeal mixture. The biggest preparation I had was to cut up my fruits/veggies and then press the steam button. The baby food maker comes with a recipe book that also has a “cook time chart” for all the different fruits and vegetables so you know how long to steam them.
**UPDATE: The Fresh Foods Baby Food Maker is discontinued. A good alternative is the Magic BulletBaby(cheaper but does not steam food)or the BEABA Baby Food Maker(very similar to the Fresh Foods, and highly rated).
I like that it has two separate baskets to cook your baby food in, so that if you are cooking vegetables with different cooking times, you can separate them. Genius!
Makes the process of making baby food super simple
Small Appliance-doesn't take up too much space
It's so much healthier to steam your own baby food than to buy it in the jars at the store!
Can make up to 4 meals in ashortsteam session
There is an up-front cost to buy it, but it's still much more cost-effective than buying baby food
Easy to wash
Multiple texture options, double steamer basket, and dishwasher safe
Next thing on my list is to get the Infantino Squeeze station. My sister LOVES hers and I was jealous of all her neatly filled and dated food pouches. Here's how it works:
Frozen: There are a variety of opinions about how long frozen baby food keeps in the freezer, but most say to use it before 3 months time. The reason it does not last as long as regular frozen fruits and vegetables is because the food is not frozen in its original form (it has been cooked).
refrigerated: Up to 48 hours
Glass Jars: If you would rather freeze your baby food in glass jars, make sure and buy ones especially for freezer use (do not use empty Gerber or other baby food jars as they are not made for freezing).
Extra Tip: You can freeze fruits and vegetables, use them in homemade baby food recipes, and then re-freeze the baby food that you have made. You should not however, use frozen fruits and vegetables that have been cooked, and then freeze them again. In other words, once something has been cooked, it should only be frozen once.
This is my daughter's favorite and is the most simple. If you have the baby food maker all you have to do is chop up the sweet potato and press the steam button! If you don't, wash your sweet potato, poke it several times with a fork and put it in the oven (375°) for about 45 min-to and hour depending on the size of the sweet potato. Peel of the skin and mash it up with a fork. Easiest baby food around!
Apple-Banana-Blueberry-Oatmeal
This one is a fun breakfast blend. I steam one one apple with about 1/4 cup water and then blend with 1/4 cup blueberries, 1 banana, and some baby oatmeal.
Banana-Avacado
This is another very simple recipe: Peel both the banana and the avocado and mash them together.
Here are a couple of recipes from the Fresh Food's Baby Maker:
First foods should be rich in iron. Try iron-fortified cereal and cooked beef, lamb, pork, chicken, tofu, legumes or egg. Include other healthy foods like vegetables, fruit, grains and dairy. For example, try banana, avocado, pear, pumpkin, peas, oats or yoghurt.
Fresh-cooked vegetables and fruits can be pureed with no added salt, sugar, fat or other unnecessary additives. To minimize vitamin loss, boil fresh vegetables or fruits in a covered saucepan with a small amount of water. Or, steam them until just tender enough to either puree, mash or eat as a finger food.
“Bananas are mild, mashable and easy to chew. They're loaded with vitamin C, vitamin B6 and potassium, making them a perfect first fruit for baby,” says Jill Castle, M.S., R.D., childhood nutrition expert and co-author of Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters From High Chair to High School.
Most babies' first food is iron-fortified infant single-grain cereal mixed with breast milk or formula. Place the spoon near your baby's lips, and let the baby smell and taste it. Don't be surprised if this first spoonful is rejected.
Start with one food at a time and select foods that are nutritious and easy to mash such as bananas, avocados, peaches, mangoes, plums, grapes, potatoes and butternut squash. If your baby responds well to these, advance to other nutritious foods such as asparagus, kale, ground chicken, or quinoa.
Bananas are a great first food to introduce to babies as they're easy to digest, already soft and mushy, and packed full of vitamins and minerals. You can also easily mix bananas with rice cereal that your baby might already be eating they are the perfect natural sweetener or just serve (mashed) bananas straight up.
When compared to homemade baby food, store-bought baby food is higher in sodium and sugar, according to a 2017 study. On top of that, further research has shown that popular infant food pouches contain significantly more sugar per serving than jarred baby food.
We found no evidence to suggest that homemade purees and family brands are generally safer, with lower metal levels, than store-bought baby food. Our study includes a new parent's guide of popular baby foods to serve, limit, and avoid, based on our tests.
You can introduce yogurt and cheese once your baby is six months old, as long as they continue to eat a variety of iron-rich foods. Let your baby enjoy the taste of plain unsweetened yogurt, or add fresh, canned or frozen fruit.
We found no evidence to suggest that homemade purees and family brands are generally safer, with lower metal levels, than store-bought baby food. Our study includes a new parent's guide of popular baby foods to serve, limit, and avoid, based on our tests.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) recommends starting with simple items, like mashed banana or avocado. 6 You can then slowly incorporate new foods and flavors, such as beets, broccoli, and pureed meats. Reserve chunkier textures for older babies.
From 6–8 months old, feed your baby half a cup of soft food two to three times a day. Your baby can eat anything except honey, which they shouldn't eat until they reach 12 months old. You can start to add a healthy snack, like mashed fruit, between meals.
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