How to Make Homemade Baby Food

Anyone with a baby knows how quickly the expenses of diapers, formula, and baby food add up. One way you can save money on baby supplies is to make your own baby food. And anyone who's ever fed a baby knows that most of the baby food ends up on the highchair, so why pay more than you have to? Plus, homemade baby food is healthier, and you'll know exactly what your baby is eating.

Older babies can digest complex proteins more easily than young babies can. So when your baby is ready for more advanced food, you can also prepare it yourself, rather than buy expensive jars of baby food.

First, collect empty baby food jars or buy specially made plastic baby food containers. Make sure everything you use is clean and can be sealed tightly. Homemade baby food can also be frozen, so if you make large batches to freeze, buys some labels as well.

To make fruit- and vegetable-based baby food, select fresh fruits and vegetables that are dense, fleshy and have a mild flavor. These are some baby favorites: potato, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, apple, banana, pear, peach, and spinach.

Prepare the fruits and vegetables by washing, peeling and removing seeds. Cut them into 1 inch cubes, and place them in a steamer basket. Steam the fruits and veggies in a pot or sauce pan until soft. Steaming serves to make the food more digestible and palatable for your baby.

When they are soft enough you can either mash them by hand or use a baby food processor. Make your own blends, such as peach/carrot/apple, potato/broccoli, or apple/banana mush. Combinations that seem strange to adults are often tasty to babies. To make the blended food softer, stir in some formula or water. Baby food that is too dry will cause baby to choke or gag. Add a tiny amount of salt to keep it preserved in the refrigerator.

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Protein-based baby food for older babies is easier to digest when it is mixed with something starchy, such as potatoes or rice. To prepare rice for baby, follow the cooking instructions on your bag of white rice, but add a little more water than what the instruction call for.

To prepare chicken baby food, select white meat cuts and boil until well cooked. Puree an equal amount of rice and chicken in a blender with some formula. If needed, add more formula or water to make the food soft enough for baby.

To prepare eggs for your baby, hard boil the eggs until well cooked, then peel them and blend them with an equal amount of rice and a little bit of formula. Add extra liquid as needed to make the baby food soft enough.

You can replace rice with potato, or blend these protein-based baby foods with other vegetable baby foods. Before storing them in the fridge or freezer, add a small amount of salt to keep them preserved. Never story baby food in the fridge for more than 1 or 2 days. If you have a lot of unused baby food, make freezer cubes.

© Had2Know 2010