Homemade Baby Food - Trick or Treat?

I remember seeing a scene in an old movie of a mother making baby food. She wore a printed dress, her hair was in a messy bun, and she smashed peas through a cone-shaped strainer. It looked like a whole lot of work. So when it came time to introduce my baby to solid foods, the first thing I wanted to do was run to Gerber. But then I thought again.

I have two dogs and two parrots. The parrots get an array of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. My dogs get a homemade concoction of meat and vegetables. Why would I stop when it comes to my child? I considered the organic baby foods I saw on the shelves at the store. And why not? Gerber has a whole line of organic, as do other big namebrands. But I couldn't get the notion out of my head that maybe I could make my own organic baby food. I headed for the internet.

I found a great website for making my own baby food. I've added the link to the sidebar for you. It tells you just what food can be fed to baby at any age, and it gives detailed instructions. If you start feeling creative, there are even recipes for blending different fruits or veggies together.

I started easy with some apples. I was surprised that it took very little time. With just a potato masher, the apples got to the consistency I felt comfortable with. After the apples, I tried banana, which is probably the easiest since no cooking is involved. Feeling pretty proud of myself, I moved on to pears, peas, and just yesterday, acorn squash. Okay, so the peas were really fussy. You have to get all those little guys out of their pods, and it takes a lot of pods to make just half a cup of food. (I swore I'd never do it again until my son gobbled them up faster than any of the other foods.) But that was the only tricky item so far. Most fruits and vegetables are simply steamed or boiled until they're soft. Then you just mash away or put them in a blender with a little liquid.

The website even has cost comparisons between homemade and store-bought. Or you can read up on health info or learn how to make your own teething biscuits. There are even freezing instructions, if you're so inclined.

I prefer fresh everything when I can. One good way to handle the extra time it takes is to simply add an extra pan to the stove when you're making dinner. So far, other than the pea experience, I haven't felt a dent into my busy schedule. And with a good website onhand to take out the guesswork, I'm actually having fun with it.

So if you're feeling a little adventurous, give it a go. You may find it's just as fun to make as it is for baby to eat!