I’m a {not-so-secret} believer in DIY baby food

I didn’t think I would ever become the type of mom who makes their own baby food.  It seemed like entirely too much work to add to an already crazy lifestyle.  But when a close friend of mine who mothers full-time AND works outside the home full-time decided to do it for her kids, it caused me to re-evaluate.

When I decided to test the DIY-baby-food waters I looked online for recipes.  They confused me.  There were too many options, lots of instructions, and ingredients I’ve never heard of babies eating.  I needed simple – so simple is what I sought.

To make my own baby food, I buy frozen or fresh fruit and frozen veggies.  I add a little baby water to whatever I’m making, cook until boiling, blend, cool and serve.  Noah’s eaten everything I’ve given him without complaint, and if you make big enough batches, the actual process and mess is very little.

Here’s my favorite part – making your own baby food can save you a lot of money.

I can buy a 16 ounce package of frozen veggies and 2-3 pears for a little over $2 and make 14 2-ounce containers of baby food (I like these  from Munchkin).  The regular Gerber Stage 2 baby food comes out to about $0.22 per ounce.  Using the ingredients above, my baby food is only $0.07 per ounce – ONE THIRD of the regular cost of baby food.  If your kids eat like mine (about 2 ounces a meal), you’re spending $9-10 a week on Gerber verses $3-4 a week on your own.  Depending on how long they are in the baby food stage – the savings can add up fast.

Now I will admit, I don’t do this exclusively.  Sometimes I use natural applesauce (also cheaper than baby food), and my blender doesn’t make chunky stage-3 style food so we’ve been supplementing that to transition him to table food.  All I’m saying is that making your own baby food is possible in the crazy life we call motherhood AND if you’re pinching pennies, it’s totally worth the savings.

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