From the time I was pregnant, I had decided I was going to make baby food for Adly, for as long as I could stand it. I took the approach of, "if it works and is easy, great. If not, that's ok too." I didn't want too much pressure on myself to make all of it. I don't have strong opinions either way of whether you make your own food or not. For me, it's just something I wanted to try.
I have to say it's waaaaay easier than I ever thought it would be. The hardest part of starting solids for me has been how and when and how much to feed it to Adly. Figuring out a schedule is still a work in process, but I think we're getting it.
For now, we are feeding solids 1-2x a day. In the morning and then in the afternoon. She nurses and then an hour later I give her an ounce of solids. In the afternoon I give her two ounce of solids. See below to find out what is an "ounce". From what I've heard, once she hits six months is when she will begin to "rely" on the puree as a meal so we will likely be adding in more at that time.
To make your own baby food, all you need is a steamer basket, a big pot, an ice cube tray, quart/gallon size ziploc bags and veggies/fruits of your choosing. So simple!
For Adly's first food, I chose sweet potato. This was mostly because it was what I had already bought from the store. Doctors are now saying you don't have to go by the old standby of "veggies first, then fruit". My doc in particular was also very encouraging of using spices that I normally use so that Adly adapts to our style of eating early on. Therefore, I got a little crazy and even added some cinnamon to the sweet potato puree. Thrilling stuff, I know.
When it comes to loosening up the puree in order to make it easier for them to eat, you can use breast milk, formula or the cooking water. For the sweet potato puree, since I didn't steam it and didn't have any liquid, I chose to use breast milk. However, BM is liquid gold, so anytime I steam foods, I'll be using the cooking water as the liquid.
Once you've created your puree, you can keep it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Most veggies/fruits will give you more than 3 days worth, so you'll want to store it in the freezer. For this part, you pour the puree into the freezer tray. Each individual cube is 1 ounce. Isn't that easy? Cover the tray with plastic wrap and freeze. Once frozen, run the back of the tray under hot water to loosen the cubes. Place the cubes into a dated and labeled Ziploc bag. Every night, take out cubes for the next day's meals and place in a covered tupperware for serving. They unthaw overnight and are ready to eat!
Adly seemed to really enjoy the sweet potato. Unfortunately, my phone decided it was full the moment we began recording her first eating experience. Technology!! But I did capture some of it.
Pureed Sweet Potato:
1-2 medium organic sweet potatoes
Baking sheet
Food processor
Breast milk/formula/water
Using a fork, poke a bunch of holes into the potato. Place on a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until soft. Pull out of the oven and let cool. Once cooled, cut open and spoon out the sweet potato into the food processor or blender. Add in your liquid (can be breast milk, formula, or water), little by little and blend. Keep adding liquid until the puree has reached a consistency you feel your baby can handle. (I went by the consistency of the oatmeal cereal we've been feeding). Add in a dash of cinnamon, if you feel a little crazy and then serve to baby. Don't forget the bib!
All ready to eat
Before: excited baby!
After: happy baby!
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