[Boston73]

I really want to try and make some of my own baby food, so I printed out a few really good recipes for veggies and fruit. Over the weekend I bought some veggies & fruits to start off with i.e., squash, sweetpotatoes, peas, organic carrots, apples, blueberries & bananas. I tried the peas, but the skins are really hard to puree, comes out lumpy, so I think I'll skip peas for now. I figured squash and sweet potatoes would be the easiest veggies to puree. Haven't tried any fruits yet. I know I've read on here before that some of you make you own.

So my questions are:

What methods do you use to do your pureeing? I used my blender for the peas and not so great.

What did you find to be the easiest veggies & fruits to puree and what your kids seem to like the most?

Do you use ice trays or specially made trays?

Also, any tips, advice or even recipes would be great!

Thank you!

[jenedens6102]

Jill, this will be an interesting post for me to follow. I'd love to make Ethan some food too but wouldn't have a clue where to start and when. I'm sure it'll be when he's ready for second stage.

[JustPeachy]

Jill - I make lots of my own baby food for Aiden. He wasn't thrilled with the store bought veggies but is doing much better eating mine. I tried my blender but it wasn't doing well enough and my cuisinart died this past Thanksgiving with a massive batch of sweet potatoes! Anyway, I got this dex baby blender at bru and it's been working well. A full batch in the blender tends to fill 3 stage 2 food jars so I usually have to run a few batches through the blender of each food combination. I don't know why I can't find it online at bru but this is it.
Baby Bungalow

I tried a food mill to start with but it takes forever!

I've been saving the glass jars from the earth's best baby food and just refreezing in there. The lids don't seal perfect so it's not the best but it works. I write the date and the ingrediants on masking tape and mark each jar and just defrost a few jars the night before. The food is good for 48 hours once you defrost. Also, if something isn't pureeing quite smooth enough then you can always add a little formula or juice. I tried adding water but it is too thin then when it defrosts. Oh, and watermelon doesn't work well either for freezing!

Here are some examples of combinations I've made:
bananas & raspberries
figs & pears
apricots & peaches
carrots, bananas & apricots
cantelope & peaches
squash & oatmeal (to thicken it a little)
avocados (better fresh)
corn (grilled fresh and pureed)
pulled rotesserie chicken and apricots
sweet potatoes (happen to constipate Aiden)

I know there have been other veggies but I'm at a loss at this second. I just bought an acorn squash to try. Basically just try all different combinations. We were shocked but Aiden loves figs! Be sure to try each batch and make sure it takes good to you before dishing it into the jars. I thought about buying canning glass jars b/c they would reseal better but I have so many little jars already from the baby food. They just leak sometimes so I'm always careful to put them in ziplocs in the diaper bag.

[shb24]

I use a Quisinart blender which works great. I haven't done much other than bananas (which constipated him) and sweet potatoes which he loves. I used water to thin it but the juice is a good idea, too. I definitely plan to do more soon.

Are blueberries one of the high allergy items? I think I read that somewhere but I may be wrong. Maybe just double check that one. Your other fruits and veggies sound like the common ones to try!

Good luck!
Shelly

[AMKD]

Hi Jill -

I never made my own baby food, but a friend of mine did and I know that One Step Ahead sells baby food trays to freeze the portions in.

Also Shelley - blueberries are not one of the high allergen foods. I believe it is blueberries and raspberries that are ok (sure about the blueberries, 98% sure about the raspberries). They are confusing because they are berries, but I read that they are not related to the allergy berries like strawberries - or something like that.

Happy Baby Food Making, Ladies - you are an inspiration!!

[cat915]

okay i have a question about this-- i know the sheet my dr gave me said to cook all fruits except for banana- that's okay raw. How do you cook the fruits before pureeing them?

[JustPeachy]

Cat - I don't cook the fruit. I use mostly soft fruits if that makes sense like a berry or peach. If I'm using something like an apple or pear, I try to find one super ripe and use it minimally so it doesn't make the mixture too chunky and tough.

I asked my Ped. about the whole berry thing. She said everything was fine other than strawberries. I know the Earth's Best has all the berries including strawberries in their Stage 2 foods so it is confusing. She did say for all the babies with reflux issues to absolutely avoid all dairy, yogurt, etc until 1 yr. old to be safe for milk allergies.

[JustPeachy]

Cat - I just double checked in my KidCo baby Receipe cookbook. It says that for apples or pears or other fruits that are not tender enough you can chop the fruit into small pieces, put into a saucepan with water or apple juice, and cover and cook over low heat until tender, and then puree. But for fruits like peaches, nectarines, bananas, plums, it says specifically that you do not need to cook them before pureeing as long as they are ripe.

[hopeful2bmom]

Rach- Do you peel the skins off all of the fruits?

[Boston73]

Thanks everyone for your replys...you gave me some really great ideas and advice.

Peachy those combos sounds so good, I'll definitely have to try them.

I used this site for recipes and ideas Make Homemade Baby Food Recipes, Homemade Baby Food Recipes, Solid Food Baby Tips, Baby Nutrition & more!. I think someone might have posted this site before. It's really a great site.

Hopefully this weekend I'll find some time to try again. I think I need to purchase a new blender. I use a Oster Blender. It's an older version since I got it for a Wedding present back in 2000! But it still works great making drinks or shakes, but it's not that great for pureeing foods.

I'll let you all know how I make out!

[jenedens6102]

Wow Rach, you are doing awesome things for Aiden. I'll definitely have to give this a go. Question - do you find that doing it yourself saves you money or costs you more? Granted I'm willing to do all I can to give Ethan the best but money is pretty tight right now. Also, how much time does this take you per week?

[Mom2MandyandTristan]

Jill...we got a baby food maker from BRU. It was a gift but I think it retailed for only $20 so that may work for your homemade baby food rec.
DEX Products Baby Food Processor

[cat915]

Originally Posted by JustPeachy

Cat - I just double checked in my KidCo baby Receipe cookbook. It says that for apples or pears or other fruits that are not tender enough you can chop the fruit into small pieces, put into a saucepan with water or apple juice, and cover and cook over low heat until tender, and then puree. But for fruits like peaches, nectarines, bananas, plums, it says specifically that you do not need to cook them before pureeing as long as they are ripe.

cool- thanks for the info.

[Boston73]

Originally Posted by Mom2MandyandTristan

Jill...we got a baby food maker from BRU. It was a gift but I think it retailed for only $20 so that may work for your homemade baby food rec.
DEX Products Baby Food Processor

Thanks Jessica! I'm definitely going to check it out this weekend.

[cat915]

I had a friend recommend these...
One Step Ahead Baby - Baby Cubes