Homemade baby food = savings in your pocket

Before Caleb was born I decided I wanted to try my hand at making his baby food instead of buying it. Now that I think back on it, I have no idea what spurned on this idea, but whatever it was, I'm glad for it. I did a lot of research on how-to, what foods to introduce at what age, etc. and found this website most helpful. Making our own food for Caleb was a success and so here we are again, doing the same for Jack.

Recently I was in the grocery store and happened to notice the prices on baby food. I realized I am saving approximately $50-$60 a month from making our own baby food! I've been told by some that they don't have all that time to make their own, or it's too hard, or just don't know how, so here is my condensed how-to guide:

1. Get a food processor (A mini works just as well as the large if you don't want to go to that expense and don't already have one. I would imagine Craigslist would have several for sale at any given time)

2. Wash some old ice cube trays not being used, or buy some cheap new ones.

3. Select the fruit of vegetable and cut in small pieces.

4. Steam/cook in microwave or stove, whichever you prefer - you can do this in a medley to make things more interesting for baby or keep to one food at a time.

5. When food is very soft, puree in food processor until smooth. Older babies can handle more chunky texture but gauge this on your own baby's development.

6. Spoon into ice cube trays and freeze. Pop out into ziploc bags and pull out a few at a time to microwave for a meal.

That's it! It seriously could take as little as 10 minutes a week, depending on what you're making. It's cheaper and probably healthier for baby too.

Some other tips:

- When buying produce, remember fresh is best. After that, go with frozen. Canned should be last resort as it tends to have less nutrients and more added sodium, preservatives.

- Don't be afraid to puree your family's dinner for baby. Once they're 8-9 months old, most table food is perfectly acceptable

- ALWAYS avoid the big allergenic foods prior to 12 months old - nuts, peanut butter, egg whites, strawberries, honey

- Don't be afraid to sneak in the purees to other meals for your entire family. Carrots in spaghetti sauce, cauliflower in mashed potatoes, etc. Even just a few cubes can boost veggie intake.