Cheap & Easy Baby Food Tips

I decided that with Amelia I was gonna try to make her baby food.  I have no problem with pre-packaged food, but since I stay home now I have the time to make it, it is cheaper than buying all those bottles (man did it surprise me how quickly that added up with Logan) and its better for her to get fresh ingredients.  Plus once I started I realized that I really enjoyed making it, I cook for everyone else, why not her!

I started making the food when she turned 4 months old, I know she wouldnt be eating it for another month (if not longer) but I wanted to just have some ready so I wasnt trying to make a bunch quickly.  In the process I have tried a few different tools/methods and I have discovered what works best for me (and my budget), so I decided to share, maybe it will help another mom out one day.

Making the Food:

You dont need a fancy baby food making contraption.  I looked into them, and they sure made them seem like they would be so easy, but they are expensive and after reading reviews I really wasnt sold.  I love to read reviews on sites like amazon and I know you have to still keep an open mind because people that tend to love things often dont review them but if you hate it you will, but either way, I decided I didnt seem worth it.  So what do you need, a pan (probably already have one of those huh) and a steamer.  I was using my old metal steamer that I HATE cleaning, and was at BuyBuy Baby the other day and found this awesome silicone steamer with handles, so its super simple to clean plus it works as a colander and a funnel.  Its $10 at the store but can also be found on amazon (Trudeau Silicone Vegetable Steamer with Handles).

it is hot (especially since I hold it over the pan for a few seconds to let any excess water drip out), I have my trusty Ove' Glove on, you have greater hand control than a traditional oven mit

just pour the green beans right into the blender!

yum, pureed green beans :)

You can also see the best way to puree foods, a blender.  I started with my food processor because thats what everyone seems to use, but my sister used a blender one day (not sure what made her try) and she said it was so much better, so I tried and good god was she right!!  If you think about it, when someone wants to make a smoothie they dont use a food processor, they use a blender, so why not for baby food purees, its basically the same thing.  Now, my blender is very loud, so I have to do it when Amelia is asleep upstairs or when someone else is home to hold her (or take her outside) but my sister's blender is not so bad, so test it out first.  Her blender has a liquify button that she uses, mine just has 2 settings (fast and faster) but plain old fast works fine.  You will have to use a spatula to keep the food moving, and certain foods (like carrots, sweet potatoes) you will need to add water (either from the pan or add nursery water), but the blender is amazing!  And once again, I bet you already have one, plus if you ask me, a blender is much easier to clean, but that might just be me :)

So instead of spending $100+ on a fancy baby food making machine, I spent $10 on a silicone steamer, not bad.

Freezing the Food:

Once again, they make all sorts of expensive versions of ice cub trays and containers to freeze your baby food, but not for me.  I went with a silicone brownie bite tray, they are $10 each but you can find it at Hobby Lobby and save 40% with a coupon, score!  You can find it on amazon in the brown color (Wilton 24-Cavity Silicone Brownie Squares Baking Mold) or in light blue at Hobby Lobby.  I was planning on getting 2 from hobby lobby but my sister got 2 off amazon first and didnt like them (she wanted something that held more than 1/2 oz per cube) so I got hers.  Now Amelia is still just under 6 months old, so maybe as she gets older I will decide I dont like the 1/2 oz cubes and want bigger ones, but I just dont see that happening.  

I like having such small cubes for a few reasons 

• when she is just starting out Im not wasting food, I can serve her just 1/2 oz 
• if I want her to eat something she doesnt like (like peas) I can mix it easily with something she does (like any fruit) and can make all sorts of different combos of food without worrying that Im gonna make a big batch and she will hate it
• I think the smaller size makes it possible to store more in the freezer, I have one bag of larger (2oz) ones from my sister that Nora didnt like and they take up much more space than my little cubes

 

it holds ( 24 ) 1/2 ounce servings.  most things I make use just 1 pan (this was 4 or 5 pears).  I typically make 2 different items on the same day so I can just rinse out the pan and blender (instead of washing it twice) and then put the 2 molds in the freezer overnight.

Storing the Food:

If you havent noticed a pattern, I am not much on wasting my money on special items made for baby food, so what do I store them in, in quart size freezer baggies and 2 plastic bins from target.  

when they are frozen I just pop them out of the mold onto the counter and then slide them into a bag

8 ounces of pears ready for my baby to eat!

You can fit 12 ounces of food per bag, which is the size of one mold so it works perfect.  Then you have to continue to store it in the freezer, this has been the hardest part for me.  I have a side-by-side fridge/freezer so that means the freezer isnt huge.  Not only do I need to have space to store the food but also to put the molds while they are freezing (plus hold food for more than just Amelia) but I found a way!

I leave the top shelf open to fit a mold (plus the ice cub tray full of breastmilk behind it).  On the bottom shelf I have actual food stored so when I need to freeze another tray I put it on a small cookie sheet and put it on top of a box of frozen hot dogs otherwise I could never fit 2 trays at once!  The food for the adults gets shoved in the bottom drawer and the door, little girl takes up about 2/3 of our freezer space :)

I found those plastic bins that are stackable (the gray handles move in so they can stack) and they fit the space in my freezer perfectly (I did measure it before I went shopping for a container).  The top bin holds foods I feed her often and the bottom bin has extras or foods she isnt quite ready for, its works pefect and each bin was only a little under $4 each.

Eating the Food:

When its time for her to eat, no fancy contraptions for me, I put some frozen cubes in a bowl, microwave them for 20 to 35 seconds, and she is ready to eat.  If I need to bring food on the go I use all the old baby food containers I kept from when Logan was little.  If you dont have those I still suggest just buying some baby food, if you dont want your little one to eat it then just dump it down the sink, clean the container, and keep it for travel purposes, its still gonna be way cheaper than buying the special containers they make!!