Baby Parenting Guide

How would I go about making homemade baby food?

How do you make home made baby foods? My daughter loves bananas and I figured it would be cheaper just to mash some up the fresh ones we have in the house. But I don't know the best way to do it. Should I mix formula and cereal in with a banana? And it doesn't have to be limited to bananas, what other foods would be food for homemade baby foods?

Public Response to How would I go about making homemade baby food?

1. just put them in a blender or food processor...
2. How old if your baby? Because if she is over 8 months then it's OK to slice the bananas and hand them to her. Or just give her the whole banana to gnaw on. Messy but effective! it's almost impossible to choke on a ripened banana. As for other foods you'd want to steam them first using a steamer. You want the vegetables to come in as little contact with as little water as possible because that washed the nutrients down the drain. There are plenty of microwave steamers you can purchase. Once the food is cooked you'd remove any stringy parts (like green beans have) and run it through a food processor until the right consistency. This will vary as your baby gets older and can handle chunks and thicker foods better. Add a bit of water (NOT milk, breastmilk or formula!!!) if needed. You can do this with carrots, peas, winter squash, beans.... well just look at the jars at the store. These are the foods appropriate to give to a baby.
3. My son hated the taste/texture of commercial baby foods so I made all of his. Peas, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn, broccoli, pretty much any vegetable you can cook or any fruit then put in a blender/food processor. I even put a little butter and my son loved peas! I would mix it with cereal if it was too runny to thicken it or mix it with a little milk if it was too thick. (We also didn't use formula because it gave him colic) so good old Vitamin D milk diluted with a little karo syrup added to prevent constipation. Hope this helps! My son was the healthiest baby and now at 16 he's still super healthy and I'm convinced because we fed him natural food without all that stuff they add into processed baby/toddler foods.
4. as long that you have a blender a measuring cup and you are very clean in the process you certainly can if you have the time of course. there are several links on how to make baby food and how to preserve it here is one, make sure that you sterilize the jars . http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/
5. You can make any baby food you wish with a food processor and it is cheaper and healthier. It is helpful to freeze it in ice cube trays and then transfer it to a baggie in the freezer. I had several different veggies on hand for my babies so they could get a variety. I steamed my veggies by cooking them in the slightest amount of water with a lid on low heat. Favorites for my babies: sweet potato (you can just prick these and bake in the microwave or oven), squash (they won't touch it now, though!), carrots, cauliflower and beets. As they got older, I made beef stew and chicken with vegetables and then pureed them in the food processor. Add some of the cooking liquid if it is too thick and it is OK to add a touch of high quality sea salt (no additives) and some pastured organic butter or ghee as they get a little older. I mashed banana with a fork and allowed them to hold pieces themselves as they were able and made applesauce with no additives or sugar. I gradually worked toward feeding them the same foods everyone else was eating (fed pureed food before dinner and allowed them to play with/eat some small pieces of chicken and chunky vegetables at the table when they were ready. I suggest that you don't use any canned vegetables and nothing with additives. Frozen plain vegetables are OK in a pinch, but shoot for fresh produce (local, if possible) when available. I never fed my babies rice cereal (fortified means added synthetic vitamins and harmful corn derivatives as a carrier) but did give them pureed brown rice when the family ate it. I also gave scrambled eggs pretty early but only pastured organic eggs. I think most commercial baby foods and formulas are pure poison (lots of artificial ingredients and GMO corn and soy derivatives) - sometimes even worse than the processed crap intended for adults. It is very smart of you to give your baby the healthiest start possible by making pure foods for her and not taking the easy way out.
6. I would put the banana in a blender with some formula until it's just a little thicker than a smoothie.