Homemade Baby Food

Brad and I decided before Olivia was born that when the time came to introduce solids that we would go the homemade route. Not only because it saves money, but because it allows the child to taste food the way it should be. Also, if we are making food for each other, why not make it for our child! So far, at six months now, we have been sticking to it. It has been quite the experience learning how to make baby food. Much of it has been new to us, as we have never cooked some of the things that are considered first foods for baby, like squash or sweet potato.  Through a lot of trial and error we seem to have a system going now, for the most part. Unless its a food that cannot be easily frozen, like bananas or avocado, most of what she currently eats is mashed or pureed and frozen in ice cube trays, then moved to freezer bags. We chose ice cube trays because they are good 1oz portion sizes and the individual cubes are easy to quickly thaw when on the go. We are also allowing Olivia to feed herself as much as possible, which she already wants to do anyway. We hold the spoon, but she guides it in. It can be messy, but it allows her to decide what goes into her mouth and when. She's actually more receptive to trying new things with this method, rather than us trying to coax her. Another good thing about making baby food is that we don't feel bad about wasting what Olivia doesn't want. We only thaw 1-2oz at a time, so there is hardly ever waste when she decides she is done. If she wants more, we just thaw another cube! No half eaten jars of food or forcing her to eat more so less goes to waste.

So far, Olivia likes:

• Sweet Potato - by far her favorite!
• Potato
• Carrots 
• Oatmeal
• Peas

Indifferent to:

• Squash
• Avocado

Dislikes:

• Bananas - not sure why, but we're experimenting with the ripeness factor.

Next on the menu are apples and peaches!