Why I make my own baby food

I was asked why I decided to make my own baby food.  I didn’t give it much thought, actually.  I just knew I wanted to do it, like I wanted to breastfeed and co-sleep.  Once I made the decision, I reached out to find other mommies who believed in the same things I did to give me guidance.  My greatest resource is http://wholesomebabyfood.com.  I used the information I found there to type up my own manual, which includes recipes and the recommended age of introduction for virtually every fruit and veggie out there.  I recommend this site to anyone who has an interest in making their own food.  It even has sippy cups tips and suggestions for how to deal with picky eaters!  Love it!

With no further ado, here are my top ten reasons for making my own baby food:

1.      It makes me feel like I am a good mom and that I am providing my child the best nutrition possible.
2.    I know exactly what goes into food I feed him.  No salt, sugar, fillers, or preservatives.
3.      Most of the fruit/veggies are organic, which is better for everyone.
4.     I can easier make the purees smoother, thicker, or chunkier with ease.
5.     I can easily mix and match the foods he eats.  I can take a cube of green beans and mix it with squash, or I can hide a cube of peas by mixing it with three cubes of pears.
6.      There is very little waste.  I take out exactly how many cubes of food he will eat for each meal. 
7.   It takes minimal effort.  I can spend one full afternoon cooking and pureeing and make enough food to feed my child for a month.  I freeze the food in ice cube trays and then throw the cubes into a freezer bag.  They can store that way for three months.
8.      The way I prepare the food preserves as many vitamins and nutrients as possible.
9.   It tastes better than jarred baby food.
10.   It costs so much less than buying jarred baby food!

Ricky did not eat any solids until after he made six month- I feel very strongly about that.  I do not make my own yogurt.  Ricky eats YoBaby Organic Yogurt.  For finger foods, he eats Mum Mums and Gerber Puffs.  Again, the puffs are far more nutritious than any similar snack I could make.  Aside from that, he drinks Similac, which he will until he hits age 1. 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!