Modern life is full of conveniences. From frozen dinners to TV “on demand,” we are able to consume the things that we want quicker and easier than ever before. This pre-packaged consumer mentality is not the sole purview of adults, either. Even our baby food comes in neat, little vacuum-sealed jars, and has the important vitamins and nutrients that a baby needs. Still, while these sorts of things are convenient, they are not always the most cost effective or the best way to go about doing things.

When it comes to baby food, it can be much less costly to make your own baby food. In addition, you can choose to use certain types of foods, such as organic foods, if you prefer as the basis of the baby food. On top of all of that, making homemade baby food is not too difficult of a process.

To make homemade baby food, you need to start with vegetables or fruit. You will want to cook the fruit or vegetable until it is soft. The exception to this is bananas, which are already soft. It is best to steam the fruits or vegetables in order to make homemade baby food, because this is the method of cooking that releases the least amount of vitamins and nutrients. After you have cooked the fruit or vegetable, you should refrigerate any that you are not using right away, as they will spoil if you do not. If you are not using them within 1 to 2 days, you will want to freeze them.

Once the food is cooked, you will need to mash it down. You can do a variety of things here. You can use a food processor, blender, and strainers. You can add formula or water to the food to give it a better consistency if you wish, as well.

There are certain foods that you should not use for homemade baby foods. These include spinach, turnips, collard greens, carrots, and beets. These tend to be high in nitrates, and can cause anemia in your infant. There are others that you should wait until after your baby is one year old, such as foods that can cause an allergic reaction like egg whites, citrus fruits, tomatoes, seafood, and nuts. Honey should also be avoided in its natural form.

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