We’ve reached a big, fun milestone here at Casa Lauro! My sweet baby girl has just turned 6 months old and we are finally ready for the fun stuff — baby food!!
What is it about seeing these little faces spit out mashed peas in disgust and squish a banana in their fingers with such glee that is just so much fun?! I love it!!
With our first child we registered for the Beaba Babycook Food Maker
This time around I am lucky enough to be home with both kids and I’ve pulled out the Beabea and even Miles is ready to help!
There are so many benefits to making your own baby food! This article does a great job explaining why it’s worth your time and effort. But the gist is pretty simple — anything not processed is gonna be healthier (and better for your pocketbook)!! (Not that those jars of baby food are bad for you baby, because let’s be real — sometimes us mommas just don’t have the time (or desire) to make all their baby food!) But if you do want to give it a shot — here are some of the suggestions I’ve found helpful!
Rice Cereal has no nutritional benefit. The article I referenced above talks in detail about the arsenic in rice. But it’s also worth noting that the nutritional value of rice is very little. It’s more of a filler and a totally unnecessary baby food! This article does a great job of explaining the many reasons to avoid rice cereal.
Avocados are a great fruit to start with. They are high in fat, so only a little is needed to help keep those baby tummies full. And it’s packed with nutrients – high in Vitamins C, B-6 and A! Plus it’s got to be the easiest to serve – you can mash or cube up – it’s so soft! And babies love them!!
Fruits might be more fun, but offer more veggies! This one hard because I love seeing my babies really enjoy those sweet fruits. But offering veggies more often then fruit will help their taste buds appreciate a wide variety of foods! And sweet potatoes and carrots are sweet in their own way – so starting with those isn’t too hard!
Try one food for 3 days to make sure your little one doesn’t have an allergy. I gave Natalie bananas once and she was okay. But the second time – we had projective vomiting for hours. Her tummy couldn’t handle it and had to get every bit of that banana out. So now I know what she’s allergic to and plan to stay clear!
Baby Led Weaning is for the lazy AND wise! Personally, I love the idea of offering purees along with some bigger chunks of food. I want her to taste foods and eat enough to get the nutrients, but I also want her to try and feed herself for the fun and the texture!
These multiportion freezer trays will make a world of difference! I think one of my big mistakes when trying to make baby food last time was not having these handy trays. With these I can make a big batch and then freeze a majority of it. Once it’s frozen I pop them out and store in a ziplock bag (for up to 3 months). Just take out what you need and let thaw over night to serve the next day! Definitely cuts down on the amount of time you spend cooking and cuts down on waste!
Have fun, expect to get messy, and keep your camera handy!
