Glancing down the grocery store aisles, tediously searching for the perfect baby food for your little one, you pick up a small package of banana puree and think to yourself, ‘Can I make this myself?’ Of course you can! Sometimes this decision doesn’t come as easily to parents–choosing to go from commercial baby food products to homemade baby meals.
Homemade baby foods, when prepared properly, can have a significant nutritional and economical edge…
When comparing equal amounts of home-prepared and commercial baby foods, brand name baby foods tend to have less fiber, more sugar and sodium, and are much more expensive. However, homemade foods will cost you some time to make, seal, and store for a few hours once or twice per week.
What are the advantages?
- You know exactly what you’re feeding your baby
- Most of the time it is less expensive
- You can cater to your baby’s likes and dislikes
- It gets your baby used to eating the same food your family does, just in pureed form
What are the disadvantages?
- It takes time to make and prepare lots of little servings
- Prepackaged baby foods already come in measured amounts, ready to serve
- Homemade baby foods spoil more quickly and require refrigeration
If you decide to start making your own baby food, it’s not that difficult. All you need is a reliable food processor and a way to steam the food (steaming preserves most nutrients). But there are also many baby food makers on the market, producing ready-to-serve baby food that can save you a lot of time. Whichever you choose, just make sure that you’re feeding your little one nutritious fruits and veggies with the least amounts of sugar and sodium.
