Making your own baby food is easy, efficient, and economical. Instead of spending money on prepackaged baby food, you can use fresh produce, grains, and meat that you have on hand. Best of all, you'll know exactly what you're feeding your baby.
Going the do-it-yourself route also gets your baby used to eating the same food the rest of the family does, a strategy that may pay off during the picky toddler years.
Choosing the right equipment
You'll need a tool to grind or puree the food. Some possibilities, all of which you can buy at stores or online:
A hand-turned food mill with different blades for various textures of food. Many parents say this portable, non-electric gadget is their favorite tool. (Search online for "food mill.")
A baby food grinder, a very inexpensive and simple way to break down chunks of food for your baby, is non-electric and portable, but you don't have a choice of textures. Read the reviews online before ordering. The grinders don't always work as well as they promise, but some parents swear by them. (Search for "baby food grinder.")
An all-in-one baby-food maker, a device that first steam-cooks and then purees fruit, vegetables, and meat for your baby. Some models also defrost and reheat previously prepared food. (Search for "baby food maker.")
A hand blender, a useful electric gadget that purees food like a blender does, but works in the opposite way: You place it into the food rather than vice versa. (Search for "hand blender.")
A regular kitchen blender or food processor. You probably already have at least one of these at home.
A good old-fashioned fork. This simple piece of kitchen equipment does a great job with easily mashed foods such as cooked sweet potatoes, ripe avocados, and bananas.
Other useful supplies:
Storage containers and ice cube trays
(or similar trays made just for baby food) for refrigerating and freezing extra portions.
Buying the best produce
Choose the freshest fruits and vegetables, and try to use what you buy in a day or two. When fresh isn't available, frozen is a fine option. (If you prefer organic produce, find out how to buy organic food for less.)
Good fruits to start with include apples, apricots, bananas, blueberries, peaches, and pears. Vegetables to try include avocados, peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and winter squash.
Don't limit yourself to these, though. For more ideas, see our article on adventurous first foods.
Preparing the food
After washing, cook vegetables – and fruits like apples and pears that need to be softened – before pureeing or grinding. Bake, boil, or steam the produce until it's soft. If you boil the food, use as little liquid as possible and add some of the leftover liquid when mashing the food. Peel and pit the produce if necessary and strain out any seeds.
Some fruits and vegetables don't require any added liquid – simply cook, mash, and serve. For others, you may want to add a little liquid (breast milk, formula, or water) as you puree or grind to get the consistency you want. As your baby adapts to solid foods, you can add less liquid.
Grains like quinoa or millet can also be pureed or ground in a food mill. Cook them first according to package directions. For older babies, whole grains make fabulous finger food.
To prepare meat and poultry, remove the skin and trim the fat before cooking. Then puree the cooked meat in a blender or grind it up in a food mill with a little liquid. For older babies, simply chop the meat into very small pieces.
If this all sounds like a lot of trouble, keep in mind that "homemade baby food" can be the very same food you feed the rest of your family. It's an old-fashioned idea that deserves to be resurrected. Simply use your food mill or other tool to puree, blend, or mash some of the same food that your family is having for dinner.
Soups and stews, for example, can be processed and fed to your baby. The same goes for most healthy foods your family might eat. Pack empty baby food jars with extra so you'll have a meal for the next day.