With my oldest son, I got really tired of jockying for position with other moms in the baby food aisle. Trying to look around 5 other people to find what I was looking for… Not to mention the fact that it disturbs me how long it lasts, as well as how much it costs. So I decided to start looking into making my own purees.
I found books online and fancy machines, all of which cost money, a pretty good amount. I thought there had to be a better, cheaper way. I searched online and found a fabulous (free!) resource here. Listed all kinds of recipes and ways to prepare purees, lots of tips. I also found that regular blenders and choppers would work just fine, and that ice cube trays are great for freezing 1oz potions. So I spent less than $50 on a small chopper and some ice cube trays. And away I went!
It was so much easier than I expected. The recipes and instructions were easy to follow, the chopper worked great, and freezing in the trays worked great. Once they were frozen I just popped them out into ziploc bags and after about a days worth of work, I had purees for months.
Each night I would just take some of the frozen cubes out, put them in jars in the fridge and they’d pretty much be thawed the next day.
The only “baby food” specialty item that I would say is worth the investment is the Infantino Squeeze Station. You can make your own squeeze pouches which are much easier to take on the go, but they’re a fraction of the cost of the ones you buy at the store.
Homemade baby food purees – easy, affordable, and better for your baby too!
Peek at Parenting 