How to make your own baby food

If you prepare meals at home and eat a healthy balance of foods, you can easily prepare your own baby food at home with just a few added accessories.

Items to keep on hand for making your own baby food

If you cook meals every day, or even every other day, you can easily prepare, or set aside and make your baby’s food as you go. You can also prepare a week’s worth — or more — ahead of time and freeze cubes of the food to use as you need it. Ice cube trays with an airtight lid can be used to freeze smaller portions of food. Once frozen, empty the cubes into a freezer bag for extended storage.

Some parents prepare their meals as they normally would, but set aside an unseasoned portion for their baby. Anything cooked can be tossed in a blender and pureed into a desired texture with the addition of water.

If you prepare and freeze your child’s food while preparing your own food, you’ll only need a warmer. The Kiinde Kozii ($70, Kiinde) is designed to safely thaw and warm bottles, breastmilk storage bags and baby food using a warm water bath. This method ensures the nutrients in the food is preserved and not exposed to dangerous steam, heat or microwaves.

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Items like the Beaba Babycook ($120, Williams Sonoma) allow you to heat, blend and defrost all in one compact, countertop device while preserving the vitamins in the foods.

Step one

Wash and cut the food into small pieces.

Step two

Steam cook the food. Cooking time will depend on foods being used.

Step three

Puree the food to the desired consistency. The Babycook allows you to add the leftover water, which contains nutrients directly from the foods being cooked, back into the food to customize the consistency.

Step four

Serve your child the fresh food or place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Step five

Place extras in a freezer tray like the Beaba Multiportion Freezer Tray ($20, Williams Sonoma) with an airtight lid to store for later use.

Tip: It’s best to freeze your prepared food in small portions to easily defrost the food — and to mix different foods together to create different meals.

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Why make your own baby food?

• When you make your own baby food, it saves money.
• Making baby food helps to eliminate waste.
• No more having to run to the store for food when you run out.
• You always know what goes into your baby’s food.
• Making your own baby food can help encourage the parents to eat healthier.

More on baby food

Is baby food in pouches replacing babies being spoon fed?
Beyond baby food
How to introduce solid foods