Make It or Buy It

I am a person that loves to make and create different dishes for family and friends and that is no different for my 5 month old who just started getting a taste of some of mom’s creations (well his versions anyway). I love making baby food! there I said it. I like knowing what I am giving my child and being able to give him a different variety of foods that are sometimes not available in stores like avocado, which my first son loved and devoured. I also like the ease of making these foods. It doesn’t have to take hours to create a pureed jar of sweet potatoes, actually I normally make my sons food when I am making dinner for my family. With all of the different gadgets out today making your own baby food can be very easy and cost effective for you.

The baby bullet, in my opinion one of the best investments I made 4 years ago for my first son is still going strong today. This was not only a blender but came with baby food containers for easy storage in the fridge as well as a book for feeding your new little bundle of joy. The book I thought was great! since it listed foods to start your child on each month.

There are many advantages to making your own baby food. One is knowing exactly what is in your child’s food. Below is an organic label of baby food that lists a number of different I know a lot of people make baby food and put it in ice cube trays in the freezer, but I always find it easier to make it once or twice a week. As baby gets older and is ready for combination foods he/she can then just have what the rest of the family is eating in pureed form.

ingredients. When making my own baby food, the only ingredients that I put in is whatever the item is i am making for example carrots, peas, or sweet potatoes and a little water to boil and thin out. I am not saying all baby food especially organic ones have multiple ingredients on the label, but many do and if you are buying store bought food it is always a good idea to check.

Price is always another factor when buying groceries and it is no different when buying baby food. For either of my son, I never did a cost comparison for buys vs. making your own baby food. I just knew that I wanted to make their foods. Below is a picture of the cost of making 24 jars of carrots, and as they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

I am not saying that it is a horrible idea to buy baby food. There are actually some great organic products out there like Beech Nut that only listed one ingredient on their label, but there are also some products that have a massive list of ingredients on their label. If you are a frugal person and do not want to spend the money on buying organic baby food, than I would try making your own. As we know in our world today life gets in the way and sometimes we are unable to make the foods we wish because of time constraints. In these cases it may be a good idea to have on hand a jar of baby food, but opt for theone with less ingredients that stays pure to the food.