As a health conscious mom, it’s safe to say that you not only want the best nourishment for your own body but for your baby as well. It’s scary to think about unknowingly feeding your little one something harmful or toxic. Even if you religiously read every ingredient list or research your baby food suppliers, it is hard to know exactly what is going on when those pureed peas were made. That’s why it’s easy for some moms to make the jump to homemade baby foods, so they can monitor both the environment and the ingredients of their child’s meals. Maybe you are on the fence as to whether this is the appropriate route to take. Like any decision, there are both pros and cons to homemade baby food that should be considered when making your choice.
Homemade Baby Food Pros and Cons (With Tips And Recipes)
Homemade Baby Food Pros
Here are some of the benefits of homemade baby food.
- Homemade baby food does not have to be cooked at extremely high temperatures to kill bacteria and ensure a longer shelf life. Because of this, vitamins, nutrients, taste, color, and aroma stay in tact.
- Like any homemade meal, it is more economical. You can make homemade baby food in large batches and store it in your freezer.
- You get to pick your own ingredients. Because of this, you know exactly what is going into your baby’s mouth and have no need to add preservatives or harmful chemicals.
- Your baby will get to eat a variety of tasty foods (provided that you pick them) and you can make endless combinations of purees.
- There are plenty of baby food recipes on the internet for your enjoyment!
Homemade Baby Food Cons
Here are some of the disadvantages of homemade baby food.
- Just as it takes time to prepare a meal for yourself, preparing baby food puree takes time as well.
- Jarred baby food may be more convenient for travel as it comes pre-packaged in little containers.
- There is a risk of wasting money and time by creating a large batch of homemade baby food that your little one doesn’t like.
- Because of the lack of preservatives, homemade baby food will spoil a lot faster than jarred baby food.
If you still think homemade baby food is for you, check out the following links for tips, tricks, and recipes to get started with making baby food while incorporating your sense of creativity.
Homemade Baby Food Tips, Tricks & Recipes!
- How to Puree and Homemade Baby Food Storage (Momtastic’s Wholesome Baby Food)
- DIY Baby Food Tips (Today’s Parent)
- Recipes for 6-12 months (Baby Center)
- The Basic Baby Food Cookbook for Kindle & Paperback (Amazon)
- Homemade Baby Food Safety (About)
- NUK Fresh Baby Food Starter Kit (Target)
- Mumi & Bubi Solid Starter Kit (Review)
- How To Introduce Solid Foods (Tips)
- Turkey Casserole Baby Food Recipe (Love and Duck Fat)
- Carrot Mango Apple Baby Food Recipe (Tyler Florence)
Anyone can start making fresh homemade baby food today! Do the benefits of homemade baby food appeal to you? Do you think you will give it a try?
Lisa LaRocco says
I am a big promoter of making your own baby food. At first it seems time consuming, but after you do it a few time, it’s a no brainer. Besides you can buy that extra outfit for the baby that you wanted because you saved enough money. But the main reason for making baby food is the higher nutritional value in homemade baby food. The secret is to always have some bought baby food on hand incase you are in a pinch. But in buying the OTC baby food watch out for the sugar content and go for those that have less sugar.
Lisa