Choosing to make Noah's food has been a very fun yet challenging thing. I love knowing that he is getting all of the best and freshest ingredients possible. The hard part is staying motivated to cook in bulk and prepare all of the food. It just takes so much time and commitment.

New Mom Files: Homemade Baby Food Essentials

Don't get me wrong, Noah is totally worth it, but on a Sunday afternoon when all you want to do is lay on the couch and rest while the little one is napping, its hard to want to go and prep, cook, puree, and put all of the food into containers. But I said I was going to do it so I just keep on keeping on.

Puréed Baby Food

I posted quite some time ago about making homemade baby food when I was first getting started. After making food now for about 7 months, I will share a few things that I have learned.

Things that you need:
1. A good food processor!! This is a must. We bought the Ninja and love it but I know that there are lots of good options out there. If you are really wanting to make your own baby food, you need one that holds a lot. It makes it much easier when trying to make food in bulk.

2. Lots of containers. I got mine at the Dollar Tree. They hold about 2oz which is pretty much a perfect size. I got rectangle ones for veggies and circle ones for fruit. This makes it super easy to distinguish the difference since a lot of fruits and veggies look similar. Why not label you ask? You go through containers very quickly once baby starts eating food. I just felt like it was a wast of time to label and have to worry about either getting the same food in the same containers each time. Make it easy on yourself mama!

3. There are lots of rules you will find when it comes to feeding your baby. There are certain foods that they shouldn't have until they are older, and certain foods that cause gas ... it goes on and on. So I just did a little research on things that would be good for Mr. Noah. I just kept trying things one at a time to make sure that he didn't have any sort of reaction to anything. Here are a few things that I have read/learned in the process.
- Avoid until one year: peanut butter, honey.
- Introduce slowly: dairy. (I started introducing Noah at 9 months)
- Make baby gassy: broccoli, cauliflower,
- Things I made: sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, carrots, butternut squash, acorn squash, avocados, peaches, pears, apples, chicken, beef.

Introducing Table Foods

In the last couple months I have started adding new and whole foods into Noah's diet. And by whole, I mean cut up into small chewable pieces versus puréed.

Noah has been starting to eat more things off our plates or things that we've been eating. I am careful to make sure that it's not anything that is too seasoned or too spicy. This has been a huge relief. And eating out as a family has become so much easier.

I still prep a lot of food especially for him. I have started prepping a lot of food at the beginning of the week that can be divided up for all of his meals throughout the week. It's the same concept as when you purée, you cook your foods how you normally wood, let them cool, cut them into small pieces, and divide them into your containers. I use a lot of the same containers that I used for the puréed food since I have slowed that down some.

While Noah is continuing to learn to pick things up (he is getting very good at grabbing Cheerios with his finger and thumb), I still feed him some puréed food too. It's hard to tell, until you get him out of the high chair, how much went in his mouth and how much is in the chair. Or now that he's learned to feed the dog, it really is important to make sure he is eating enough of what he needs.

I am definitely not a pro but I am proud that I have kept it up and continued to make homemade food for Noah. It makes me happy knowing he is getting good food and I think he's pretty happy about it too!

Noah's Daily Eating Plan

So here is a sample of what Noah might eat throughout the day. Note: He is 10 months old and I will continue feeding him formula until he is 1 year or so.

7:25 am - cherios to keep him from screaming while his breakfast is being fixed
7:30 am - piece of toast, a scrambled egg, + puréed peaches.
9:30 am - 4oz bottle before napping
12:30 pm - ham, cheese, + black beans
2:30 pm - 4oz bottle before napping
5:30 pm - rice, turkey, puréed peas, piece of an apple
8:30 pm - 6-8oz bottle before bed

xoxo, Britt + Noah

Even before my little man was born I knew that I wanted to make his baby food. Or at least attempt it. I really liked the idea of knowing exactly what he was eating and it is a much cheaper option. Most recently I have made sweet potatoes and green beans. It is so easy and just takes a little bit of time and you can make so much food.

I bought 2 small sweet potatoes (I didn't want to cook too many if Noah wasn't a fan) for $2.60, which made me 18 servings. I also bought 2 lbs of green beans for $4.00, which made me around 36 servings. As you can see a little goes a long way when it comes to the veggies. If I would have paid the same amount for store bought food, I would not have got nearly the same amount.

To make the sweet potatoes, I just peeled them, chopped them up, and boiled them until tender. Next, I drained them and let them cool for a few minutes. After cooling I placed them into the food processor and blended them, adding water to help blend them, until I was happy with the consistency.

Next I put scooped them into a gallon sized plastic baggie. I cut one of the bottom tips off of the bag and used it like an icing bag. I just filled each compartment of the ice-cube tray to the amount I wanted and moved to the next. I find that it's the easiest and quickest way to fill up the trays. When I try using a spoon, I end of with a huge mess.

Once I filled the tray with the sweet potatoes, I place them in the freezer. After they were completely frozen, I put them into labeled gallon freezer bags. They will keep for approximately three months in the freezer.

To make the green beans, rinsed them, cut off the ends, and boiled until tender. Once I thought that they were ready, I drained them and let them cool for a few minutes. After cooling I placed them into the food processor and blended them, adding water to help blend them, until I was happy with the consistency.

I did the same thing with these as I did the sweet potatoes. I placed them in the gallon plastic bag to make it easier to put them in the ice-cube trays.

Once the trays were filled, I place them in the freezer. After they were completely frozen, I put them into labeled gallon freezer bags. They will keep for approximately three months in the freezer.

When it comes time for Noah to eat, I just take out my desired number of cubes and pop them into the microwave for about 20 seconds or until they are warm (always test the temperature before feeding them to your little one). And if your little one is anything like mine, they will have the food all over them before you are done. Noah is notorious for ending up with food up his nose ... don't ask :)

You should definitely give making your own baby food a try. It's a really good feeling, knowing that you have prepared what your little one is eating and you know exactly whats in it. Plus it's a lot easier on your wallet when you go to get their food.

Make sure if you are making your own baby food to let us know what you're trying and how it's going for you. We'd love to hear. xo, Britt