Homemade baby food...

So now that I had the ok to start on solids, I tried rice cereal. My son HATED it. He cried and screamed and shook his head. I had been giving him a little formula on a spoon prior to this so he would be used to the spoon in his mouth so I didn't think the spoon was the problem. Maybe he just wasnt' ready. How disappointing.

So I waited a week and tried again. Same reaction. I thought I would try the baby oatmeal cereal. Maybe he just didn't like the rice cereal. Same reaction. I tried everything. I made it really thin and also tried different levels of consistency. He just didn't want it at all. I was going to wait another week but the I decided to try applesauce. I had some natural, no sugar added applesauce at home so I spooned some into a little dish and crossed my fingers. I gave him a little taste and he made the most awful face. But he didn't cry. And he opened his mouth for more when I offered it. It must have been a little tart for someone who has only ever tasted formula but he was eating it. I was also concerned about his tongue reflex which would make him push food out and not swallow it. But he didn't seem to have a problem. Yeah!

I went to the grocery store the next day. I was going to try the applesauce for a few days to make sure he didn't have an allergic reaction but I anxious to see what else I could get for him. I stared at all of the little jars and a thought struck me. Why couldn't I just make my own baby food? I didn't buy any jars and got on the computer as soon as I got home. I researched how to make your own baby food and it seemed simple enough.

Now, I am no cook. I would gladly eat cereal for dinner every night or just throw some spaghetti into a pot. So I was a little nervous about the idea of cooking baby food. All I had to do was cook fresh or frozen fruits and veggies and blend them up into a puree. Then I would pour the puree into ice cube trays and freeze it. Easy, right?

I went back to the store and bought some squash. It was in the produce section, already cut up into chunks. I cooked it, threw it into the blender and it came out as a smooth puree. It was bright and had nice color. If I compared it to the little jars, I wouldn't even have to hesitate about which one I would feed him. It froze well too. I was so proud of myself. So proud.

When it was time to feed him the squash after a few days of apples, I pulled a cube out of the freezer, heated it up and fed it to him. He absolutely loved it. He didn't make a face. He just opened his mouth for more. He finished the whole cube.

After that I made green beans, peas, pears, peaches, zuchhini, sweet potato, bananas, blueberries, mixed fruits, mixed veggies. I was a baby food making machine. And it really only took about a 1/2 hour a week to make many servings. At first I didn't think it was saving me much money but a bag of frozen vegetables costs $0.89 and made between 6 and 12 servings, depending on what it was. To buy 6-12 servings in jars would have cost between $2.70 and $5.40 at least. So it really was a savings.

And that was it. I vowed that I wouldn't buy the little jars unless absoutely necessary. However, I would have to rethink that when he started meats. I didn't like the idea of having to blend up boiled chicken or beef. Ewww.