You can prepare your own baby food at home. The easiest method is to buy canned vegetables and fruits and puree them to the desired consistency yourself. However, most canned produce contains salt and/or other additives that baby won’t tolerate – so read the label. If the can contains anything but the vegetable or fruit and water, pass it up. Making fresh baby food involves a few more steps, but you know exactly what’s going into your baby’s food and can hand-select the produce yourself, and the actual process doesn’t take long. Make sure that your utensils are thoroughly cleaned and sterilized first, and don’t add any seasonings, sugar, or salt.
Cook the fruit or vegetable by steaming, baking, microwaving or boiling. Steaming is the most nutrient-retaining method.
Drain the liquid that the produce was cooked in and set it aside.
Put the cooked fruits or veggies into the food processor or blender and turn it on, set to “puree” or “grind.”
While the produce is mashing, add the cooking liquid a few drops at a time; you can also use formula or breast milk for an extra nutritional boost.
Once the puree is at the desired consistency, put it into an ice cube tray as if you were making ice cubes. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and freeze (you can also buy ice cube trays with lids, if you prefer).
When the cubes have frozen, transfer them to heavy-duty freezer-safe plastic bags that you’ve labeled with the date and type of food; cubes should be used within a month of storage.
When it’s time for a feeding, just thaw a couple of cubes and reheat if Baby prefers warm food (don’t forget to stir before feeding so that there won’t be any pockets of heat). Each cube equals about one ounce of food.
Some fruits and vegetables can be high in residual pesticides. The Environmental Working Group conducted analyses of the USDA and FDA tests of pesticide levels in produce (based on over 100,000 different tests performed after the produce had been washed or peeled). The results showed that cherries, peaches, pears, potatoes, and apples had the highest concentration of pesticides left in them. Avocados, peas, and bananas had the lowest concentration. So if you’re going to make your own baby foods, look for organically grown produce – at least the above-mentioned items. Check your local farmer’s market.
Also, if you’re preparing your own baby food, don’t feed Baby large quantities of beets, carrots, turnips, collard greens or spinach. In some parts of the country, the soil contains a high concentration of nitrates, and these vegetables can have an elevated nitrate content which can cause anemia in babies. Commercially prepared baby foods use vegetables with low nitrate levels.