Tuesday, May 5, 2009
"Making" Baby Food
I know this isn't a new concept but it is to me. After four kids you would have thought I would have tried just about everything by now but that is just not so. I had heard of making baby food before but I thought "why." It comes in cute little jars already done. Why take the time. Plus, I thought it would be something that would be really hard. I was wrong. Yes, you heard me I was wrong. About a month ago when I contacted the lactation consultant about my latest nursing dilemma she suggested giving EG sweet potato. Not the kind in the baby food jar but actually baking it, pureeing it and feeding it to her. Ugh, that was just what I needed. Something else to do in my already overwhelming life! I had been given that advice once before. Little Mama had a weight issue when she was about 5/6 mos. Someone gave me the advice to feed her avocado. Needless to say I didn't take that advice but now wished I would have. Anyway, the lactation consultant suggested the sweet potato as an alternative for formula so to speak. Well, I have come along way since Little Mama's weight issue so I thought "what the heck." I baked some sweet potatoes about a week or so ago, mashed them up and gave them to her. She loved them. I froze the left overs in little chunks and pull one out and let it thaw everyday for dinner. For breakfast I buy extra bananas so they get ripe and every morning I mash one of those. Yesterday we tried avocado for the first time. I just cut it in half and mashed the "meat." She had that for lunch. I have since bought a butternut squash and pears. I baked the squash, pureed it and froze it in ice cube trays. That will be our next food to try. The pears I need to steam and freeze but I think they need to ripen more. It really has been kind of cool to do this. It makes me feel so domestic! We went out for dinner the other night and I wasn't sure what I would do about the baby food. I ended up just bringing a banana and a little chunk of sweet potato and when the time came just mashed it up and gave it to her. It worked out beautifully. I plan to add baby cereal in a couple days as well. Just to have a back up. I guess there are three main reasons I have chosen to make the baby food this time around: 1) I like the idea of the least processed the better, 2) it helps me deal with the fact that I am not the greatest nursing mom and 3) it is WAY cheaper. Who knows how long it will last. But for now I feel it is the best choice for EG and me . . .
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4 comments:
When Thomas was a baby, I thought that I had to go through the entire line of 1st Foods (jarred) before he could move on to the next level (2nd Foods!). So there I was, spooning pureed chicken and beef (gag) into his mouth. And he threw up every time. Finally, it dawned on me that I didn't HAVE to feed him everything :)
A couple babies later I realized that the kiddos actually preferred 'real' food to the jarred kind.
I still gave some jar food though, especially the yummy combinations I just couldn't make myself -- blueberry/apricot.
Glad you and EG are having fun with it!
Isn't it funny what we think we have to do! I am a slow learner!
This is something that I will have to try with Molly. I did a little with Emily but got tired of it and I had this strainer thing that I turned and mushed out the pulp...it was a little much but maybe you can teach me more when the time comes.
Trust me, if I can do it anyone can do it. And really it sounds a whole lot harder than it really is. Tons of great websites. But, yes I would love to share with you the tidbits I have learned :)
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