How do you make healthy baby food

Are you worried about what to feed your baby to keep them healthy, but wondering how do I make healthy baby food at home?

You would think you could trust the baby food on the shelf.  However, a lot of research has come out showing what is found in common baby food products making us question what to feed our kids!

I decided three years ago that I was going to make all my children’s food before my first kid.  This was driven by the long-term health issues my husband and I have experienced that was determined to be caused by the food we were eating.

The first two years of a child’s life forms the foundation of their health for when they are older.  So it’s crucial to as early as possible to feed them high quality whole foods.

How do you do make healthy baby food?

First off, you don’t do it on your own.  While it turns out, it’s not as hard as you would imagine, there is some upfront work.  I started out with “The Big Book of Organic Baby Food“, which was the best purchase I ever made.  They have a toddler version as well.

These books do a wonderful job of spelling out exactly what to do.  When to introduce new items.  What spices to include with different meats and veggies.  Following their week-by-week guide has allowed us to avoid having a picky 2 1/2 year old.  She has her days, but so do I.

You are not only ensuring that you are feeding the right nutrients, they are getting a mix of everything they need.  All without some of the stuff they really don’t (we’ll be posting a lot more about this soon – think milk is necessary? – it really isn’t!).

What else do you need?

Pairing the book with the Baby Brezza was a life changer!  It will literally steam and blend anything you put in it making baby meal prepping super easy.  My baby ate beets!  I mean come on, I didn’t even have beets until I was out of college.

Pick a recipe, grab some vegetables and spices next time you are at the store, steam and blend and get your baby eating nutrient dense food.  You may even like some of it yourself.  Just try them whole and roasted in the oven instead.

Benefits of making your own baby food

• Less trips to the doctor* – proven in our house
• No more ear infections (the milk issue we’ll cover in the future)
• A more stable mood throughout the day (don’t worry you will still enjoy the toddler phase)
• Your kids will LOVE vegetables
• You and your kids will be able to share more meals together sooner (makes planning cheaper and easier)

Our favorite, easy homemade baby food combos (6-7 month olds):

• Beets and carrots (3 beets, 3 carrots, steam and blend 25 minutes)
• Peas and carrots ( 3 carrots, 1 cup frozen peas, steam and blend 25 minutes)
• Avocado and banana (no cooking required! – just mash equal parts together)
• Spinach and sweet potato (1 potato, 2 handfuls of spinach, steam and blend 25 minutes)

For most all combos all you have to do is a little vegetable prep and the Brezza does the rest.  Check out our post on the 7 best foods for baby brain health!

*As always, consult with you and/or child’s doctor in relation to any major dietary or medicine changes.

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