First of all… I must admit that I never made baby purees for my other 3 children. Gasp! That’s right, I fed them baby food from jars! Therefore…I must not have cared about them as much. Kidding, kidding….
So…if you aren’t the type to make baby food for your baby, that’s okay. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad mom. As long as you are feeding your baby, that’s what matters.
Whew! Glad we got that out of the way.
If you are looking to get started on making baby food for the first time or you’re an ol’ pro at it looking for some quick tips, then without further adieu, here are my 5 quick tips on how to make baby purees and how NOT to spend hours a week preparing baby food while also saving TONS of $$$.
1. Steam frozen veggies easily and in large amounts using this awesome Nesco Steamer. Don’t have the budget to buy one? Check out your local Goodwill store or garage sales. My MIL found this one at a garage sale super cheap! Or borrow one from a friend. You can also use a vegetable steamer that sits in the bottom of a pot of water on the stove like this one. Today I actually skipped all of that and bought frozen peas in a “ready to steam” bag. I popped it in the microwave and within minutes they were done.
What I love about this steamer is there are 2 levels. I regularly put the carrots in the bottom because they take longer and then put the peas in the top.
2. Use a blender, Magic Bullet, Ninja, or Nuk baby food processor to puree your fruits and vegetables for you. I am able to fit 2 bags of steamed, organic carrots ($3 total) in my Ninja at one time and today, I put 4 bags of steamed peas ($2.76 total) at once. I was able to freeze 34 portions (2 ounces each) of baby food today for a grand total of $5.76. That would be the equivalent of 34 jars of organic baby food at $.65 each ($22.10 total). That’s over $15 in savings!
My Ninja has a smaller processor for smaller portions as well as a full sized blender.
3. Invest or borrow some of these handy little containers. They are 2 ounce sized so that the portions are ready to go for baby at feeding time. No measuring or scooping. Just pop the lid off and feed directly from the container. These are awesome because they are easily stackable in your refrigerator and freezer.
I borrowed these from my SIL who is done making baby foods (Thanks, hermana!) 
4. Spend time on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon preparing your foods for the coming days and weeks! I am able to steam, puree and freeze 3 weeks of peas and 2 weeks of carrots in the matter of an hour on a Sunday afternoon. 
5. Don’t get too fancy with it! You’ll make yourself crazy! Unless of course, you are a master chef or enjoy trying new purees for baby. I keep it simple by doing carrots, peas, apples, and bananas. I buy jarred baby foods for the mixed fruits or blends that I am not interested in trying to make on my own.
*Remember these guidelines when freezing and defrosting homemade baby foods*
I will say that baby #4 is spoiled because this mama is really enjoying making baby food for her!
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