5 reasons to prepare your own baby food

Many parents feed their children store-bought baby food, and why not? They are convenient, cheap, and come in a variety of flavors for baby to enjoy.

When I was pregnant with my first son, I decided to do some research on what food I would put in his mouth when the time was right. I’ve come to some interesting conclusions.

For the mom who’s exhausted from frequent feedings and diaper changes, it’s easy to aim for quick and convenient options. While we certainly deserve the convenience and quality of ‘me-time’, a few extra minutes of pureeing will not only save money and time in the long run, but also help our kids grow up healthy and strong, developing a platform of food that they will soon be eating in solid form.

The best healthy choice

Our children deserve a great quality of life, but it’s hard to keep an eye on what we’re putting in their bodies when their food passes through a few hands before reaching our grocery basket. When you make your own baby food using fresh fruits, vegetables, and more, you know exactly what you’re putting in it.

Unfortunately, store-bought baby foods contain less than one-fifth of the recommended amount of calcium, zinc, and magnesium. Food is cooked in a pot at high temperatures to kill bacteria. This is partly how you make it possible to store them on shelves for so long. Some see this as a negative, because many nutrients in the food are lost as a result.

Home to save money

While little jars of baby food seem cheap at first glance, the money really does add up. The amounts kids eat each day can vary, and standard sized jars just can’t fit that. With homemade baby food, you need to decide how much to store and serve. If the ingredients are on sale, you can buy in bulk to prep and freeze to serve weeks later.

A friend of the environment

Whether you reuse plastic bags, containers, or glass jars, you can easily stock up on your food without having a pile of containers from the store with every grocery store. If you are used to throwing away the jars as soon as you feed the baby, think about how good homemade baby food can be for the environment. Easily make and store food in reusable containers. Once emptied, the next batch is fine.

More original flavours

If you have time, it’s fun to see the difference in taste on your own. Fruits, vegetables, and meats alike differ in texture and flavor from the real thing. Most brands can’t compare to the real deal, and you can’t blame the manufacturers. There is a reason these foods can go for so long without being refrigerated!

Easier transition to solids

If the baby is used to eating mixed food, then it will be quite the transition to get him to switch to the food that you eat on a regular basis. At 10 months old, our son could eat bits of meat and vegetables from our plates because he already tasted them in pureed form.