Baby Food for Thought

Well, we've come to a point in my sons life that baby food is pretty much as much of a staple as formula. We are having fun finding out what he does (and doesn't) like.

I purchased myself a Baby Bullet from Canadian Tire many months ago. It was on sale for $49.99 and I thought it might be fun to try it out. I do not own a blender myself (I'm not too sure as to why... hmm), which in essence is what a Baby Bullet is. Just a smaller version that is always on the Puree mode.

So far, we've tried out Avocados, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Spaghetti squash, Peas, Pears, Apples, Beets, Bananas, Zucchini, and Apricots. Big B's favorite of them all by far is Avocados. It is his kryptonite. He whines/cries when you can't get them in his mouth quick enough. lol

Baby food is so easy to make and store. It is a cheaper option to jarred baby food. And, I am by no means a 'hippy', but I do like knowing what is in my child's food. Although I'm sure most are genetically engineered or have had pesticides on them; I know that once I get them, they have been handled safely, washed, cooked and made into suitable baby food to my standards.

Here is a great website with recipe ideas and nutritional breakdowns: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/
I suppose it is a bit more of an investment than running out and buying jars of baby food, but I truly believe it pays off.

My investment:

A Baby Bullet kit - $49.99
30 x Baby Food Cups 2 pack from my local Dollarama @ $1.00 each - $30.00 I love these cups! They are cheap (so if you loose one somewhere - oh well!). They wash in the dishwasher great, they freeze great, they don't leak, currently are the perfect serving size and they have 4 different animals to pick from - Hippos, Monkeys, Tiger and Pigs)
4 Brand New Ice Cube Trays @ $1.00 each
My Time - big batches usually take me just under 2 hours to make
Freezer Space - we have a total of 3 freezers, so making room in the fridge one is not such a big deal - but it may be for others.

Here is the cost of one of my big batches:

Qty 2 - Avocado mesh bags (5 Avocados each) - $3.00 each = $6.00
Bulk Fresh Green Beans (0.595 kg) = $2.60
Qty 3 Bartlett Pears (0.655 kg) = $2.42
Qty 1 Spaghetti Squash (1.070 kg) = $3.02
Qty 1 Sweet Potato (0.810 kg) = $1.75
Qty 4 Zucchini (1.070 kg) = $3.49

= $19.28

And this is what all of that makes....


I keep one of each flavour out and keep in the fridge - the rest go in the freezer. Fresh baby food lasts in the fridge for 3 days and frozen for 30. The ice cube trays of food get wrapped in Saran wrap and once they are frozen, I break them out of the tray and put them in a Ziploc Freezer bag. The containers stay on the door of my freezer door and are easy access.



This batch in particular made 45 servings - each ice cube is half a serving.
The total cost of fresh product was $19.28. $19.28/45 servings = $0.43 a serving.

Heniz jarred baby food runs around $0.60-$0.75 a jar. So there is some savings - but with the other investments and my time - it's close to equal. But I know how it is prepared.

Just like my blog about Formula - it's all your choice and you'll do what you feel is best for your baby. I get great satisfaction in making these batches for my son and will keep on doing it :)