How I Saved $181 Making My Own Baby Food

Okay – you’re 4-6 months into this baby-raising thing. You’re starting to feel like a pro with diapers, naps, bottles and/or breastfeeding. But at your 6-month appointment (or maybe sooner) your pediatrician tells you it’s time to start solids. Baby food. Lovely.

[ReviewDisclaimer]

Starting solids with Lils definitely took me out of my comfort zone. As a semi-crunchy mom, I knew I wanted to make my own organic purees; it seemed like a fairly simple and not overly time-intensive way of knowing exactly what she was eating. It was a personal decision that I felt was best for our family but in the interest of not sounding like a total sanctimommy, you should know that Lils’ current foods of choice are chicken nuggets, fries, and ice cream. You win some, you lose some…. #whateverworksmom here.

Anyway, while I was originally in it for the health benefit, I wasn’t aware that making your own baby food saves a TON of money! Lils was exclusively breastfed up until solids so with me as her personal all-you-can-eat buffet, I was blind to the cost of filling these little ones’ bellies.  If you’re formula-feeding, you already know how expensive kiddos are to feed.

But after also making my own purees for MJ over the last 3 months, I did a bit of math and found I saved approximately $180 as compared to buying jars or packets!

So if this sounds like something you’d like to try for your little one, here is 1.) the breakdown of savings in making vs. buying, 2.) my go-to grocery list, and 3.) a top-level breakdown of how you can make your own purees!

1.)   Some enlightening numbers:

On average, your baby will eat about 2 oz of purees per feeding, 3 times a day. That lasts for about 3 months (6 months old to 9 months old) until they fully incorporate table foods into their diet.

(2 oz x 3 per day) x 90 days = 540 ounces

My jarred food of choice is Beechnut Organics. (Okay, YES I use pre-made food from time to time! Again, #whateverworksmom here and these bad boys are uber-convenient to take on-the-go.)

I prefer the glass jars and I love that this brand doesn’t add concentrate or preservatives. But at $0.46/ounce for 540 ounces of Beechnut jars… that’s $248.40!!

Buy a dozen of those to get you by when you’re out and about, but for 99% of your baby’s meals, do this instead:

2.)   3 months of organic baby food for $67.25:

I’m a North Carolina girl so my go-to grocery store is Harris Teeter. Their organic selection is on the pricier side but I can’t put a price on the convenience of their heaven-sent Express Lane online ordering service, so here I am.

You could certainly buy the following all at once but I prefer to buy and prep 5 or so items at a time. Here is your grocery list… again, all organic:

You can complement this list with food items you don’t need to prep beforehand – bananas, avocado, apple sauce, etc. However, I still would have purchased these even if I was doing 100% jarred food, so I didn’t include the cost in the breakdown above.

3.) Get to cooking:

You’ll notice in the above list, the grocery items are categorized by cooking method. You will need a few basic cooking supplies, all of which I had previously. This includes frying pans, cookie sheets, casserole dishes, ice cube trays, a vegetable steamer and a blender/food processor. I was gifted this fantastic Ninja for Christmas one year but unless you don’t have anything to get you by, do not go out and buy an overpriced baby food blender.

Here are some top-level instructions on how to prepare your purees:

• Roasting –
  • Wash and peel the outsides of the carrots and beets.
  • For the carrots – spread out on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with olive oil, and bake at 350F for 90 minutes.
  • For the beets – wrap each individual beet in tin foil and sprinkle with olive oil. Fold the foil to completely cover each beet. Bake at 375F for 90 minutes.

• Steaming –
  • For the broccoli and cauliflower – wash in a colander and then chop into bite sized pieces. Throw into the basket of your steamer and cook for approximately 15 minutes, or until soft.
  • For the green beans and peas – steam these for 8-10 minutes.
  • If you don’t have a steamer, you can still “steam” veggies with this neat hack.

• Baking –
  • For the butternut squash, pumpkin, and acorn squash – slice in half and place flesh side down in a 9×13 baking dish. Fill dish with ½ inch of water, so that some of the lower part of the vegetable is submerged. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from oven and scoop out the seeds and remove the skin from the vegetable. Cut into bite sized pieces.
  • For the sweet potato – scrub with water and bake at 350F for 60-90 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. (Mine are always extra large!) Remove skin and cut into pieces.

• Peel/Wash –
  • For the pears and mangoes – peel off the outside skin and slice into small pieces.
  • For the blueberries – just give them a good wash!

• Sautee –
  • For the baby spinach – heat 2 tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat. Once hot, add the spinach and stir until wilted.

After you’re done with the prep for your fruits and veggies, the last steps are simple! Cut the cooked food into small pieces and toss them in the blender, adding either some water or breastmilk if you choose. Blend to your desired consistency.

You’ll then distribute the puree into the ice cube trays. Stick the trays in the freezer overnight and TA-DA! You’ve done it. You can move the cubes into labeled freezer bags for better storage.

To serve, you just pop an ice cube or two (of the same or different purees) into a glass jar and warm either on your stove-top or in the microwave. Each “cube” amounts to approximately 2 ounces. I splurged on these fantastic Sage Spoonfuls Baby Food Jars so while my “DIY baby food savings” is actually closer to $160, I consider it a cost of doing business. 😉

That’s it! What are some of your favorite homemade baby foods?