Baby food!!!

Well when I had my son I wanted to do it all. I wanted to breastfeed and make his food. I started out breastfeeding but had some latching issues with him and my milk dried up. No matter what tea I drank or lactation cookies I made it didn't help. I did not want him on formula. I felt like I failed him as a mom because I couldn't feed him myself. He had to eat so on formula he went and he had cow milk allergies so it took going through 4 kinds to find the right one for him.

Well he is 8 and 1/2 months now and he is doing just fine! He is on a goats milk formula now that i have to make every week and I make his food every two weeks. Most on here know i love to cook and why wouldn't I make his food? He has been eating foods since he was about 3 1/2mths. I started with banana's and oatmeal. I then went to veggies like zucchini and squash esp butternut squash, he loves it. He also loves green beans and he really loves tomato basil chicken! I also give him couscous which is purred in with the chicken and tomato/basil of course.

He loves everything! So far he hasn't turned his head to anything!

I buy my veggies at the local Farmers Market we have here. I save SOOOOO much money going there it's crazy! Some things I do have to get at the store but I try and get organic when I can. He doesn't get junk food and I won't give it to him. I will make his 1st birthday cake from scratch and that will be his sweet treat.

This was my haul today. $35 bucks!


And this is what I've made so far:

Green beans, carrots with broccoli, zucchini/yellow squash with fresh parsley and then chicken thighs with tomato and fresh basil.
MMMMMMMM!

Different veggie combos

I package the food like this:

^^^this was from the last time I made him food. I made one of his favorites Chicken tomato pastina. It's an Earths Best jar food. I do buy the jar food (Earths Best only) for when we are out and about because the homemade stuff doesn't keep well and it isn't easy to heat up while out. I re-heat all his food on the stove top too, no microwave. They make this one and I saw the ingredients and said heck I'll make it for him if he likes it so much!

I have also given him things i have made for me. I made a stew a while back and he LOVED it. I just made a Tuscan Beef Stew and i will be pureeing that for him later today for his lunches.

I freeze everything in containers. I label them with what is in it and the date it was made and into the freezer they go!


He also gets butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash and a few other squashes. He loves sweet potatoes too! I recently found a purple sweet potato at the farmers market. It's delicious and he doesn't mind it either. I also make green beans and spinach for him and I will make different meal combinations for him as well with everything. I do meat combinations with chicken and then I make sides with the veggies.

He is starting to feed himself slowly when i put him in his highchair. He had some mashed red potato and carrots the other day and he loved it! So I won't have to puree his food as much as I did before. He had a blast with this one! At first he was like um what do I do with it, then he figured it out and went to town!


I love making his food! It is fun and well I love to cook anyways so why not! He eats very well. He is spoiled some say in the food department but i don't see it as spoiling. I see it as feeing him well!! I can't wait til he is older and can hang in the kitchen cooking with me. My nephew cooks with my sister and has been since he was a little one too just like Liam. He will definitely know how to cook when he is older!

Here is my sweet little boy almost 9 mths. This picture was taken this morning while he "helped" pack his bag to go spend the night with Nana! Where did the time go?!


So has anyone else made baby food or do you still?? Curious to know what others do as well.

Beautiful!!! Our little girl is 11 months and all she gets is homemade food. Her first birthday cake will be made from scratch and gluten free. We even have the amber teething necklace as i see you do too. We were fortunate enough to breast feed and had a home birth to boot. we do everything for our child that we feel is best. It is a bit of extra work but the results speak for themselves. Are you poked fun at for your lifestyle because we sure are?
SNF thank you for this post. big smile on this end

reply to post by mblahnikluver


You already know me so its safe to tell you that i have never made baby food before but i did suggest to my friends who had babies to make their own as its safer and better and its a product you can actually trust because you know where it came from.
(one hell of a run on sentence right above)

I also suggested this veggiewash.beaumontproducts.com...

I would tell you why but that is another thread.

Adorable little boy...he has your eyes.

Wow super mum!

I have a 7 month old girl called Skyla. I had same problems with breast feeding and she had to go on lactose free milk for two months but managed to get her back on to normal follow on milk now with no problems.
I started out with good intentions blending my own veg and freezing but I have a very small freezer and a small budget. Veg is so expensive at the moment that its a luxury to me.

So im on baby jars now but I still give fruit like bananas and finger foods like raisins and dried apricots.

I think they have gotten quite strict here in uk with what they put in baby food (im hoping)

My mum used to give us anything really, they didnt think about salt and fat contents and Im ok. so I'm not going to stress too much.

What are these amber teething necklaces? What do they do? I've never seen or heard of them here? Im very curious!

reply to post by mblahnikluver


WOW! Supermom! That's awesome. I wish I could say I do all of that. I just mash up whatever I eat and give it to my baby.

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that my 10 month old is sitting in his high chair eating cheese puffs as I type this.

turboneon
Beautiful!!! Our little girl is 11 months and all she gets is homemade food. Her first birthday cake will be made from scratch and gluten free. We even have the amber teething necklace as i see you do too. We were fortunate enough to breast feed and had a home birth to boot. we do everything for our child that we feel is best. It is a bit of extra work but the results speak for themselves. Are you poked fun at for your lifestyle because we sure are?
SNF thank you for this post. big smile on this end

edit on 22-2-2014 by turboneon because: (no reason given)

I love the amber teething necklace! I get people who ask why he is wearing jewelry and I just tell them what it is. They say oh orajel works just fine too. I'm like yea ok that may be for you but I prefer this. I swear it DOES work. He just had two bottom teeth come through and he barely fussed! I started to notice him fussing more when he went to bed or took a nap, those were the times I took it off. I winded up leaving it on and putting it on his neck or his ankle and he stopped fussing at night or during nap time! I do have some all natural orajel for him that i have only used three times. He doesn't seem to like it and I won't push it.

I would love to have tried a home birth (my husband freaked at the idea) but I had to have an emergency c-section, he kind of got stuck and wouldn't fit. lol I soooo didn't want one because the recovery SUCKS!!! WHY women opt for them is beyond me. No way would I have opted for that!

Oh I'm poked fun at yes but i don't care. I have some good come backs.

Thanks and good for you for doing things the way YOU want!

Awesome work Blah
Looks like baby will destroy that stuff I do similar things with meals sometimes. I'll make something like a large portion of multigrain noodles with mini sweet peppers, brussel sprouts, mushrooms and cubed turkey (optional) cooked in olive oil and a small amount of lemon juice for a short amount of time. Then packaged into 12 or more small, portioned containers. a little less than half go in the refrigerator and the rest in the freezer to be thawed for later. The mixture seems to hold well for quite a while.

I so admire that you do this! Total dedication and, especially, since you have been struggling health-wise.

You are a helluva Mom lady. *Hat tip* to you!

What a lucky baby to have such a caring mommy.

Nicely, nicely done. My hat is off to you.

If available in your area La Leche League helps new mothers not only on breast feeding issue but all the new trails and tribulations of new momshood. It's a great way to meet other, mostly stay-at-home, parents with children in your neighborhoold.

Good for you and thanks for sharing your experience and learning.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


I'm due in May with my first child. I plan to make my own baby food when the time comes and breastfeed. The midwives I am seeing will help you until you are successful and even act as peditricians (using natural medicine) until the baby is 9 months. They also can provide baby food recipes. I'm also having a homebirth, so I'm excited about that too. Lots of firsts coming up for me soon.

I'm glad to see other new moms on here. If I ever have any baby food questions, I'll surely ask you

DrumsRfun
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

You already know me so its safe to tell you that i have never made baby food before but i did suggest to my friends who had babies to make their own as its safer and better and its a product you can actually trust because you know where it came from.
(one hell of a run on sentence right above)

I also suggested this veggiewash.beaumontproducts.com...

I would tell you why but that is another thread.

Adorable little boy...he has your eyes.

edit on 22-2-2014 by DrumsRfun because: (no reason given)

Oh well that is cool! I've never seen it before. I will have to check it out and definitely get it. I always feel like I'm washing something more away when I wash the veggies.

Thanks Drums yea It's funny with his eyes. People make comments all the time and then they are like "why do you hide your eyes under those glasses." Yea I hide my eyes lol I can't see without them! My husband also has the same blue eyes so we knew little man would have them too.

LadyTrick
What are these amber teething necklaces? What do they do? I've never seen or heard of them here? Im very curious!

They are suppose to help with teething. It is something to do with the amber itself.
Here is a description from the Etsy page I got it from. She is overseas in Lithuania and makes them. I love it! I swear I'm going to get one for myself for my neck and migraines. Nothing else seems to work!

Baltic amber warms against the skin, releasing it's therapeutic properties safely and naturally.
What is Baltic Amber? - Baltic amber is a fossil resin produced by ancient pine trees, which grew in Northern Europe, around the Baltic sea as long as 300 million years ago. As the climate warmed the conifer trees began exuding large amounts of resin and as the millennial progressed, these exudation’s became stable.

Natural Baltic amber is considered the very finest and most therapeutic amber in the world. Amber is renowned for its pain easing, rejuvenating and vitality boosting effects as well as its ability to help protect against illness. It is a well researched adaptogen and has long been referred to as an Elixir of Youth.

Succinct acid - Baltic amber has high concentrations of a unique substance known as succinct acid. This powerful antioxidant helps eliminate free radicals and discourages disruptions of the cardiac rhythm. Succinct acid has been shown to stimulate neural system recovery and bolster the immune system, it helps restore strength and energy to the entire body and enhances brain function, thereby improving awareness, concentration, reflexes, and reducing stress.

Now I have no way to know if it is the necklace or if he just isn't having a hard time. My mom said my twin and i had no problems when it came to teething but my husband had a really rough time when he was a baby with teething. All I know is if he has it off he is more fussy and he chews and drools more. I have been keeping track because I am really curious about it. I should just get one for my headaches and neck pain and see how it works for me!

Raw Baltic Amber
This is the person I ordered mine from on Etsy. She has various styles and prices vary. I paid $14 with shipping for the one I got my son. It is made VERY WELL. I have pull that thing so hard to see how easy it would be to break it, well I can't even break it!

reply to post by LadyTrick


Now that my son is getting older he is eating a lot of what I eat. I just puree it or chop it into tiny pieces for him. It saves money for sure. I found making his food was cheaper than buying it because the stuff I buy for when we are out (Earths Best) is $1.09 a jar and he eats 2-3 at a time so that is a lot of money per day when you add it up. I can cut up half a red potato and one carrot and he has a lunch or one chicken thigh is like two meals when mixed with veggies. I can get a 5 pack of chicken thighs for about $8 bucks and that makes A LOT of meals. The food I made last night made 14 meals for just dinner so that is two weeks worth of food.

The only thing that costs us is his formula, it's a tad pricey but he has to have it. During the day he gets some water or juice that i make with fruit puree. Usually he only gets 1ounce or 2 at most. He just likes a few sips it seems and he is done. The goats milk formula though I have to add things to it so he can digest it and he gets the right nutrients. He loves it. He was on a cow milk allergy formula before and he never wanted it. He would push it away or throw it up. When i switched to the goats milk he would down an entire bottle! I use to add fruit puree to the other formula just to get him to drink it.

Yea my mom said we ate what they ate when we were little. The way I look at it is baby food companies haven't always been around. People have been feeding babies for centuries without the help of Gerber or other baby food companies. So far my son can handle everything i've given him. I gave him some meat loaf and just took the onion and pepper out and he LOVED it! I LOVE to cook so it was only natural that i"d cook for him! I can't wait til he is older and I can make other things for him or he can request what he wants. LOL yea he will be "spoiled" when it come to food!

tothehilt
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

WOW! Supermom! That's awesome. I wish I could say I do all of that. I just mash up whatever I eat and give it to my baby.

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that my 10 month old is sitting in his high chair eating cheese puffs as I type this.

Thanks

Mashing up what you eat is fine too! I am starting to do that more now that he is getting older and is starting to feed himself. It makes it so much easier for sure. I usually make his food when he is napping or has gone to bed at night.

Hey I had cheese puffs as a kid and i"m fine

unb3k44n7
Awesome work Blah

Looks like baby will destroy that stuff

I do similar things with meals sometimes. I'll make something like a large portion of multigrain noodles with mini sweet peppers, brussel sprouts, mushrooms and cubed turkey (optional) cooked in olive oil and a small amount of lemon juice for a short amount of time. Then packaged into 12 or more small, portioned containers. a little less than half go in the refrigerator and the rest in the freezer to be thawed for later. The mixture seems to hold well for quite a while.

Thanks

You sound like me!!! Yea I package it in the containers I showed in the OP. I got them on Amazon for cheap! They were cheaper than the ones labeled for baby food storage. The containers I got are like the chinese food containers and are just as good if not better because they are bigger and I got 40 for about $14 bucks where the ones labeled baby food containers were $10 for 4 and they don't stock well in the freezer. I reheat everything on the stove top in a small pan and it takes a couple mins at most. I take what I will need the next day out at night so it thaws and then it goes back into the fridge. By morning they are semi thawed and ready to eat once i've heated them up.

I also started giving him yogurt since he was eating mine lol Funny thing is I only got yogurt because my doctor told me to start eating it and it was for my dog for his yeast dermatitis. Now i just give him 1-2 scoops mixed with a fruit and he loves it. He got really mad the other day when he had one bite of mine and I didn't give him more. He had his mouth WIDE OPEN like "hey mom give me more." LOL I winded up giving him my yogurt lol.

kosmicjack
I so admire that you do this! Total dedication and, especially, since you have been struggling health-wise.

You are a helluva Mom lady. *Hat tip* to you!

What a lucky baby to have such a caring mommy.

Thank you kosmicjack!!

Yea it isn't easy esp when the health problems arise, like the mind numbing headaches. My mom actually has my son right now. She took him last night for the weekend so I could rest and get some food made for him since I was pretty much useless all week. I have been to the doctors a lot and had all kinds of tests. She is having me tested for auto immune disorders and she thinks i"m hypoglycemic, which in a way would explain some of the things i"ve been feeling.

IF it wasn't for my son I'd probably be in bed all day. I know I HAVE to get up and I HAVE to deal with whatever is going on with me because he needs me. I'm the only one he has since my husband is overseas. He is my motivator and it's really sweet when he gives me hugs and kisses. It makes me feel better. He's my boy!!

FyreByrd
Nicely, nicely done. My hat is off to you.

If available in your area La Leche League helps new mothers not only on breast feeding issue but all the new trails and tribulations of new momshood. It's a great way to meet other, mostly stay-at-home, parents with children in your neighborhoold.

Good for you and thanks for sharing your experience and learning.

Yea I dealt with the La Leche League where I use to live when I first had him. The lady I had was awesome! My son had an extremely hard latch. She said she had never seen anything like it before. He damaged my nips! NO joke. I was pumping as well as breastfeeding but at around 3 mths right when I had to take a break from feeding him due to my nips being damaged my milk started to go down. I pumped every 2 hrs and I drank all the teas, which mothers milk tea OMG EW! I do not like licorice so I had to down it like a shot or something. I made these really good lactation cookies and they didn't help. I also took fenugreek which seemed to help in the beginning and that was it. I started to smell like maple syrup from them. I had read that could happen and joked about it til it did happen. I craved pancakes as a result lol I was so upset I couldn't breastfeed but he did get it for the first few months and even after untilI couldn't pump anymore. In the end I couldn't pump anything and i tried all the tricks to stimulate. My LC said it does happen to some moms and to not feel bad. I tried and that is what counts I guess.

Thanks

Ah, the best laid plans ... I knew I wasn't going to be able to breast feed for any length of time. I did enough to get ours his early milk (forget the term), but then between latching issues and him being jaundiced and getting supplemented with formula in the nursery. The breast feeding was a non-starter, but the migraines started up pretty quick, so I needed to go back to my maintenance meds anyhow, so the breastfeeding would have stopped.

Then, we made food for him, but that only lasted until he acquired taste for hot dogs and mac and cheese. He still gets everything we get, but there are times when the only way to get him to eat even just a little something is to stick one or the other in his hand. Lucky, we are back in the process of expanding his food vocabulary again now. I was starting to get worried.

He never lost the love for fresh fruits. Vegetables dropped back to only edamame, roasted sweet potato and avocado (yeah, it's a fruit but seems more veggie), but we've recently added raw spinach and carrots back into the menu, so I'm hopeful it's only a matter of time before we get more back onto the menu again.

And then when we can drop the hot dogs and cheap mac and cheese ... I'll declare victory.

Damn, 9 months already Blah??? Where DOES the time ago, I thought he was a newborn like 2-3 months ago, no kidding
He looks great hun!!!!