Nannies/Parents: do you make your own babyfood?

[thenewbornnanny]

I got talking to a few other expat Mum's from various countries and we were talking about weaning and baby food. I make my own from scratch, always have, most likely always will. I'm a self confessed purist and I like to know exactly what I am feeding my charges. I will use jars if travelling abroad and kitchen facilities/food isn't easily available, and don't think there's anything wrong with them as such, I just like to cook meals from scratch. Most of the other Mums were shocked and said that they use jars as then they know "precisely the nutritional content". This led to a 3 coffee debate on how you can tell the nutritional value of home cooked versus jarred baby food! A couple of the Mums said I was wrong to home cook food ...

What are all of your attitides on this? Is society getting too label driven, in that if you home cook something you don't know its fat/calorie/protein etc content? Do you use jarred or home cooked? And for a 6 month old (or any child come to think of it), as long as they get a varied and age appropriate diet does it matter there is no label telling me what's in it???!!!

I've always cooked fresh for babies. I'd rather know exactly what's in the food I put in their tummies! I have used the odd jar on occassion but they always smell gross!

personally I fed dd 'human food' and skipped slop altogehter - easy if you start at 6m with finger food

I want to do that Mrs B but my bosses want slop til after Xmas so they can feed her jars as they are away on a 2.5 weeks tropical vacation over xmas and NY and its easier for them. But when they get back it's BLW all the way, can't wait I love good food and love helping kids love it too!

I would definitely consider home cooked to be better. But, I could never be arsed to make it. I guess I put convenience before nutrition.

Definitely baby food if you can make the effort. I was all enthusiastic when my first DD was born and used to fill up the freezer with loads of baby food that i had made myself. realised by the time second DD came along that i was way too tired to try. i didnt' want to give up totally though, so i made a compromise with myself and would do half home-cooked food and half organic jars.

same still applies as they get older and my nanny cooks on some days and on days when things are just that little bit too chaotic, chips, beans and frozen veg it is..

But you more than make up for it now Athene no Nutella on white bread for your wee ones

I gave my charge broccoli mash for the first time today and she wolfed down a couple of large tablespoons... the place stinks now as she has done nothing but fart all afternoon... even her Dad came down and said what the hell is that smell???!!! I told him it was the result of a healthy and wholesome vegetable. He said I need to lay off the vege's when he's working from home. Hahahaha....

Yes, absolutely always made it and I typically work a 70+ hour week! Is easy to freexe/reheat etc if you want convenience.

I find it easy/convenient too. I made pureed carrots, broccoli and potato mash and apple and pear porridge today. Enough for the next 5 days straight into ice cube trays in the freezer and it took less than an hour. she'll also have banana, avocado, mashed peaches too done freshly on the day. She's been on solids 2 weeks and LOVES new tastes, her face is a scream!!!! Definitely pays to wait til 6 months as I am giving her different stuff each day, she's not eating more than maybe an ice cube each time, but she is enjoying it

Oh sure K75. Make the rest of us look bad.

I have to say if I've got babies and time then I will make everything, and I have been known to make, puree and jar food for bosses to take with them. Very similar to jam making.

But then I am paid to do it and probably won't with my own children! BLW is so much simpler, but some people don't seem to like it for some reason. Not entirely sure why.

I BLW when possible, but if not I consider it a nannies job to cook 'baby food' from scratch (though friday night is pizza night for eldest ones hehe). As for my own I like to THINK I'll do the same - but i guess only time will tell!

i 90% make my own food for baby - always did the savoury - cooked veg, pureed and ice cubed then did same with chicken/fish/mince etc

but tbh it makes more sense to buy the jars of fruit then spending hours peeling skin of pears, cooking, pureering etc to get a tiny amount

bubba has had the odd savoury jar but normally as an emergancy (ie always had one in changing bag)

now she eats whatever the older 2 do

athene did you ever use heinz chocolate pudding?

I can be the world's laziest mare but I honestly find it pretty easy to make up batches of babyfood and freeze it in the storage pots with lids, from Mothercare/Tommy Tippee. I would use jars for travelling or emergency but to me they're like ready meals ie synthetic and not very satisfying on a long-term basis. Personally I wouldn't want to eat ready meals all day every day so why should I expect the baby to?

I use Annabel Karmel's recipes and a lot of them could not be simpler and even my DH likes the tastes so they must be OK .

I combine the purees with finger food - never sure why people think it has to be one or the other.

At least with savory purees I can put 5 or 6 different type of veg in and sweet purees 3 or 4 different fruits in so I know the basics are covered and he's getting his fruit & veg, then bits of chicken, or mini cottage pie or fish fingers for protein etc.

Blondes - re sweet purees - I peel and roughly chop 4 apples and 2 pears, maybe a handful of strawberries/blackberries or whatever's there. Stick in steamer 10 mins. Go have coffee/read mag. Come back, blend. Makes 4 BIG portions, not a tiny amount. Stick in freezer. Occasionally make sugar-free custard from powder and milk to pop in (tastes just as sweet as sugary custard once mixed with the fruit).

Simples!

lcw- you mix fruit - def easier, but to do plain apple,pear,blueberry etc, you seem to use a lot of fruit to get little puree - and conference pears are slippery little buggers when peeled

yes but that is 6+ whole pieces of fruit to make just 4 portions of fruit puree

i agree that when pureeing fruit you dont get much in return for effort...

i would expect 1 apple to make 4 baby portions of apple, not 6 whole pieces of fruit to make 4 portions!

(just to add personally i like to make EVERthing from scratch, always have and plan to with my own children too!.... homemade food just tastes SO muvh nicer and actually like real food tastes like, i gues cause it is real food!)

I just give my offspring a salt free version of whatever human food we're having, without the meat. I do keep a jar or two in changing bags and so on in case we're held up when we're out, though. But tbh even then I am just as likely to much up a banana or something. Babyfood is a bit dull and I think it breeds fussy eaters because there aren't enough layers to the flavour.

Making fruit or veg puree is a PITA. But it's good for the baby and my job is to do what's good for the baby! I enjoy making up combo's and real meals a lot more.

I make most from scratch as am a CMer so am cooking for others anyway so just make a smaller pot for weaning children. I don't sweat it though if we have to use a jar now and again.

I do agree with you re slippery conference pears, blondes!

I have one of those little green baby food processors, forgot what it's called... anyway it has steam and blend functions, and it's mini, so is in proportion to a baby's food (ie you don't waste loads sticking to the side like on a giant blender). It's really easy to use/clean so I do a lot more than I would if just using pans/big blending machines etc. Did cost about £70 but I reckon I've saved that and beyond in not buying any jars. I LOVE it.

blondes dropped a pear slipped and woofa was eating it before it had barely touched the ground!!

Oooh I want one of those! At the moment I am using a giant margarita blender (no really I am - my bosses are not at all into baby paraphernalia!!!!)

I never puree fruit I give it as a finger food; is that bad?

I think, but might be wrong, that some fruits are more of a choking hazard than others - but nothing instrinsically wrong with fruit when properly spervised.

I hate the taste of most babyfoods but pureed fruit is suprisingly nice. The little pouches that you get in Boots...mmmm....