tips for making own baby food?

[memoo]

DD isn't ready for weaning yet but when she is I really want to have a go at making my own baby food rather than buying the jars but have no idea where to begin.

I know you shouldn't add salt but what else should be avoided? sugar? cowsmilk?

We eat a lot of homemade stuff like stews, pasta etc is it ok to just blend these down to give to DD? I'm worried about the salt in stock cubes I use?

Any other tips or recipe ideas would be great too

blend food then freeze in icecube trays then you can pop out what you need without waste!
no sugar, cowsmilk ok in food from 6 months i think. Don't use stock cubes due to the amount of salt in. Just boil up your own veg to make your own stock, again, freezing in ice cube trays then you've always got some for when you just need a little bit.

and its easier to make things that only require one pot! otherwise the kitchen becomes a disaster area!

Thank you my kitchen is already a disater area anyway!

I used the Annabel Karmel book as a guide on what foods to introduce and when. Mixed in with a bit of BLW.

Jars are OK if you're out and about. They all taste the same though.

Think I'll get a copy of Annabel Karmel's book, might just get time to read it before I start weaning.

I will probably use a few jars now and then but used them a lot with first DD and it was a nightmare to get her to try different flavours as she got older. I'm hoping if I make my own stuff with DD2 it might help her be a better eater.

I started with the Annabel Karmel book too for one pot meal making. Also found it useful to make individul portions of food i.e mash, squash, carrot, chicken, mince etc so that you can just make up your own meal mixture for a change.

Boots do a baby stock cube which is far easier to use than making your own which I have done and was a pain in the bum! We use baby stock cubes in my cooking now as ds gets some of it and I can't tell the difference.
Good luck. I found making my own hard work but satisfying!

If you wait til 6 months then you can literally give them what you are having pretty much (no nuts, honey, sugar, added salt).
I got given the AK book but have literally never used it.
I use low salt stock cubes/bouillon powder.
Someone will be on to tell you to do BLW soon, we didn't go down this route, but we did just mush up what we were having (and freeze extras into portions). Also did a bit of individual freezing like RedHairedGirlie suggests, and then mixing it up before feeding. (though don't leave DH to feed them with this method, I came downstairs to find DS having chicken and pear for breakfast, yuk)

Mind you my DS is 11 months old and still eats sod all, so don't listen to me!!