Homemade Baby Food...Yes you!

The Loin Fruit

There are several reasons for making your own baby food.  It's cost effective.  You know exactly what's in it and therefore what is going into your baby's mouth.  And, you get bragging rights.  Now the last thing isn't the reason you should make your own baby food but it's pretty fun to say that you did.  However, you then have to admit how easy it is slapping that pride you felt for a second into outer space.  Don't lord your baby mama skills over people.  That's rude.

Before I started making food for the loin fruit, my son's unofficial name, I did a ton of research.  I read all sorts of things and decided this was something I could handle.  I like making stuff (except my own food...another story entirely) so this seemed like a natural step for me.  We didn't start the loin fruit on solids until he was 6 months old.  You can start earlier.  It's your prerogative.  After talking with my pediatrician and doing my own research, I decided to wait until 6 months to hopefully avoid unintentionally aiding my child's immune system into developing food allergies.  I skipped rice cereal because my ped said it wasn't necessary.

Using the 3 day rule, I started implementing new foods.  The 3 day rule just means that you introduce a new food and then wait 3 days or so to be sure your child isn't having any issues with it.  We started with smashed bananas.  He freaked.  The loin fruit loves to eat.  He doesn't care when or where.  He wants it all.  I personally believe the whole "babies will stop eating when they are full" is crap.  Loin fruit never stops willingly.  He nurses (the girls are woefully inadequate in the milk production arena but I keep giving it my best shot), downs an entire bottle, and then dives head first into whatever I set in front of him.  It has been a whopping 2 months since we started solids and here's a list of his meals so far:

1. Bananas
2. Apples
3. Pears
4. Mango
5. Blueberries
6. Avocado
7. Peaches
8. Strawberries  
9. Peas
10. Green Beans
11. Cauliflower
12. Broccoli 
13. Sweet Potatoes
14. Yellow Squash
15. Butternut Squash

Now that we've gotten these foods established I regularly mix them up.  Sometimes it's blueberries, peaches, and mangoes for breakfast.  Dinner has been cauliflower and green beans, straight broccoli, and even yellow squash and peas.  He eats solids at breakfast and dinner.  I think we'll start including lunch here shortly but I'm in no rush and since he doesn't know any better I'm keeping it that way.

Loin fruit, like the honey badger, don't care.  I haven't had any issues with food refusal yet.  He eats whatever.  Recently I added rice circle things to his repertoire.  Those things are good.  Seriously, have you ever tried them? I'd eat them myself in a pinch.  I discovered with that loin fruit's main objective with the snacks is to grasp them tightly.  I don't know that he cares about eating them.  I believe it is all about controlling them...wonder where he gets that?    

I have to state that I am not an expert on child nutrition.  I am not a doctor.  I cannot diagnose or treat your child.  I don't want to.  Don't ask.  I am just putting all this out there in case someone reads this, chooses my route, and then has a problem.  TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR PEOPLE.  Read my blog because it's fun.  Get your medical advice from a trained professional not a neurotic mind traveling gardener.

My next post will be a basic how to.  How to prepare your own baby food.  What you need to do so.  Ways to save some bucks and hopefully feed your creative spirit in the process.