Frugal Family: Baby your Savings

Processed foods. They have a list of ingredients that you can’t even pronounce half the time. Making your own baby food isn’t a new idea. My Mom had a hand grinder that she used for that purpose and, of course, technology has come into play with fancy contraptions to grind, puree and store what Mom made by hand and froze in an ice cube tray back in the dark ages for me.

When my son was born I started making his food, but not to be healthy or save money. I started making it because I tasted his food, and aside from some of the fruits and desserts, I couldn’t stomach them.

During Farmer’s Market season which is typically May through November, you can take advantage of local fruits and vegetables for this purpose. The  runs Thursdays, Bethlehem has a  on Tuesdays at the Steelstacks,  is on Sundays and Allentown’s Farmer’s Market is year round and is open Thursdays through Saturdays.

These are just a few of the area markets that you can check out for the freshest produce for your family. Of course you can also save time by picking up necessities at the grocery store.  gets some of their produce from local farms.

According to askdrsears.com, baby food doesn’t have to come in jars and you can make your own since it is simply strained, pureed or mashed adult food.

Nitrates are a concern when it comes to feeding your baby because too much can cause baby to develop a type of anemia called methemoglobinemia. Beets, carrots, green beans, spinach and squash can contain high levels so to be on the safe side, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents not to feed these vegetables to babies under 3 months old.  

Remember to follow the Four Day Wait Rule when introducing anything new just in case there is a reaction. My little guy has an allergy to strawberries that took a few weeks to figure out but thankfully it’s very minor and he can still enjoy them as a healthy treat. The Dr. Sears website also recommends avoiding adding salt and sugar to baby’s food. They recommend trying a bit of lemon juice as both a preservative and a natural flavor enhancer.

When preparing baby’s food, wash and cook the vegetables and fruits that need to be softened so that you can easily puree them. Babycenter.com recommends baking, boiling or steaming the produce until it’s soft. If you boil it save some of the leftover liquid to use when mashing the food.

While some foods may not need any additional liquid once you mash them, some may in the beginning as baby is younger.

Any grains can be ground in a food mill or food processor. I read on the Duggar’s website how their daughter-in-law Anna makes her own brown rice baby cereal by grinding rice, adding boiling water and cooking it for 10 minutes. Yet again, a healthy and less expensive alternative to what’s labeled as baby food and with as many babies as there are and have been in the Duggar family they not only know how to feed but how to save.

A tip that I utilized was freezing foods I prepared for my little guy in ice cube trays. Once the fruit/vegetable was frozen I could pop the food-cubes into sandwich bags in the freezer and just pick out his daily meals each morning from my inventory. They would thaw in the refrigerator throughout the day and be ready just in time, typically.

Foods recommended by Dr. Sears to introduce first include bananas, pears, avocados and applesauce.

Whether you use a hand-turned food mill, baby food grinder, hand blender, food processor or a fork making your own baby food puts you in control of what your baby eats while saving a little on the wallet.