There is a huge industry devoted to shelf-stable, prepared foods for babies. One quarter of an aisle, at my grocery store, is devoted to jarred and boxed baby food. I understand why it is convenient for traveling, daycare or for families who work long, unusual hours, but I don’t understand why it is the default solution for so many people. Making baby food is easy, convenient and inexpensive.

Cooking for Bella has been a lot of fun. I’ve always loved cooking for my family and friends, so I was surprised that while pregnant, many people gave me a doubting look and asked, “So, you think you’re going to make your own baby food?” It never occurred to me that I wouldn’t, but so many people asked that I started to wonder if it was going to be too much work.  I know that some families don’t cook that much at home, so perhaps cooking only for the baby is a little more than what they are used to, but I’m already cooking for two adults, how much more work is it to cook for my little munchkin?

It turns out that it isn’t much work at all. Providing homemade, nutritious meals for her has been extremely easy. I am confident that getting her taste buds accustomed to fresh fruits and home cooked veggies is an important life lesson. I also think that it is important for me to be just as mindful of the types of foods that I want her to eat now, as I will be when she is older.  One advantage of cooking is that you can control exactly what ingredients are used and how fresh and organic you would like the food to be.  If your baby or your family has any allergies, it makes it so much easier to take those details into account.

I think the best way to start to think about cooking for your baby is to understand how few tools are required. A well-equipped kitchen can make things easier, but the list of necessary tools is really quite simple. I’ve created the following list with links to items I recommend that you can get on Amazon.

Tools:

Must have:

• sharp paring knife & veggie peeler
• Saucepan with a lid
• Food mill, Food processor (mini prep or full size) or blender
• ice cube trays
• silicone scraper

Nice to have:

• oven pan for roasting
• steamer insert

And last but not least, some creativity! Share what creations you come up with by posting your favorite recipes in the comments or check out some of our suggestions to get started!

Related posts:

1. 3 Simple Steps for Easy, Convenient, Homemade Baby Food

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