Many parents feed their babies store-bought baby food, and why not? They are convenient, cheap, and come in a variety of flavors for a baby to enjoy.
When I was pregnant with our first child, I decided to do some research on the food that I would be putting in his mouth when the time came. I drew some interesting conclusions.
For a mom who is exhausted from frequent feedings and diaper changes, it’s easy to look for options that are quick and convenient. While we definitely deserve rest and quality ‘me time’, a few extra minutes to puree will not only save money and time in the long run, but will also help our babies grow up healthy and strong, and develop a palette of foods. soon you will be eating solids.
best health choice
Our babies deserve a great quality of life, but it’s hard to monitor what we’re putting into their bodies when their food has passed through a few hands before reaching our shopping cart. When you make your own baby food with fresh fruits, vegetables, and more, you know exactly what you’re putting into them.
Unfortunately, store-bought baby foods contain less than a fifth of the recommended amounts of calcium, zinc, and magnesium. Packaged food is cooked at high temperatures to kill bacteria. This is partly how they make it possible to store them on shelves for so long. Some see this as a negative, because many of the nutrients in food are lost as a result.
great money saver
While small jars of baby food seem cheap at first glance, money really does add up. The amounts babies eat can vary each day, and jars that come in standard sizes don’t accommodate that. With homemade baby food, you decide how much to store and serve. If the ingredients are on sale, you can buy them in bulk, prepare them, and freeze them to serve weeks later.
environmental friendly
Whether you’re repurposing plastic bags, containers, or glass jars, you can easily store your own food without having to carry a stack of store-bought containers with each purchase. If you’re used to throwing away the jars once you feed the baby, consider how much better homemade baby food is for the environment. You can easily prepare food and store it in reusable containers. Once they are empty, the next batch is ready to go.
more authentic flavors
If you have the time, it’s fun to see the difference in flavor for yourself. Packaged fruits, vegetables, and meats are different in texture and flavor than the real thing. Most brands can’t compare to the real deal, and you can’t blame the manufacturers. There’s a reason those foods can go a long time without being refrigerated!
Easier transition to solids
If a baby is used to eating jarred foods, it will be a big transition to get them to switch to foods you eat regularly. At ten months our son could eat pieces of meat and vegetables from our plates because he had already tasted them in pureed form.
