The advantages of homemade baby food are numerous, nearly endless. Making homemade baby food is beyond easy, it really doesn’t take much time and baby will choose it over that jar of flavorless mush any day, and that doesn’t even begin to hit on the nutritional benefits of home preparation. Some major benefits of homemade baby food include:

·         Lower cost baby foods.

·         Higher nutritional content since food is freshly prepared for baby.

·         Parents know exactly what is in their baby foods and when it was prepared.

·         Parents can introduce babies to food that may not be readily available through jarred baby food.

·         Parents can feed baby the same foods that the rest of the family is eating.

·         In order to more easily acclimate baby, foods can be prepared with breast milk to give baby a flavor his palate is used to.

·         There are no recalls on delicious and nutritious homemade baby food.

Cost efficiency is all around us. Learning to cut here and squeeze there is part of life. Doesn’t it seem only natural that home prepared baby food is the most cost effective? A bundle of bananas costs nearly the same as one store bought jar or pureed banana. A huge advantage to homemade baby food is the cost savings.

Homemade baby food is made fresh for babe with hand-picked ingredients, prepared the way mom sees fit. The food is tailored to fit baby’s growing needs. Nutrition is always higher is fresh foods. High, non-degraded nutrition is a huge advantage in homemade baby foods over boxed and jarred store bought versions.

One great advantage is being able to choose what to feed your child; another is how it will be prepared. Parents can be adventurous in what types of foods baby is exposed by being involved in what is in his or her food. By making foods at home moms and dads can know what kinds of foods, fresh or frozen, quality, and quantity is in their baby’s menu.

Some moms and dads make their baby food alongside each meal they prepare. Others are in it for the long haul and prep several meals and snacks ahead of time to toss in the freezer for easy go to foods that are nutritionally sound. Apple sauce can be prepped for baby and home canned for a fresh jar of ready to eat deliciousness. Other foods, like green beans, carrots, peas and countless others can be prepared and canned as well.  A third benefit of homemade baby food is that kids with allergies or sensitivities will have food carefully prepared. What’s not to love?

Some parents choose to feed their kids a wide range of foods from an array of grains, vegetables and fruits, as well as meats. That isn’t something that can be easily found in the traditional baby food section at the local grocery store. The only way to obtain that sort of variety is home preparation. Fortunately, it is easily obtainable and for much lower costs than the jarred stuff.

Preparing yourself and stocking up to start a young baby on solids can be quite stressful for a first time parent, unless homemade baby food in on the list of things to do. In which case breast milk or whatever main nutrition source babe is used to can be used as a medium to introduce to other foods. Breast milk mixed with avocado to make a thin but creamy baby food is an excellent and extremely easy homemade first baby food. It is extremely cost effective and has a high nutritional value.

Homemade baby food is advantageous is every direction from lower costs and higher nutritional value to knowing what is in baby’s food and making easier meal transitions form breast or bottle to table food. Any parent or caregiver can get involved and make baby’s first meals nutritious and delicious and help lower the food bill by creating unique and fresh food options for the little one.