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Benefits of Homemade Baby Food

Written by Kelby Carr

There are many benefits to making homemade baby food Homemade baby food provides many benefits for both babies and parents. It's a healthier and fresher option for babies, and you can introduce foods that go beyond the typical banana, peas and carrots fare. There could even be some benefits to making your own baby food that you didn't realize.

Here are the top benefits to homemade baby food.

You have quality and ingredient control. When you buy prepackaged baby food, you have no way of knowing what happened to it before you bought it. You may also encounter baby foods with an ingredient or two that you don't want. When you make homemade baby food, you decide everything about the ingredients, and you oversee the cleanliness and just what pieces of food go in.
Organic baby food is more affordable. Even if you couldn't afford to buy organic baby food at the store, you could find that homemade organic baby food is even cheaper than brand names of jarred baby food.
It's cheaper than buying baby food. It might take a little time to make and store homemade baby food, but it's cheaper by far than buying baby food in the jar. You might spend 50 cents and up on a typical jar of baby food, but a dollar's worth of apples or banans can fill a few jars.
Homemade baby food is fresher and healthier. When you make baby food, you can get it straight from the store (or, better yet, a farmer's market with local farmers) to processing it to feeding. It doesn't get much fresher than that. Even if you freeze it for later, odds are good it will be sitting there for a shorter time period than a brand name baby food jar. You can also use a marker to indicate when food was made so you serve oldest food first.
You have much more baby food diversity. The selection of baby foods, especially in early stages, is quite limited. While you will still want to follow safe practices with introducing new foods, you can add foods rarely seen in jarred baby food to your baby's repertoire. Try things like pumpkin, avocado and lentils, for instance. If you find your baby turns these away, try adding fruit to make healthy food options more inviting.
It's a great way for working moms to feel more involved. It can be so hard to leave your baby in the care of someone else during the workday. Even though you are busy, taking even a few minutes after the baby is asleep once a week to make your own homemade baby food is a great way to contribute just a little extra. Then, when you pack up baby's food for the day for daycare, a babysitter or nanny, you will know your baby will get a little taste of your care that day.
Breast milk can be added as an ingredient. There is one thing no baby food on earth can claim, which is that it provides the many benefits of breastfeeding to your baby when he or she eats. You can easily use breast milk to add some liquid to your homemade baby food.