pureeing to the baby food gods...

After I had gotten the approval from Hayden's pediatrician to start her on baby food's I decided to go to Whole Foods and get some organic fruits and veggies to start making her some baby food. Prior to her DR appointment I gave her small amounts of sprout organic baby food, and she did very well, and loved it. I have to admit that I was impressed with the sprout baby food. It tastes good, and I was liked what I read about it. However, I still want to make my own, and it's cheaper. The small start packets of the sprout baby food is .98, and she'll eat the whole thing in one sitting. I spent $25-$30 at whole foods, and got what I am almost sure will last her about a month. I got her butternut squash, acorn squash, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, pears, apples, and bananas. All organic. So far I made her carrots, bananas, and avocado. The carrots are by far her favorite with sweet potatoes right up there. When I made the carrots I steamed them for about 15 minutes in the baby bullet turbo steamer, I love that thing! I added 1/4 of water, and blended them in the baby bullet. SO EASY! I stored 3 in the refrigerator jars, and the rest I froze, and threw in a plastic freezer bag. The baby bullet came with a silicone freezer tray with a lid. It isn't bad but each holder is pretty deep, so it can be a bit of a pain popping the frozen baby food cubes out. I needed more freezer trays so after doing much research I bought the mumi and bubi solid food start kit trays. They were a little bit more expensive then others, but totally worth it. They are each 1oz in size, and the frozen baby food pops right out with a push of the corner. I also purchased a baby food cookbook; Start Fresh: Your Child's Jump Start to Lifelong Healthy Eating By Tyler Florence. So far I've found it pretty helpful. I mean you can't really go wrong with just one ingredient baby food. I expect it'll be more helpful once I start adding more then one ingredient in the later months. Tyler Florence is one of the makers and owners of Sprout baby food. Since I was so pleased with the sprout baby food I decided to give his book a try. Okay, so here is a run down of supplies used for making my own baby food.

Food processor, or blender of some kind. I decided on the baby bullet. It is small which is good for storing and quick clean up. So far I really like it.

Steamer. You don't need one. You can boil, roast, or bake your fruits and veggies as well. However, I got the baby bullet turbo steamer. I love this thing. It is another smaller item, but it gets the job done pretty quickly, and does it well. Steaming or baking is recommended over boiling, as boiling can take nutrients out of the food.

Storage jars for the fridge and the freezer. I have used the ones that came with the baby bullet, and love them. The date dial on them is pretty neat too. However, there are many storage containers you can find on amazon for baby food. I purchased the mumi and bubi freezer storage trays for extra store and absolutely love them. I like them more then the silicone tray that came with the baby bullet.

Cookbook. Not necessary, but I did purchase one. I purchased Tyler Florence's Start Fresh: Your Child's Jump Start to Lifelong Healthy Eating. There are so many out there though, this was just the one I chose.

Small spatula. Again the baby bullet came with one, so I just use that one.

BIBS!!! Solids are so messy! Especially in the beginning. However, I absolutely LOVE the Bumkins waterproof superbib. These bibs rock! I purchased a three pack on amazon for $12.26. These things contain the mess, and make clean up really easy. I rinse them in the sink right after meal time, and hang it up to dry.

Spoons and Bowls. Nothing fancy here. I just purchased Gerber NUK soft bite spoons. One cool thing is the spoon will turn white if the baby food is too hot for baby. BUT I still test her food before feeding it. I'm not going to rely on a spoon telling me it is too hot. And as far as bowls go, I just purchased some small plastic bowls.

So, yeah, that about sums up my baby food adventures so far. Nothing crazy yet. I'm excited to make more, and see what else she likes and doesn't like. It has been a few weeks now, but she is do so well. She is no longer pushing the food out with her tongue like she did the first few times. She swallows it really well now. I feel like she is much more satisfied as far as her hunger goes. She is no longer constantly wanting to eat 2oz of formula every hour anymore like she would do some days.

hayden's first halloween

Even thought I didn't take her trick or treating...pointless at this age if you ask me. We still had to dress her up and make her all cute!! We carved pumpkins the night before, and then handed out candy last night. I must say I'm pretty sure Hayden's costume was the cutest costume I've seen. First we'll start with pictures I took of our pumpkins...


And now for the costume!!

her cute little sounds

Video

Seriously are the cutest thing ever

our newest toy

I bought Hayden a jumperoo. She gets bored easily and is always wanting something to do. She likes her swing still, but not for long because she really has no toys to play with. I put the tray on her bumbo and put all her hand toys on the tray and she likes that until she pushes them all off. I thought it was time for some kind of exosaucer or jumperoo. I liked the luv u zoo jumperoo the best. I had no idea the thing was SO tall even on the lowest setting. I read about 10-15 reviews from other moms to see when they introduced the jumperoo to their little one, and the average was 4 months. When I put it all together I was shocked how far off the ground it was. Hayden is probably about 25 in long or so now (we'll find out November 2nd). Aside from her not being able to touch the ground she still likes it. I let her sit in it for approx 20 minutes or so. She is starting to learn when she moves it it'll make a sound, and she likes that. She also really likes the rolly toy with little balls in it...I think she likes the sound of the balls rolling around in it. I got a video of her rolling the back and forth. I thought it was cute.
Video

those hands look delicious

Video
It's the little things that baby's find so funny...like hand eating. :-)

cutest outfit ever?

Yes, I think so!!!!

venturing into the world of solid foods...

I plan on making most of Hayden's baby food, but before starting that whole journey I want to see if she is ready for solids. Formula just isn't filling her. She eats so much that sometimes she spits it up. Even after she has drank so much she still acts so hungry. Feeding her bottles has became a fight almost. I feel as if though after she drinks soooo much formula she starts grunting and throwing her body around like her stomach is full but her hunger isn't satisfied, and then sometimes 2 hours later she is hungry again. So, I decided to pick up some sprout organic baby food. I've read a lot of good things about it, and decided to give it a shot. I gave her some sweet potatoes, and at first she wasn't really sure what to think of it, but then she got it, and really started to like them! I even tasted them and they taste exactly like sweet potatoes, they were really good! Of course I'm giving her a small amount, and will wait at least 4 days before giving her something different to make sure she doesn't have any kind of allergy. I really can't wait to start making her own food though. I love to cook, and cook almost everyday, so I figure I can puree up some baby food in the mix too. What a mess though!!
Video footage -