5 Benefits of Making Baby Food at Home

Baby food can be expensive, and not only that, it is often full of preservatives and artificial ingredients that are harmful to your baby's health.

Preparing your baby food at home is not only better for your baby, it's cheaper than buying pre-packaged baby food and allows you to make your mixes for your baby using the best possible ingredients.

Here are five benefits of preparing baby food at home.

1. Homemade baby food is cheaper

When you make your own baby food, you know exactly what's in it. There are no preservatives, no added sugar or salt, and it hasn't been on the shelf for months.

By making your own food you will avoid all of these additional costs while also providing your baby with healthy meals that contain real ingredients.

Not only is homemade baby food generally cheaper, but it's also cheaper to buy in bulk and use coupons to keep costs down even further.

2. It is very easy to prepare fresh baby food at any time

One of our favorite reasons to prepare baby food at home is to save time. It is so easy!

Just add fresh, washed fruits and vegetables (cut into small pieces for babies), add a few tablespoons of water or breast milk, mix and voila! You have several glasses of puree in less than 10 minutes.

It's perfect for busy parents who need quick meals on the go, especially if you keep it in a Babeehive Goods baby food bottle holder for your child to enjoy in the car or elsewhere.

3. It saves time

You may think baby formula takes time to make, but once you shut down your system it only takes a few minutes per batch.

If you have a few extra minutes between diaper or baby bottle changes, pour some puree into ice cube trays for future use.

All of that goes out of the window when you buy pre-cooked food, which is almost always more expensive than preparing it yourself.

Not only is it easy on your wallet because you don't buy prepackaged groceries, but if you grow your fruits and vegetables or attend farmers' markets, you can make significant savings by using fresh produce.

4. Homemade baby food is healthy

The most obvious benefit of making your own baby formula is knowing exactly what is in it.

In contrast to commercial baby food, which is processed, packaged and stored for days, homemade baby food is fresh. Freshness counts when it comes to strengthening your little one's health and reducing the risk of illness.

When you prepare your own baby food, you also know that there are no preservatives or other additives that could negatively affect your child as they grow.

5. Homemade baby food teaches responsibility

One of your biggest goals in making baby formula at home is to make sure your child is getting essential vitamins and minerals, but you also want to teach them how to eat healthily.

This is best done by example: By eating healthy and cooking yourself, you can show your children that it is important to eat healthily and cook yourself.

Perhaps more importantly, preparing baby food at home gives you the opportunity to practice these skills – and figure out what works and what doesn't. In other words, if adults don't taste it, don't give it to your baby.

There are many benefits to preparing baby food at home. The most important is that it gives you control over what your child eats.

About the author:

Angie is a WAHM native of California who is now raising her 2 year old son in a town between the mountains of Utah. In her free time, she writes articles about her new role as a mother, wife and her flight to her home state, which you can find on her blog at http://lavidam.com/.