Stuff to Keep in Mind - My Favorite Brands - Tips for Making Your Own Baby Food
Have a little one you’re starting on purées and not sure what’s the good clean stuff and what’s not? Here’s a quick guide...
Stuff to Keep in Mind with Jarred Baby Food:
-because it’s cooked at extremely high temperatures, to allow for years long shelf lives, a lot of the nutrients are removed in that process (and it also effects the taste)
-there’s typically many additives and preservatives added for a longer shelf life
-they often contain flour or other starches (such as maltodextrin), which serve as thickeners.
Stuff to Keep in Mind w/Pouches:
-many brands use juice from concentrate and have added sugars in their blends
-they sometimes contains preservatives
-many are made from mostly fruit
If you ARE buying jarred baby foods or pre made pouches look for brands that use:
-all organic ingredients (the fewer the ingredients the better!! also try to find ones that don't contain all fruit!)
-no starches or thickeners added
-no added sugars or juices
-and nothing from concentrate!
Pouches Product Reviews
So I researched the healthiest baby food pouches and tried a few out...here’s what we thought.
- Finding pouches that didn’t contain any bananas, pears, or apples was way too hard. lol
- I try to not feed my babies purées containing sugary fruits as often because I don’t want them to get used to that sweeter taste and only want foods that taste like that.
- There’s really no reason to not buy organic these days when it comes to pre-made baby food because there are so many great brands readily available at the same exact price pretty much as the “conventional” brands. Gerber and Earths Best were a few of those brands I was not at all impressed with ingredients wise and would personally stay away from just because there’s so many better options out there!
Brands I Liked (The Runners Up) Were:
and Happy Baby Organics (all in my amazon storefront)
were brands that I liked ingredients and transparency wise (for the most part) but mostly sold flavors with fruits in them.
I think I found 1 pouch by each that wasn’t sweet!
My second favorite brand was:
Sprout Foods I liked that they had options without fruit and very clean, organic ingredients. Taran loved these too! some also contain meat which is nice!
My very favorite brand was:
Serenity Kids!! That was the only brand I could find that contained only meat and veggies in them, 5g of protein per pouch, which is awesome plus they contained no fruits! My little boy LOVED these the best and was the most filled up after them. I also love that some of them have avocado or olive oil in them.
Also, DANG buying baby food pouches adds up quick!! I don’t know how people do it! I seriously save about $60-$80 a WEEK just making my own food!!
A Few Honorable Mentions:
I never got the chance to try these brands but i know they are great!
Once Upon a Farm
Peter Rabbit Organics (only thing with these is they all contain mostly fruit)
White Leaf Biodynamic baby food (these are the besttt I'm all about biodynamic farming!! these are next level!)
All of these brands mentioned are in my amazon storefront under the baby & kids food section
Tips for Making Your Own Baby Food
If you’re able, making your own baby food is the cleanest, healthiest, and most cost effective!
While pre-made pouches and jarred baby food is awesome and convenient, homemade baby food is my first choice because:
-it’s more cost effective
-typically contains less ingredients
-no preservatives or additives (even the organic, good pre made foods typically still have some kind of preservative in it)
-there are more nutrients retained because it doesn’t need to be cooked as long or high for preservation
-it’s fresher!
Now I know what you’re thinking..."Ain’t nobody got time for that!"
Here’s a few tips to help make it easier!!
-Set aside a prep day or afternoon for bulk steaming, roasting and baking a bunch of baby food
-OR just throw leftovers from a dinner you make in a blender and freeze it
-You don’t need a baby food purée machine...any blender you have will do! (My favorite is a vitamix)
-Use ice cube trays (my favorite non toxic silicone ones are in my amazon storefront) to freeze and preserve the purées into cubes
-Next time baby needs to eat...boom just heat it up!
-Need to save on freezer space? Once cubes are frozen, throw all cubes in a labeled freezer bag (my favorite are stasher bags also in my amazon storefront lol seeing a pattern here? haha)
-Still like the idea of pouches better? This fabulous infantino baby squeeze machine lets you take your homemade purées and put them in pouches!! (guess where you can easily get that...in my amazon storefront lol)
What tips do you have?
(check out that recipe book for some great age appropriate purée recipes!)
What brands have you loved and tried?? Do you make your own baby food??