Lately Iāve found myself going down the rabbit hole of Googling things like,Ā āDo I actually need a baby food maker?āĀ orĀ āCan I just use my regular blender or food processor?ā
The internet makes it seem like every single thing about parenthood requires some specialized gadget that costs $100. Every recipe I find seems to start with, āUsing your baby food makerā¦ā or āUsing your immersion blenderā¦ā and I canāt help but thinkā¦
Women have been raising babies for thousands of years without any of this stuff.
Surely there has to be another way.
Iāve even started looking up older baby food recipes because they seem so much more practical.
Then I see people online saying not to bother making your own baby food because babies arenāt in the purĆ©e stage for very long anyway.
One of my friends told me she would buy a bag of frozen organic peas, cook them, blend them, portion them into small servings, and freeze them. One bag lasted her almost three months. Her advice was basically,Ā donāt overcomplicate it.
Another friend had a similar philosophy. She said itās important for babies to experience lots of different flavors, but that doesnāt always mean making elaborate homemade purĆ©es. Once theyāre developmentally ready, they can have little tastes of things like marinara sauce, plain yogurt, mushy carrots, or mashed potatoes thinned out with a little extra liquid to make them smoother.
Then I asked my mom what she did.
Her answer?
āI just steamed vegetables and mashed them with a fork.ā
No fancy appliance. No special equipment. Just a fork.
Honestlyā¦I kind of love that answer.
The reason Iām thinking about all of this nowāeven though my daughter wonāt be eating solids for a whileāis because I like planning ahead. I donāt want to wait until sheās four or five months old and her pediatrician says, āYou can start introducing solids now,ā only to realize I have no idea what Iām doing.
Iād rather spend the next couple of months figuring out a simple system so that when the time comes, I already have everything I need.
Of course, this has also led to another conversation between Hector and me.
I told him that when itās time to introduce common allergens, I want to do it while weāre parked in the emergency room parking lot.
He thinks Iām absolutely ridiculous.
His argument is that neither of us has food allergies. I have allergies to cats and latex, and Hector doesnāt have any known allergies at all.
My argument?
Iād rather feel a little silly sitting in an ER parking lot than wish I had if she ended up having a severe allergic reaction.
Current recommendations are to introduce common allergens during the first year of life instead of avoiding them. So things like peanut butter (prepared in a baby-safe way), wheat, dairy, eggs, berries, and other common foods are definitely on my list before she turns one. Iām not in a huge rush with things like soy or fish, but those will probably happen later in the first year too.
Hopefully, everything goes perfectly fine and the only thing that happens is Hector gets to tell me, āI told you so.ā
Honestlyā¦Iād be completely okay with that.
Lately Iāve found myself going down the rabbit hole of Googling things like,Ā āDo I actually need a baby food maker?āĀ orĀ āCan I just use my regular blender or food processor?ā
The internet makes it seem like every single thing about parenthood requires some specialized gadget that costs $100. Every recipe I find seems to start with, āUsing your baby food makerā¦ā or āUsing your immersion blenderā¦ā and I canāt help but thinkā¦
Women have been raising babies for thousands of years without any of this stuff.
Surely there has to be another way.
Iāve even started looking up older baby food recipes because they seem so much more practical.
Then I see people online saying not to bother making your own baby food because babies arenāt in the purĆ©e stage for very long anyway.
One of my friends told me she would buy a bag of frozen organic peas, cook them, blend them, portion them into small servings, and freeze them. One bag lasted her almost three months. Her advice was basically,Ā donāt overcomplicate it.
Another friend had a similar philosophy. She said itās important for babies to experience lots of different flavors, but that doesnāt always mean making elaborate homemade purĆ©es. Once theyāre developmentally ready, they can have little tastes of things like marinara sauce, plain yogurt, mushy carrots, or mashed potatoes thinned out with a little extra liquid to make them smoother.
Then I asked my mom what she did.
Her answer?
āI just steamed vegetables and mashed them with a fork.ā
No fancy appliance. No special equipment. Just a fork.
Honestlyā¦I kind of love that answer.
The reason Iām thinking about all of this nowāeven though my daughter wonāt be eating solids for a whileāis because I like planning ahead. I donāt want to wait until sheās four or five months old and her pediatrician says, āYou can start introducing solids now,ā only to realize I have no idea what Iām doing.
Iād rather spend the next couple of months figuring out a simple system so that when the time comes, I already have everything I need.
Of course, this has also led to another conversation between Hector and me.
I told him that when itās time to introduce common allergens, I want to do it while weāre parked in the emergency room parking lot.
He thinks Iām absolutely ridiculous.
His argument is that neither of us has food allergies. I have allergies to cats and latex, and Hector doesnāt have any known allergies at all.
My argument?
Iād rather feel a little silly sitting in an ER parking lot than wish I had if she ended up having a severe allergic reaction.
Current recommendations are to introduce common allergens during the first year of life instead of avoiding them. So things like peanut butter (prepared in a baby-safe way), wheat, dairy, eggs, berries, and other common foods are definitely on my list before she turns one. Iām not in a huge rush with things like soy or fish, but those will probably happen later in the first year too.
Hopefully, everything goes perfectly fine and the only thing that happens is Hector gets to tell me, āI told you so.ā
Honestlyā¦Iād be completely okay with that.
