Lately I’ve found myself going down the rabbit hole of Googling things like, “Do I actually need a baby food maker?” or “Can I just use my regular blender or food processor?”
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, “Using your baby food maker…” or “Using your immersion blender…” and I can’t help but think…
Women have been raising babies for thousands of years without any of this stuff.
Surely there has to be another way.
I’ve 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 aren’t in the purée 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, don’t overcomplicate it.
Another friend had a similar philosophy. She said it’s important for babies to experience lots of different flavors, but that doesn’t always mean making elaborate homemade purées. Once they’re 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?
“I just steamed vegetables and mashed them with a fork.”
No fancy appliance. No special equipment. Just a fork.
Honestly…I kind of love that answer.
The reason I’m thinking about all of this now—even though my daughter won’t be eating solids for a while—is because I like planning ahead. I don’t want to wait until she’s four or five months old and her pediatrician says, “You can start introducing solids now,” only to realize I have no idea what I’m doing.
I’d 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 it’s time to introduce common allergens, I want to do it while we’re parked in the emergency room parking lot.
He thinks I’m absolutely ridiculous.
His argument is that neither of us has food allergies. I have allergies to cats and latex, and Hector doesn’t have any known allergies at all.
My argument?
I’d 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. I’m 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, “I told you so.”
Honestly…I’d be completely okay with that.
Lately I’ve found myself going down the rabbit hole of Googling things like, “Do I actually need a baby food maker?” or “Can I just use my regular blender or food processor?”
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, “Using your baby food maker…” or “Using your immersion blender…” and I can’t help but think…
Women have been raising babies for thousands of years without any of this stuff.
Surely there has to be another way.
I’ve 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 aren’t in the purée 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, don’t overcomplicate it.
Another friend had a similar philosophy. She said it’s important for babies to experience lots of different flavors, but that doesn’t always mean making elaborate homemade purées. Once they’re 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?
“I just steamed vegetables and mashed them with a fork.”
No fancy appliance. No special equipment. Just a fork.
Honestly…I kind of love that answer.
The reason I’m thinking about all of this now—even though my daughter won’t be eating solids for a while—is because I like planning ahead. I don’t want to wait until she’s four or five months old and her pediatrician says, “You can start introducing solids now,” only to realize I have no idea what I’m doing.
I’d 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 it’s time to introduce common allergens, I want to do it while we’re parked in the emergency room parking lot.
He thinks I’m absolutely ridiculous.
His argument is that neither of us has food allergies. I have allergies to cats and latex, and Hector doesn’t have any known allergies at all.
My argument?
I’d 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. I’m 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, “I told you so.”
Honestly…I’d be completely okay with that.
