Jarred baby food vs. homemade baby food

[redfroggy]

Hello all,
I just wanted your opinion on this.
I want to give my little guy the best food possible when starting solids. He is 13 weeks now and I have really been tossing the thoughts around my head.

I had planned on giving DS homemade baby food. But I have looked at the jars at the store and they say no additives and preservaties. Except for the time and money issue, is one better than the other?

TIA!

[tylersmommy]

I did homemade foods about 75% of the time. The biggest reason for me was variety. I really wasn't impressed with the variety of jarred foods out there, but if I made my own, Tyler could have avocado, mango, papaya, asparagus, etc. Also, it's easier to use only organic foods for homemade. It also saves quite a bit of $$, but it does take time. And I enjoy cooking, so I really liked doing it!

[Lola]

I agree with Tylersmommy. I am feeding Madelaine solids now and I puree most of her's. Its really quick and easy and I make it and put it in ice cube trays cuz each serving is then 1oz. Besides, if you taste compare the two, my sweet potatoes are much better I just use a little Braun hand blender and it's so easy. Soft stuff like bananas, mangoes I do by fork mash. I know that I would rather eat something my mama made rather than a colourless blah in a jar! I do take Jarred stuff with me when we travel for convenience though. 

[Lªuren]

I also agree with perious 2 posts.

I make all my own food as well and freeze into tubs or ice cubes. I am always worried about what they put in jars that make them have a long shelf life    I sometie just throw 3 assorted icecubes into a tub and heat, I don't totally mix them together, just marble them so he gets a bit of something in one spoon and something else in another - otherwise its brown/green mush.

I use a braun handblender, sieve or potato masher.

[Colin Macs Mom]

I also make 95% of ds's food. Like Calum's Mum says, even though those labels say nothing is added, why do they have such a long shelf life then?? Frankly I have trouble believing those labels. When I make green beans and puree them with a little water, they taste quite different than the jarred - and that label says green beans and water.    I just prefer to do it myself because then I KNOW what's in it and I can make it exactly how he likes it and also give a greater variety of textures and flavors.

I do buy carrots in jars since you're not supposed to give them real ones until 8 mo. due to nitrates. I also buy jarred "mixed veggies" because for some reason ds adores it.    I also bought jarred peaches recently because the ones in the store were terrible.

[Kimberly®]

I seem to be the exception here

I don't make my DD's foods yet, thats not to say I wont but there's nothing wrong with the baby foods and I have neither the time nore the drive to make the amount of baby food needed. Once my LO is onto more textures she'll get what we eat but untill then I'm perfictly happy with jarred foods.
Plus I'm no cook, I can't cook veggies right to save my life, I'd screw them all up.

[Idahomom]

So far I have made most of ds's food.  We had a game at my shower where you tasted the baby food and tried to guess what it was...I came away from that saying YUCK!!  Have you tasted jarred bananas???  I guess I feel like if I expect him to eat what we eat when he gets a little older, why not right now??  Also jarred fruits have given my lo the WORST diaper rash....goes up above his belly button and took a week to get rid of.  It's not hard or time-consuming to put some sweet potatos on to boil, start the timer, then pop them in the blender to puree.  Make 2-3 things on a sunday afternoon and your freezer is stocked for a week or more.

[fleadle]

I make all DD's food, firstly it is lots cheaper.

I too read the ingredients list & thought how can homemeade food be different?.....I have read that they actually heat treat this food to make it have a longer shelf life, but this can kill vital vitamins & nutrients in the food.

Also I think the texture of food in jars can be very thin for 6 month weaning.....but most of all.......do a taste test, even though the jarred foods have simple ingredients, they just don't tase real....they tase kind of nothingy & powdery.

Don't get me wrong, I think they can be great for emergencies for grandparents & relly's to keep in, just on the off chance, but personally I prefer the real thing.

[redfroggy]

Just to play devils advocate, I think it is the canning process that keeps the food. When you vaccuum seal food it can keep quite some time. It was what they used to do in the old days before preservaties and fridgerators.

Anywhoo,
a few  more questions, if you buy organic food, does it still make it cheaper?
Does freezing it change it any?
And when you freeze it in ice cube trays, do you cover it with anything or just toss it in with the other ice cubes?
Just wondering what the freezing process was.

Thank you all so much for your input.

[GabrielleD]

I make most of DS's baby food, but we also use the jarred ones occasionally. I don't think he realizes that the jarred broccoli and mommy's broccoli are the same food, they just smell so different. I think he probably figures that he is eating different foods. Thankfully, DS is not a fussy eater and will eat pretty much anything. I agree with a previous poster, that the reason I started making my own baby food is that you can get a greater variety of foods that way. Good luck finding ready made beets, cod, etc. Also, the baby food in the jars tends to be way overcooked and tastes off. And don't get me started on the taste of the processed bananas!!!
 
Re: freezing. I just puree the cooked veggies or meat, stick the puree in ice cube trays and then pop the frozen cubes of puree in a plastic bag in the freezer. I have a shelf in the door of the freezer where I keep the bags of various kinds of baby food. While the puree is in the ice cube trays, I don't cover it with anything, I just stack the tray on top of the other ice cube trays. I've had to warn DH to watch which ice cube he puts in his juice!

[Colin Macs Mom]

I currently freeze it in ice cube trays although I'm considering moving to muffin tins before long. I just cover it with saran wrap and then once it's frozen transfer the cubes to ziplocs or if it's a lot, a tupperware type thing.

Most things can be kept for 3 months although the recommended is to use it within one month. I don't find this to be hard! Freezing doesn't seem to change anything, at least for what I've made. Don't know about your organic question though.

[*Natasha*]

I make all of Catherine's food. She has cereal and yoghurt for breaky, Fruit and custard for lunch and mushed up version of our dinner for her own.
I do buy the jelly in a jar for to have as a snack and was buying custard in a jar as well but i am going to start making my own now that i know she is ok with egg.