Why You Need Homemade and Wholesome Baby Food

Table of Contents

As a new parent, you’re likely feeling overwhelmed. Even if you have help with your child, the major burden is on you. The baby’s clothes, room temperature, cot setting, bedtime stories, and – most importantly – their food all depend on what you decide.Many parents may feel guilty if their child catches even the slightest cold or cough. While it’s natural for young children to fall ill every now and then, you should make sure that they’re getting the nutrients they need to fight back.Unfortunately, many parents are also harried and looking for a way to save some time, hence the rise of store-bought baby food. Even parents who wouldn’t even think of having a store-bought meal once a week would happily feed their babies from little glass jars they stocked up last month.

Simply put, food made in factories would have a high level of preservatives, sodium, sugar, and other harmful additives. Baby food is no different unless you splurge on a known organic brand. Even so, it’s easier and more beneficial to whip up something homemade for the new addition to your family. We’ll cover the reasons for this below:

More Nutrients:

Simply put, it’s just a more nutritious choice to give your baby homemade food. You can add colorful vegetables, seasonal fruits, and all the goodness they can offer. The jars or cans of baby food in the store, though, have been stripped of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and proteins in order to keep their shelf life long.

The sheer variety you have in your hands at home is also of great nutritional benefit. You wouldn’t be stuck with just a few flavors or whatever’s left in the supermarket at the end of the month. No, you’ll always be able to go out and buy whatever fruits are in season as well as legumes, porridges, seeds, and nuts.

With all these strengthening nutrients, your baby is likely to grow up smarter, learn faster, and become stronger every day! Plus, they’d be far less prone to the common diseases and illnesses that seem to plague kids everywhere.

No Chemicals:

Even if you opt for the organic stuff, store-bought baby food is highly likely to have some preservatives and fillers. After all, how else are the companies going to make a profit? While we’re at it, don’t ever fall for the “certified organic” claim on food items. It’s just not possible for something that is packaged and on a supermarket shelf.

Additionally, baby food in packages and jars has usually gone through a heating process. This makes it more likely to remain in good condition but also kills off its natural flavor. Artificial flavors are, hence, added to make the whole thing palatable.

When you’re cooking for the baby at home, though, you can keep every flavor inside the food! All you have to do is puree whole foods or blend them. Even if you had to add flavor, it would probably be with some sort of natural oil instead of a synthetic flavoring compound. You’d definitely feel better about feeding this to your little one.

No Refinement:

When baby food is being manufactured, companies don’t hesitate in cutting costs. Thus, they try to increase the amount of their product with water, thicken it with starchy substances, or add more food coloring to make it more attractive.

If you have a very young baby, you know that too much water isn’t good for them. Besides, simply filling up on watery substances can lead to a baby going hungry and even suffering from low blood sugar. Starches like refined rice, corn, and wheat can cause several illnesses and wreak havoc on a tiny stomach.

When you’re making your baby’s food at home, you would naturally be careful about refining your results. Whether it’s pureed veggies or fruits, you would give the whole thing to your baby, ensuring that they get every one of the benefits.

You’re in Control:

Ever read the label on a tiny jar of baby food? The chances are high that you wouldn’t even be able to pronounce most of the additives that go into it, let alone know what they are.

At home, though, you can put in what’s familiar and safe. There’s no worrying about extra salt, sugar, thickeners, flavorings, colors, etc. If you want some color, for instance, you can use beetroot juice or any other natural liquid with a strong color.

Cost-Efficient:

Cooking at home may take some effort, but it certainly does save you cash! If you buy baby food jars for every single one of the baby’s meals, it all adds up. On the other hand, you’re probably making your baby’s food in conjunction with meals for the rest of the family.

For instance, you could be making a vegetable casserole and simply puree some of the veggies for the youngest member of the family. This way, you can stay within your budget and not have to buy anything extra.

There are also some tools that you may want to invest in for storing and preparing your homemade baby food. However, this is a one-time cost that can later be put to other use. At the end of the day, it’s much better than buying a stream of food jars every single week for at least two years.

Time-Saving:

This may not make much sense, but hear us out. Making baby food at home may seem like an additional bother. We get it; there are other kids to take care of, there’s work, and you do need some me time. However, what if we told you that homemade baby food actually takes less time than you may think?

When you buy baby food jars, you spend endless hours reading their labels, locating the right brand, and trying to decide on the best choice. You may also have to conduct some research and even go to discussion forums to find out if the baby food is recommended by other parents or not.

Plus, babies tend to make a huge fuss when being fed from store jars. They would highly appreciate the fresh, homemade variety, though. One day a week is all it takes to whip up a batch of food, freeze small portions, and thaw when needed. Less stress, more fun, and more health!