You are here:About>Health>Pediatrics> Ages and Stages> Your Baby Week By Week> Homemade Baby Food
About.comPediatrics
Newsletters & RSSEmail to a friendSubmit to Digg

Your Baby Week Twenty Two (Five Months)

From Vincent Iannelli, M.D.,
Your Guide to Pediatrics.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Kate Grossman, MD

Homemade Baby Food

Although many parents choose to feed their baby commercially prepared baby food, including brands such as Gerber, Beech Nut, Earth's Best, and Heinz, some choose to make their own baby food.

Why make your own baby food?

Proponents of homemade baby food usually cite the main benefits as being cost savings, avoiding food additives and preservatives, and avoiding added salt and sugar.

In reality, most commercially prepared baby foods do not have artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, added salt, or added sugar. For example, Gerber Pears contain:

  • pears
  • pears from concentrate (water, pear concentrate)
  • ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
  • citric acid (a natural preservative found in citrus fruits)

Other baby foods, such as Earth's Best Organic First Peas, only contain organic peas and water.

Checking the baby food label and ingredients list can help you determine if any extra additives or preservatives are in the baby food you are buying.

Homemade Baby Food

But even if commercial baby food doesn't include additives or preservatives, that doesn't mean that you still can't make your own homemade baby food. Although some extra time is involved as opposed to the convenience of commercial baby food, many parents enjoy making their own baby food.

In addition to the cost savings, making homemade baby food allows you greater control over the texture of the baby food, which can be helpful for some infants. For example, if your baby quickly masters eating pureed baby food, then you can start to make it thicker, instead of having to figure out which commercial baby food to use as your next stage or step.

Do avoid making homemade baby food with beets, carrots, collard greens, spinach, and turnips. These vegetables can sometimes have high levels of nitrates, a chemical that can cause low blood counts (anemia).

  1. Comparing Babies
  2. Homemade Baby Food
  3. Acid Reflux Redux
  4. Infant Care Tips - Fever
  5. Infant Q&A - Still a Preemie?
  6. Safety Alert - Baby Walkers

<< Previous | Next >>

Updated: January 2, 2008
About.com is accredited by the Health On the Net Foundation, which promotes reliable and trusted online health information.
 All Topics | Email Article | | |
Advertising Info | News & Events | Work at About | SiteMap | Reprints | HelpOur Story | Be a Guide
More from About, Inc.: Calorie Count Plus | UCompareHealthCare
User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Corrections | Privacy Policy
©2008 About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.