The Benefits of Homemade Baby Food

Many mothers prefer feeding their babies processed food that is easily available at the store rather than making it themselves. Sadly, processed baby food is not only bland and plain-tasting but also lacks some of the most vital naturally-occurring nutrients that are found in homemade baby food. Here are some benefits that will show you the importance of preparing your baby's food rather than buying it:

YOU GET TO CHOOSE WHAT GOES INTO THE BABY'S FOOD

Store-bought baby foods give you little choice when it comes to choosing what exactly your baby is eating. All it offers is a list of ingredients and some of these will horrify you. Homemade baby food, on the other hand, gives you a say on what exactly you want to include in your baby's diet. You can get rid of preservatives, flavors and other unwanted additives.

YOU GET TO CHOOSE THE RATIO OF INGREDIENTS IN THE BABY'S FOOD

Store bought foods also do not offer this option and even if you sift through dozens of brands, you will find that every one of them have too much or too little of something. If you choose to prepare the baby's food yourself, you can decide just how much of everything you want in the food. For example, different mothers have different preferences when it comes to the ratio of fruit to vegetable in baby purees. Some want a lot of vegetable and just a little fruit to sweeten it. Others want equal amounts of both and others want more fruit than veg. Store bought foods will not only have a fixed ratio but also add other unwanted requirements. When making the food yourself, you can choose just how much of each will go into the puree.

YOU GET TO GIVE THE BABY THE BEST OF EVERYTHING

In today's world, almost everything edible in any store is artificially modified to last longer and taste better. This means that to prolong the shelf life, many foods in including those made for babies are added preservatives and artificial flavors. Such chemicals are usually harmful when consumed continuously for a period of time.

Homemade baby food, on the other hand, is made with the mother's selection of fresh and organic ingredients. You can dig out beetroot and pluck cherries right out of your backyard garden where you are positive that they are as fresh and healthy as they can be.

THE PRICE

Homemade food is cheaper, way cheaper, than pre-packed convenience baby food. The latter has been made using a variety of ‘expensive’ ingredients which, together with the transport, storage and other costs, have been included in the final price. If you have a blender and access to a grocery store selling fresh and organic ingredients, you will soon learn that preparing baby food by yourself is much cheaper. You can prepare as much as you need then put it in the fridge for using later.

Conclusively, preparing baby food at home is more beneficial than buying it from the store not just because it's cheaper but also cause it's more nutritional and gives you a say on what and how much goes into it.