Buying baby food at the store is so expensive. If you are a mom or dad with a little baby in the home, you know the expenses can add up quickly! Baby food is one of those items that can quickly rack up your grocery bill.
Are you looking for a way to save money on baby food?
I have a great solution for you!
Homemade baby food is becoming more popular in this generation of moms. With more resources available through YouTube and Pinterest, moms are able to access loads of information on how to make baby food themselves.
But moms don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen!
It’s a conundrum!
Mom’s are looking to save money and save time, but doesn’t something have to give? If I want to save time, I would rather just buy the baby food in the store. But then I am spending a ton of money on carrots! Carrots shouldn’t cost that much for just 1 little ounce.
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
Time! What about time?
But if I want to save money, then I need to devote more time in the kitchen. Right?
Somethings gotta give! Moms are always looking for ways to gain more time in the day.
You might be thinking right now, “I don’t have time to make baby food for my 6 month old. I’m so busy right now nursing her/giving her a bottle and changing diapers all day. When will I ever find the time to make baby food?”
Money is typically a big area of focus for new moms with little babies since they are probably not working as much and, therefore, have less income coming in for the family finances.
Related Article Written by Victoria (from One Sharp Mama): 8 Ways To Save Money On Diapers
You are probably thinking, “In order to save money, I will have to spend hours and hours, or even days, in the kitchen whipping up batches of baby food. I don’t have time for that with a new baby in the home.”
Get The Best Of Both: Save Time and Save Money
Did you know that it is POSSIBLE to save time and save money with my homemade baby food batch cooking?
You can learn how to make homemade organic baby food in one large batch by following a few simple steps.
What’s even more amazing about the baby food that I made is that I bought all the organic produce from ALDI’S!! What mom doesn’t like Aldi’s?
I was able to find every item on my list at Aldi’s to make 11 different baby food purees for my batch cooking day. A video is also included at the end of this post if you want to see me in action!
I go over in detail how to make over 11 different baby food items all in one day with some helpful tips that make the cooking even easier than it already is.
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So after making all my homemade organic baby food in only a few hours, I had enough baby food to last me for months.
I only needed to make ONE large batch of baby food. ONE!
The amount of baby food is just the right amount for my baby until she graduates to finger foods and eventually weans away from puree foods. That’s the great thing about batch cooking. One and Done!
You don’t have to do it again. So it’s a great way to stock up for several month’s worth of baby food.
Is It Really Worth It?
You might be thinking to yourself “Is it really worth it to make all this baby food? I still rather just go to the store and buy it myself.”
Trust me, it is worth it!
Reasons why it’s worth it:
- You, Mommy, are your baby’s personal chef! You know exactly what is going in your baby’s mouth. It’s just reassuring knowing who made your baby’s first foods. No one better to trust than yourself!
- It’s actually easier than you think! Making mushed up bananas and blended peas is soooo easy. It’s just crazy to think they sell banana baby food puree in the store. Even my kindergartner can mush up banana puree for my 6 month old. You can definitely do this!
- Savings!! Everyone wants to save money. This is one simple way to cut back on your grocery bill and reduce your expenses each month.
- You will be fully stocked with baby food in your freezer for MONTHS! No more running out to the store over and over again because you’re all out of baby food. You will have a large enough supply with a variety of choices right in your own home.
So, you are probably wondering by now what the cost analysis is.
It’s pretty remarkable after taking a closer look at it on paper.
I have been making organic homemade baby food for the past 6 years when each of my 4 daughters turned 6 months old. I had never done a cost analysis before until now.
Jena’s Tip: This blender is unlike any other. Wait until you try one of these-it’s absolutely amazing! I have been using the VitaMix practically every day for 8 years, and it’s still going strong. The power that comes from this blender is absolutely amazing!
A breakdown of expenses for organic homemade baby food
My Grocery List For ORGANIC Baby Food:
- Spinach (organic) 1 container = 2.49
- Acorn squash (organic) 0.77
- Baby carrots (organic) 1 bag = 1.49
- Avocados (organic) 1 bag = 4.99
- Broccoli (organic) 1 package = 2.99
- Zucchini (organic) 1 package = 1.79
- Pears (organic) 1 bag = 3.99
- Bananas (organic) 1 large bunch = 1.97
- Sweet potatoes (organic) 1 bag = 2.99
- Apples (organic) 1 bag = 2.99
- Peas (organic) 1 bag = 1.99
TOTAL Expenses At Aldi’s: $28.45 Total Amount of Baby Food Made: 14 ice cube trays worth of baby food 18 cubes/tray 1 cube = 1 oz, Therefore 1 tray (18 cubes) = 18 oz of baby food Total Amount of Baby Food Servings Made in 1 Day (batch cooking from this grocery list) = 252 servings (252 oz.)
How Many Cents Per Oz is the Homemade Baby Food Worth?
$28.45 spent at Aldi’s / 252 oz of homemade baby food = 0.11 cents/oz of Organic Homemade Baby Food
Organic Homemade Baby Food Cost vs. Store Bought Organic Baby Food
Store bought organic baby food typically = 0.30 cents/oz (dependent on organic brand of food)
If you were to spend $28.45 of organic baby food from the store at 0.30 cents/oz, you would only be coming home with 95 servings (or 95 ounces) of Store bought organic baby food.
For $28.45 you can either get 95 servings of store bought organic baby food or 252 servings of homemade organic baby food.
That’s a 157 serving difference!!! WOW! If that difference in cost doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will.
Conclusion
Do you like knowing exactly what is going into your baby’s belly? Do you want to have an entire stock of homemade baby food in the freezer without breaking the bank? For me the answer is YES!
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For just the cost of $28.45 you can make several months worth of homemade organic baby food and have your freezer full stocked. You will have enough supply to last your baby until he or she is ready for finger foods. You won’t have to make these purees again. That’s the beauty of batch cooking!
When you make it all at once, you save so much time. In this example, you come out with 11 different varieties of fruits and vegetables and within a few hours, your baby has a wonderful selection of first foods. There is no need to make these purees week after week. You, mom, don’t have time to do that.
I encourage you to block out a bit of time in your schedule to make the organic baby food! Your baby will definitely appreciate it.
I have so much fun cooking in the kitchen, and it’s special for me knowing that I am the one preparing my baby’s first foods! Comment below and let me know if this was helpful for you. I would love to hear about ways that you save money. And don’t forget to check out how I made all this baby food if you didn’t read about it already. The video at the end of the post is also extremely helpful!
Keep Smiling,
Dr. Jena Bradley, DPT
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
The 2 articles and the video on making baby food was so very informative. This should be on a Rachel Ray or any morning talk show. I am going to look into it.
You should be my manager, Mom! Thanks for the support. Glad you liked it. Now you can make baby food for Abrie!
Great post! Wished I’d thought to do this when my kids were younger
Tameka, Glad you liked it!
Love how informative this was. I really enjoyed the reasons to why it is worth it. I may consider this when I have my next child. Thanks for sharing these saving time and money tip on baby food.
Angel, glad you liked this post. Definitely refer back to this when you have another little one! It’s so easy to make.
This is so awesome! I never knew it’d be that much cheaper to do it all yourself. I’m so glad you posted this 🙂
Emily, yep, a really big savings and really easy to make. I hope you found this helpful!
I made baby food for both my kids. I would prepare a month’s worth and it was so worth it. And just like you said, you know exactly what goes in their bodies. It’s amazing how much you can save making baby food yourself.
Ashley, I’m glad other moms out there are realizing the same thing I did. It’s a huge savings.
Love this post! I wish I would have had this cost breakdown when my son was younger.
Sarah, I am glad you enjoyed it even though your son is grown now.
What steamer do you use?
Hi Emilie, this is the one I have and I have had it for over 11 years and it works wonderfully! https://amzn.to/2UmdnNI It’s the Oster 5711 Electronic 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer