Heinz glass Jar 

Lots of parents feel that making their own baby food is too much of a pain. They automatically buy baby food in jars because - let's face it when you have a baby, there's a lot to do. Who has time to make baby food when it comes to conveniently made for us?

It's true, there are more steps involved with making baby food than there are in taking jars off the shelf at the supermarket... but not many! I make my own purees in far less time than it takes to drive to the grocery store, read labels, decide which to buy, check out, and drive home. So, cooking for your baby at home might actually save you time, depending on how efficient your shopping trips are.

It will definitely save you money! When you buy baby food in jars, you are paying mostly for the jars. Homemade baby food usually works out to cost only a few pennies per serving; show me one brand of baby food that beats that! Most brands cost five or six times as much. Unless you need those jars for something, why pay for them? Most of us can think of much more worthwhile things to spend our money on, especially with a baby in the house.

Jarred food is a waste not only of money but of resources and energy too. Think for a moment about how much energy it must take to create these tiny glass jars, then think of how many get used to feeding your baby in one day. Add to that the fact that many communities in North America still don't have reliable glass-recycling facilities... and if you have concern for the environment, you'll agree that making your own, where you're free to use reusable containers, is a preferable option.

Finally, it's better for your baby. When you make your own baby food, you know exactly what's in it. If you are not interested in feeding your baby "filler" or mystery ingredients, making your own baby food is the way to go. Especially in Stage 2 and 3 foods, even "trusted" brands like Gerber and Heinz add more water than necessary, and then re-thicken the foods with refined flours and chemically modified starches. These are not beneficial to your baby and aren't worth your money.

If you need one more reason to try making your own baby food... many babies prefer it! If they've only had jarred so far, they may be thrown off by a more varied texture, but in general, homemade foods are sweeter, more brightly colored (which babies do enjoy), and simply taste fresher. If you're not sure, do a taste test yourself and think about which you'd rather eat. If you would rather eat the homemade alternative, don't you think your baby would too?