Home Made Solids

I don't know about freezing formula but heres what I do know about making solids.
If you are mixing bm/formula into the puree then you usually do it just before you feed it to your babies.
If you are making a puree then you often need a bit of water to get it to the right consistancy. I used the water I cooked the veges in to do this as I think it holds more nutrients but you can use just plain boiled water. If feeding it to your bub's immediately then you can mix in a bit of BM/formula.
I tended to make big batches, keep a bit in the fridge for straight away use and then freeze the rest..
I never use a microwave for my babies food or bottles for two reasons. Firstly, it creates hot spots in the food as it doesn't cook evenly. Secondly, I heard a story about how someone feed a plant cool, boiled water for a week and then feed another plant water that had been microwaved. The plant that was given the microwaved water died within a few days. To me that means the microwaving kills the nutrients in food and milk.

i just put pumpkin (or kumara or whatever) in the purer (thingy) blended it up till it was smooth but still way too thick to give to him and then get a large spoon and put large plops of it on a tray with baking paper, then the next day i take off the tray and freeze in a ziplock back (so its free flow). Then when just before dinner i get it out microwave it to defrost and add expressed breastmilk or boiled water (if i can't be bothered expressing) untill its a slightly runnier consistency. I find this works really well as i will do like a whole pumpkin when on special or 5 kumara at once. Then each night he doesn't have to have the same thing as the night before. Haven't decided how im gonna do meat yet but we aren't gonna start that till he's six months

I steam all vegies except for root veg like kumara, carrots, parsnip etc and use the water they were cooked in to water down the puree. I do large batches and freeze in ice cube trays then transfer to snap lock bags. I keep most of the veg separate so that I can mix and match and he's not having the same combination day after day. If a puree turns out a bit thicker than he likes then I add a cube of pear puree which is always very liquidy and that helps with the consistency. I never bothered with EBM too much of a faff for me (lazy tart I am) and it made no difference. For the first 3 days of weaning I used a little bit of formula in the baby rice but that stuff is disgusting (BR) and he was happy to move onto pear almost straight away.

I take the meals for the next day out of the freezer the night before keep in the fridge of course and then zap for 20 seconds to take the chill off at meal time, I stir it loads and loads to make sure no hot spots.

If you can freeze cheese sauce I dont see why you cant freeze formula but i'm no expert so best do some research on that

ETA with the freezing of formula even if it breaks down the nutrients as long as the quanity is in addition to and not replacing their milk feeds during the day then maybe it doesnt really matter. They can have cows milk in cooked food from 6mths too.

Edited by kiwikid

Yvette i have the yummiest chicken and vege recipe if you want it for when you give your boys meat...One of those ones where i love testing how hot it is so i can have some too! lol
Oh and I do the same as above..seem, puree or mouli and then freeze. I don't add formular to it later just water as I want to giver her good eating habits. I know that i cannot have mashed potato without milk and lots of butter....hopefuly I can get her to like things that are not too creamy ;o)

I usually make up a mixed heap of Kumera, Pumpkin, carrots, Parsnip and add silverbeet for added iron. I make enough for 2 weeks and store it in the freezer. I occasionally grab Jars of premade stuff just to give them some different flavours every now and then as well. But mostly I make my own when it comes to veges. Haven't tried adding meat yet though as the silverbeet has so much iron but have been meaning to try mixing in some chicken. The vege mix is usually quite thick so I add some of the water I boiled the vege in plus after a couple of days in the freezer it starts to break down a wee bit.

McPloppy - Could I grab that chic & Vege recipe off you?

I usually cook or steam mine. Then put in ice cubes and freeze overnight before transferring to snap bags. Each day I pull out different mixes of ice cubes. Place them in my fridge. When it comes time to eat it I boil some water and place the food over the boiled water till its warm. Then serve.

I've never pureed my food for DS, only ever mashed it and he does very well with that. If I find a lump as I feed it to him I put it in his mouth and say chew and make exagerated chewing motions. He chews with his gums then swollows. I know this wouldn't work with all babies but he has been okay with it.

Ive just started making my own veges as caden hates the jars of watties stuff now, he will only eat the pumpkin one.

But what I do is cook pumpkin, potato, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli and mash it up, then put it into those litte tiny gladwre pots and freeze it. When I give it to him i stir in a bi of the stge one pumpkin and sweetcorn and he eats it fairly well that way.

Im going to start adding silverbeat in ther aswell.

I use the crock pot, pop a packet of mince in a few bits of liver for extra iron, brocolli, cauli and carrots, peas, pumpkin and whatever else out of the vege garden (or frozen) and then add a pinch of curry powder or some sort of flavour and half a can of pasta sauce sometimes, other times no pasta sauce and then cook it for a few hours in there, the mince goes nice and fine and the veges are really soft, and all the nutrients are still in the pot.

oh, was just about to pm you to ask for the recipe, thanks Jeana