Making your own pouch food for your baby saves a lot of money in the long run. We usually give Aliana a pouch as part of her snacks. She likes her pouch food to taste more fruity versus vegetables. So I make sure to include flavorful fruits in each blend. You can buy the pouch foods in the stores but the cost adds up each week we buy them. In addition, I love the idea of creating blends that I know Aliana loves. When we began Aliana on solid foods I made purees for her. I tried giving her the pouch food when she was 9 months old but she never figured out how to suck the food out of the pouches until she was around 11.5 months old. If you want to start making pouch food at home, here are three simple recipes and a few products I use at home to help me make batches of pouches at one time.
RECIPE 1
1 mango
1 pear
1 apple
1/2 cup quinoa (we use nurtureme organic quinoa found in the food baby aisle)
RECIPE 2
1 banana
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup quinoa (we use nurtureme organic quinoa found in the food baby aisle)
RECIPE 3
1 mango
2 small sweet potatoes (steam/cook until soft)
1/2 cup quinoa (we use nurtureme organic quinoa found in the food baby aisle)
Instructions
- Follow the instructions on the box and mix the quinoa with water to create a smooth texture.
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender or the Beaba Babycook machine.
- Blend until the mixture is completely smooth.
- Label the blend on your pouches.
- Start filling your pouches to the desired amount.
- (NOTE) Add some water or applesauce if your blend is thick and not smooth.
Storage
- I separate each blend in gallon different storage bags. Store pouches in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, simply move the pouch to the refrigerator. The pouches thaw in less than a day or overnight. I usually take a couple out of the freezer overnight and let them thaw out while we sleep so they are ready for Aliana the next day.
A few of my favorite products to use
BEABA BABY COOK
PROS
-Easy to use and clean
-Free of mold
-Multi-function with steamer and blender
-Sound notification when the steamer is done
-Can steam and blend at the same time
-Fits a lot of fruits and vegetables in each container
CONS
-Pricey compared to other brands
-The blender lids should have a storage place on the machine
-Bigger than other blenders
INFANTINO SQUEEZE STATION
PROS
-User-friendly, so easy to use and setup.
-Makes three pouches in less than 30 seconds
-Easy to clean
-Used with different brand pouches
CONS
-Food must be soft to easily squeeze through in the pouches
-Can be a little messy if you overload the pouches
-Big to store