Organic Baby Food Options
My baby is almost ready to eat solid food. Ideally I’d like to only feed him healthy, organic choices. Any suggestions?
Get the video camera ready! Your baby’s first taste of solid food is an exciting, memorable, and entertaining experience for all. By choosing organic food for your little man, you’re starting him off on a path of good health that will have numerous long-term benefits for him, your family, and our planet. So you can feel better about him smearing it all over as he explores the new tastes and textures.
Your infant’s small body is so much more vulnerable to the effects of toxins, but in going organic you'll avoid herbicides, pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics, and help keep these chemicals out of our environment. Numerous studies have also shown that organically grown produce is higher in cancer-fighting antioxidants than conventionally grown fruits and vegetables. And organic does not necessarily mean more expensive! In fact, preparing your own baby food can save hundreds of dollars per year - and if you make meals ahead of time and freeze them in little ice cube trays, it really only takes about 30 extra minutes a week.
The So Easy Baby Food Kit, available at Fresh Baby, works great for getting that perfect first-solids consistency, as does the Baby Steps Food Mill by KidCo.
With many leading brands of baby food containing upwards of 50% modified food starch, sodium, sugars, preservatives, and water you’ll find organic tastes better too. You may even find yourself snacking while feeding your little guy. My friend Kim swears this is how she lost her final pregnancy pounds.
Some of our EcoMom™ favorites include:
Homemade Baby - With their customized Meal Integrity System, you can track every ingredient in your baby’s food from “field to fingers.” I love the purity of this line and so do the little ones I know.
Happy Baby - Frozen cubes with 15 different flavors including Thank You Carrots, Paradise Puree, and Chick Chick chicken.
Plum Organics - Love these! (First tested with my nephew Sebastian and he loved them too.) With yummy sweet potato blends, super greens, and creative little lentil puffs (when baby gets older), Plum is well, plum!
Earth’s Best - From baby formula and first bites, to toddler treats branded with Sesame Street characters, these guys have you covered.
Tasty Baby - With names like Life’s a Peach and Hip 2 Be Pear, these celeb mommy favorites are quite fun and yummy.
One last tip that I found invaluable: start your son off with savory instead of sweet. This is what lots of moms told me to do and it seems to have worked. My son will literally whine, “Why haven’t we had any kale lately?” and he still loves mashed carrots.
See also: Identifying Healthy Baby Food
and How to: Make Homemade Baby Food
About The Author
Kimberly Danek Pinkson is the founder of the EcoMom Alliance and a popular media guest and keynote speaker on issues of green living and sustainability. A longtime social entrepreneur and freelance writer, she is a frequent contributor for parenting magazines and websites such as BabyCenter and iVillage. Kimberly works with her team of EcoMom Leaders to bring forth the organization’s positive and proactive messaging, including teaching Sustain Your Self workshops nationwide. She is the proud mommy to son Corbin, a doting auntie to two nephews, and very happy to be a part of The Cradle. To learn more about Kimberly and join the EcoMom Alliance, please visit ecomomalliance.org.
