One of my first questions about buying food for Cool Baby was whether or not I should pay the extra money for organic fruits and vegetables. After seeing this chart which ranks different types of produce according to levels of pesticides, I decided to do a mix of organic and non-organic produce.
For example, peaches, apples, and pears are common baby foods that are ranked among the worst 10 in terms of pesticide levels. So, I try to get those organic (fresh or jarred) if they aren’t too expensive at the moment. If they are expensive, I just pick something else to feed the baby that week.
I was pretty happy to see that bananas, avocados, and sweet potatoes seem to be ranked lower in pesticide levels. Bananas are super cheap fruits, so not having to buy them organic makes them that much better!
I’m sure my method has flaws, but it’s the best solution I’ve found so far. Maybe this will help someone out there who, like me, is indecisive, detail-oriented, and frugal!
Here’s a pictorial lesson I’ve learned: sometimes making my own baby food using organics (such as these pears) may come out to be more expensive than buying jarred organics. Oops. On the other hand, I believe these homemade (baked, that’s it!) sweet potatoes are saving us a whole lot of money!
True story: I started buying Organic milk as soon as my kids could drink it. I asked my pediatrician (after noticing my grocery bill skyrocket) if organic milk was that much better for my kids. She answered with: “What’s organic milk?”
So, I bagged the “organic” thing in the baby food department, but I did go out of my way to shop places where baby food was cheaper (e.g. Wal-Mart, ick), and had no trouble buying the off brands – especially for baby #2! I greatly admired people who made their own food, though. My sister-in-law carried around one of those baby food processors wherever she went.
And, for what it’s worth, my 5 year old is pretty unscarred by the pesticides in the non-organic baby food. She can read and count and she’s really cute. I’m sure the 2.5 year old is fine, too…
Boy those Veggies in an ice tray sure do look good….
I made baby food with my first baby, (he’s five now) and I didn’t do it organically, and it was cheaper. With my third, I realized making my own food organically was more expensive than jarred organic! But I think it’s great you’ve done the reseach to see what is the best way to do it….
amy – it’s good to hear that there’s hope when we get lazy whenever Cool Baby #2 rolls around!
matt – i want to play a joke on some people and put one of those in their drink. when they ask, i’ll say, “Yeah… we really need to get a water filter.”
kristin – i’ve been amazed at all the work that CM has put into feeding our guy. you moms are so cool.
I used to think that CD was the coolest person I know. You know, most diverse, intelligent, funny, thoughtful, funny, and shoebox. But after following this blog since it’s inception (that’s right, I’m a charter reader) I’m sure that CM gives him a run for his money.
Can we give cool points to only one of you, or does that “one flesh” thing prevent it?
You can definitely just give cool points to me. Thanks, Brad!
Doing the math – the 12 ounces of pears you made (1 full ice tray = approx. 12 ounces) cost around .46 cents per ounce.
Earth’s Best 2.5 ounces of Organic Pears (stage 1) cost is around .29 cents per ounce. (and that’s a cheap per jar cost around .72 cents!)
If you used non-organic pears (currently $1.09 per pound in my area) and made the same 12 servings it would have cost $2.02 for the same amount of pears (using your 1.86 pounds).
The cost per ounce for non-organic pears would be .16 cents per ounce
The cost for non-organic Gerber pears (stage 1) for 2.5 ounces is
.59 cents per jar. That’s .23 cents per ounce
Factor in the amount of extra nutrients you get because your food has not been cooked and processed at industrial temperatures and then processed again at high temperatures to seal the food. You probably used less water to make the pears as well so you’re getting more pears “for your money”
Just another way to look at it
*Disclaimer, you may want to double check my math as it’s too early in the morning for the math side of my brain to really function properly
Amy — yep, we all grew up on non-organic food, and look at us! We survived! Maybe we’re even a little more pest-resistant because of it. =)
Brad — wow, thanks! i think CD is pretty darn cool, so that’s a huge compliment! I do have a policy of sharing cool points (which I found out 2 comments ago is not reciprocated at the moment…oh well). I just don’t think “Am I still cool?” would’ve made as good of a blog title.
Maggie — thanks for visiting! I’m indebted to you and your awesome site! I love seeing the cost comparisons, just too lazy to compute them and actually type them up. I need to do better about buying things in season, I think that’s what got me with those pears.
You are such a cool Mom! What a great mommy to do all of that! I am sooo impressed.
I used a baby food grinder with my kiddos. At each meal I threw it all in there, made it mushy and they loved it. I rarely bought jar food. except for Hawaiian Delight – YUM!!! Do they still have that one???
CD,
“You can definitely just give cool points to me.”
HAHAHA! That was funny!