Baby Food: Homemade or Store-Bought? Here’s My Take (No Judgment Allowed)
- hotmessfarm
- Jan 10
- 2 min read
Baby food. One of those topics that can turn a perfectly nice mom conversation into a silent side-eye contest. Homemade vs store-bought. Blender moms vs pouch moms. The Pinterest perfect vs I grabbed this at the checkout because my kid was screaming crowd.
So here’s my honest take — from one tired, caffeine-powered farm mom to another:
If your baby is fed… you’re good parents. Period.
What Worked for Our Family
I have three kids, and all of them have experienced both homemade baby food and store-bought options.
With our girls, we started out mostly homemade for first foods. As they got older (and hungrier… and busier… and we were more tired), it became way more convenient to grab a few pouches from the store. Totally normal. Totally fine.
Cereals? Always store-bought. I draw the line somewhere 😅
Why I Loved Making Baby Food
For us, homemade baby food:
Saved money
Let us know exactly what was going into their little bellies
Made me feel like I had some control over something in the newborn chaos
One of my favourite parts was doing a big food-making day, filling the freezer with little cubes of goodness, and knowing we were set for months.
👉 These ice cube trays were a game-changer
They pop out easily, have lids (hallelujah), and stack nicely — no waiting around for them to freeze before stacking.
Pouches: Homemade and Store-Bought Can Coexist
As our kids got older and started eating more, I switched to making our own pouches.
This is the pouch filling station I used with the girls:
Honest review? It worked great — but the pouches aren’t reusable, so you toss them when they’re done.
If you’re trying to save the planet 🌍 — maybe skip this one.
If convenience is king — have at ’er.
For Cyrus, I’m switching things up with a reusable pouch system (mostly to save money because WOW everything is expensive now):
These pouches have a seal on the side that can be opened so you can wash it out! Umm, yeah, I think so!
The Bottom Line (Read This Twice)
However you feed your baby — homemade, store-bought, pouches, purées, cereal, or a combo of all of it — the choice is yours.
If buying pouches keeps you sane → buy the pouches.
If making baby food brings you joy → get that blender ready.
If you switch back and forth → welcome to real life.
Store-bought or homemade, your baby is fed and loved. And that’s what actually matters.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — which helps support Hot Mess Farm Stress and my caffeine habit ☕
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