Editor's Note: We were so happy that Kari shared how to make homemade baby food a few weeks ago, and now she's sharing some of the great store-bought options (because not all of us can make everything from scratch all the time). Cascadian Farm doesn't make any baby food products, so we're glad that Kari can share about these options with you!
We reached an exciting milestone in our house a few weeks ago as our son started eating solid foods! We started with an organic rice cereal, which he loves, and we’re now ready to try veggies. Let the messy fun begin! The baby is definitely ready, but I’m a little overwhelmed with all the choices. I made some of my own baby food, but I know I’ll need to have some store-bought food on hand, as well. Fortunately, there are many organic choices. Baby food has come a long way, baby. There are a number of nutritious foods for baby in the refrigerated and frozen food sections, as well as the classic pureed fruit in a jar. (Availability varies depending where you live, of course). Here are a few of the best organic baby food options on the market.
1. Gerber Organics Baby Foods
The most well-known name in baby food and the most widely available is Gerber. Their Gerber Organics line of classic pureed baby food (formerly Gerber's Tender Harvest organic baby food) is available in tons of flavors and are grouped by age/stage - 1st foods, 2nd foods and 3rd foods. They are sold in twos, in easily tote-able plastic containers.
2. Earth's Best Organic Baby and Toddler Foods
Earth’s Best’s traditional jarred baby foods are not only organic, but they contain no GEIs (Genetically Engineered Ingredients) which is great. They are easy-to-store, have a wide range of flavors and styles and are almost as widely available as Gerber. From formula and fruit and vegetable purees to a Sesame Street line of toddler foods (which includes organic cereals, pizzas and pastas) Earth’s Best has one of the largest selections of organic food for babies.
3. Plum Organics Frozen Baby Food
The frozen baby food market is designed to mimic what you might make for your baby at home if you were creating your own organic baby foods. Plum Organics baby foods are cooked, then flash-frozen to retain as many of the nutrients as possible. The foods are divided into suggested age range, with smoother tastes for younger babies and more complex meals and textures for toddlers. Plum Organics are available at Whole Foods, Wild Oats / Henry’s and now some Target stores.
4. Homemade Baby Organic Baby Foods
In the refrigerated section of your grocery store is Homemade Baby, the only baby food on the market that’s not frozen or jarred. Their fresh meals are cooked fresh daily and they provide field to plate tracking of your food, through their “Meal Integrity Program”. So you can track where the apples in your meal where grown and then cooked! Very cool! Homemade Baby’s foods come in three stages: So Smooth, Good Mushy and Kinda Chunky. This brand is also carried in some Target stores.
Photo by Kari Burks
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