Yahoo Finance 3 Ways to Save Money on Baby Food
Once your baby starts eating solids somewhere around age 4 to 6 months, your grocery bill might start getting a lot more expensive.
According to Baby Center, baby food on average costs about $50 to $100 monthly. Baby food jars and pouches can run $1 or more each, and your little one is likely to eat at least a few daily. In fact, according to the book Baby Bargains, the average baby eats 600 jars of baby food. As the U.S. Department of Agriculture points out, "one of the major expenses on children is food."
To be sure, making your own baby food can help you cut these costs. However, for many parents, taking the time to puree food and freeze it is easier said than done. In addition, homemade baby food is often not without its own expenses too, such as the costs of baby food processers, fancy freezer trays, special reusable food pouches and cookbooks galore, not to mention ingredient costs.
The good news is that there are additional simple strategies you can employ to cut the costs of baby and toddler food. Here are three:
Watch portion sizes. Forget your eyes being bigger than your stomach. Many parents have this problem instead: Their eyes are bigger than their little ones' stomachs. It's tempting to give an older baby or toddler a full bowl of baby cereal or pasta, or an entire baby yogurt container.
But more often than not, little ones will barely make a dent in the food you give them. Why? It turns out (and this shouldn't come as a shock) that baby and tot portions are much smaller than adult serving sizes.
According to the book "What to Expect the Second Year," the recommended serving sizes for tots are "about one-quarter the size of a recommended adult serving size." For instance, the book says a tot serving of pasta is two tablespoons, a tot yogurt serving is one-quarter cup and a tot cereal serving is two tablespoons. By giving your baby or tot such realistic serving sizes, you'll likely be able to cut down on food waste, and make the groceries you buy last a little longer.
Eat the same food. Your grocery bill is guaranteed to be more expensive after the introduction of solids if you're buying completely separate food for the adults and little ones in your family. And you're going to spend more time on cooking if you have to make at least two versions of every meal.
However, if you put some thought into your grocery lists and plan your meals smartly, you can come up with options that will work for all ages. For example, you can opt for breakfast staples (like Cheerios, bananas and regular oatmeal) that both you and your little one can enjoy, and you can do the same for snacks. The authors of the book "Baby Bargains," for instance, point out that adult applesauce is often much cheaper than baby applesauce and not much different.
Similarly, you can mash up what the family is eating for lunch or dinner, and serve it to your baby, assuming he or she has already been introduced to, and isn't allergic to, the food you're serving.
Or you could plan the rest of your family's meals around your baby. For instance, if you're still introducing new foods to your little one, you could include those foods (think mashed sweet potato and squash) as side dishes for the rest of the family. You also could make everyone in the house a toddler-friendly meal (a main course of chicken nuggets, fish sticks or spaghetti, anyone?).
In fact, some experts say it's actually good for children to be served the same foods as the rest of the family to help expose them to a variety of foods. This strategy can also be good for your wallet, since you'll probably be more likely to use up the food you have in the pantry and fridge, rather than having extras that go to waste.
Find the deals. Finally, you can cut premade baby food costs by employing smart frugal shopping strategies like clipping coupons, comparison shopping and buying in bulk. Be sure to sign up for the mailing lists of the brands you like to get deals delivered right to your inbox and mailbox, and do a bit of research to find the online or offline store that offers the best deal on your preferred brand of baby food.
Of course, looking for deals may involve just as much time as making your own baby food. And eating the same food as your baby or toddler may not be a realistic option if your little one has food allergies or is a really picky eater. Still, watching serving sizes is a money-saving tip all parents -- whether they're serving homemade or premade food -- can immediately start following to cut the growing grocery bill.
What are your best tips for saving money on baby and toddler food?
Jennifer Saranow Schultz, formerly the "Bucks" blogger for The New York Times and a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, shares daily hints to help make parenting easier and cheaper at HintMama.com, on Twitter at @HintMama and on Facebook at Facebook.com/HintMama.
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