By using homemade baby food recipes, parents have the ability to control the sugar, spices and additives their baby consumes. By using fruits and vegetables from local farmers and storing the food in reusable containers, homemade baby food is also environmentally-friendly. Since homemade baby food is primarily made from fresh, raw ingredients, it must be used immediately, refrigerated for one or two days or frozen to prevent the spread of bacteria.NNCC.org: Making Baby Food

Homemade babyfood can be made in any variety of fruit, vegeteable, or meat which can be pureed to be of a texture the baby can ingest and digest. Common tools used to make the food and variations of recipes include:

1. Use a sieve or strainer to remove seeds or pits and retain liquids
2. Use a blender to puree food
3. Use ice cube trays to package an appropriate amount of food
4. Use a potato masher, fork and/or spoon for easily mashed foods
5. Use a food mill or grinder for meats.
6. Boil foods to make them soft before blending
7. Choose foods low in seasoning to avoid stressing the digestive system.
8. Choose fruits which mix well together for combination items such as pear and banana
9. Add softened rice to vegetables or meats

The history of feeding babies from food made at home dates back to the beginning of time. To see the relationship of making homemade food for infants and toddlers, one must know the history of manufactured foods. Up until the mid 19th century, the foods and liquids fed to children include those made by the mother and the milk fed by the mother. In the 19th century, manufacturers invented packaged formula to drink, and began packaging foods for sale to the parent. By the 1920s, these foods were marketed as convenience foods to increase sales as parents did not initially readily accept them.http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodbaby.html