The Next Best Thing to Homemade with Amara Baby Food

***This post has been sponsored by Amara Organic Baby Food. As always all of the thoughts and opinions shared are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Kozy & Co.

When I had my first baby I was all about making his baby food myself. Not only was homemade a budget friendly option, but I also found it so satisfying to feed him something that I had steamed and pureed on my own, using real ingredients. At the time, it all seemed so simple. I froze and stored a ton of fresh fruits and vegetables, and he happily ate what I had prepared for him. Now that I have three kids, life isn’t exactly so simple. I definitely put some effort into making homemade baby food this time around, but my schedule hasn’t always allowed for it, the way it did when I only had only one baby at home.

A few of the questions that I get asked the most are “what do you feed your baby, and when did you start?”. I know a lot of pediatricians recommend starting with rice cereal around four months of age, but in all honesty, none of my exclusively breastfed babies have been big fans of it. Because of this, I generally wait a little longer before we begin on solids. With Theo, we really started between 5-6 months of age. With each of my kids, we have always gone with “real” food from the beginning. Mashed bananas, avocados, and sweet potatoes (thinned with breast milk or the water that they were steamed in) have been favorites of ours from the get-go. I have always followed the rule of offering my children 1 food at a time, at first, and then waiting a few days to be sure there is no reaction to that particular food. I will admit though, that in my opinion, exposing babies to certain foods can help reduce the chance of food related allergies, so I don’t allow myself to get too anxious about them trying new things (I am not an expert, this is 100% my opinion only. Please always consult your pediatrician with questions about what to feed your children).

After getting so used to making homemade baby food, I have become a bit particular about which packaged baby foods I choose to give to my kids. Amara Organics has become a go-to for us, both at home and on-the-go. They are a company that uses a unique technology to lock in up to 95% of the original vitamins and nutrients that are in the ingredients that they use, making their food the next best thing to what I would make myself at home. Their cold pressure technique provides more nutrients than traditional pouches (that are exposed to high heats, zapping those nutrients), which keeps them a healthy option that I can feel good about feeding my babies!

I’ve been really impressed with the organic ingredients that Amara Baby Foods uses, and with flavors like Tropical Mango, Banana, Apple-Maqui Berry, Oats & Berries, and Potato and Kale Mash, there’s something for every baby’s palette. I love that their pouches are totally portable, making them a great option to just throw in your diaper bag. You simply add breastmilk, water, or formula, stir, and they’re ready to eat. Theo has actually begun moving on to solids as well as purees at this point, and we totally used the Potato and Kale flavor the other day to whip up some pancakes, which naturally, he gobbled right up.

When you don’t have time to peel, chop, steam and freeze, there is another great option out there that offers the same homemade taste as your own, and Amara Organics is it. I honestly wish that I knew about this amazingly healthy, preservative and additive-free brand with my older kids.

{diaper bag c/o Kiki Lu Designs}

You can find Amara Organic Baby Foods at Whole Foods, in select supermarkets, on Amazon, and on their website and for more information on Amara Organic and their delicious baby food flavors, be sure to follow them on Instagram!