LANCASTER, N.Y. (WKBW) — After a recent study highlighted the fact that toxic metals are often found in store-bought baby food, many parents have had questions about what's involved in making food for their kids.
The study by HealthyBabyFood.org found much of the baby food sold in stores contains toxic metals. The website tested 168 foods from major manufacturers, and found that 95% of them contained toxins, including lead, arsenic and mercury. You can read more about the study here.
After 7 Eyewitness News posted the story last month, many parents began talking about making their own food, and finding out what was involved in it. Baby's Sweet Beginnings in Lancaster offers Homemade Baby Food classes taught by Lisa Wyzykowski. She says, she doesn't judge parents for choosing to make or not make their own food, but she's done a lot of research on the topic and shows parents how to make it work for them.
"We talk about organic versus non-organic foods, we go over guidelines of storing the food, freezing the food, when you take it out to thaw it," she explained.
Wyzykowski teaches the class every couple of months, and says it's often full of parents who want to learn the best way to make food, and also hear more about how they can save money doing it. Jessica Ball took the class when she was considering making food for her son, Henry.
"We were doing a lot of research with prices on baby food, and everything inside baby food, and we just decided it would be more cost-effective, it would be healthier, and it would just be an easier choice for our family," she said.
Once she took the class, she was confident in her ability to prepare and freeze the food, and also learned how to fit it into her schedule. Wyzykowski suggests picking one day to make big batches for your baby.
"Picking one night to do it, to make several foods, will get you through several weeks," she explained.
"I kind of picked one day a month where I was going to be doing everything," echoed Ball. "It did take me a couple of hours, but then I was good for the whole month."
Today, Henry is 15-months-old, and eating solid foods, but Ball did make all of his baby food. She says it's something other moms might want to consider, once they learn the best ways to do it.
You can learn more about the classes, or sign up for them here, on the Baby's Sweet Beginnings website.
