Once you have a new baby, you will need to spend more money. That’s not a myth. baby food is definitely one of the big monthly costs, but there are ways that you can cut down on the cost of baby food without sacrificing your baby’s health.

The best way, in the beginning, to cut down on cost is to breastfeed your baby. Not only is this basically free food for your baby, but it’s the healthiest for them in their early development stages. The baby not only gets valuable nutrients and a boost to their immune system from their mother’s milk, but also also allows for a closer bond for mom and baby early on.

What if you need to be away from baby for a few hours a day because of work, appointments, or other scheduling? Well, Mom just needs a breast pump so she can store a reserve. Mom can pump bottles of breast milk and freeze enough to provide her baby with enough breast milk to last the hours that she’s away. The cost of the breast pump far outweighs the cost of having to buy formula on an ongoing basis.

What if you can’t breastfeed or simply choose not to? That’s ok, you can still save money. There are tons of coupons available by big brands who want you to use them over their competitors. If you make it a habit to look for promotions, you can often snag yourself a lot of free stuff in the process. This is even easier if you have Internet access and are able to take the time to sign up to the countless free promotions that are available.

Don’t forget to make your own baby food if you have the time. When your baby is a bit older and eating solid foods, you can puree fresh fruits and vegetables in a blender for baby food.  Not only will this save you money, but it’s much healthier for your baby than the packaged stuff.

There is that moment for every Mom when she hits the frustration point with her child and her eating habits. It’ almost guaranteed that at some point your baby will go through a stage of not wanting to eat what you put in front of them and even be extremely adamant about not eating it.

When your baby denies the plate of food in front of him, don’t worry about it. Just like adults, babies have their favorites, likes, and dislikes. It may just be something as simple as your baby not liking the texture, how it tastes, or maybe even how it affects their little tummy.

One rule to follow is not introducing new foods more than once every 2 or three days. This gives your baby ample time to know for sure if he likes it or not. You also get to see if the first time he threw it o the floor was just a mood swing or if it was a genuine dislike for the food.

Another important rule is to not feed your baby when he is upset or cranky. If your baby is upset, sick, or even slightly irritated at the moment, don’t persist until they are back to their cheerful self.

It’s important not to acted stressed out about them choosing to not eat a a certain vegetable that you feel is important.  The best approach to take is mix things up and show a little compromise as yo go. You can always try another vegetable in a couple days or mix one or two in with something he does seem to like and see how that works.

For instance, if you wanted your baby to eat blueberries, but he seemed against it on their own, mix a few into the cereal that he eats every morning and see what happens. The combination might agree with him more than the blueberries did on their own.

The most important part of dealing with a picky eater is to be patient with your baby. With so many foods to choose from, not eating one or two fruits or veggies at the moment is not detrimental to you or your baby’s health. Just keep trying.