One of the very first posts I ever wrote was about making yogurt at home.  I’ll spare you the link with atrocious pictures and summarize it here:  I bought a yogurt maker, the cashier mocked me because apparently no one buys yogurt makers, and I used it every week to make yogurt for a good 4 months.  Then, it sat on the top shelf of our pantry for 1.5 years.

I broke it out last week, though, to make some yogurt for Baby Snob.  A few months ago at her 6 month check-up, her doctor said we could give her yogurt if we wanted to.  He recommended the baby yogurt that you find in most grocery stores.  When I went and looked though, I was pretty disappointed to see sugar as one of the top ingredients.  Because of the family history of GI problems, I am hyper-vigilant of what we feed her and try to avoid unnecessary sugars.

Besides the sugar, the baby yogurt was pretty expensive – nearly $1 a serving.  I knew I could make it at home and for much less money.  In order to make baby yogurt you will need a yogurt maker.  This is the Euro Cuisine one I have, and I really like it.

Homemade Baby Yogurt

It takes anywhere from 10-12 hours to make yogurt from start to finish, but only about 20 minutes of it is active time.

Ingredients

4 cups of organic, hormone-free whole milk

1/2 cup whole milk yogurt

Fruit stir-ins: natural applesauce, blueberries*, bananas*, or peaches*

Directions:

1. Make the yogurt.  This post from 101 Cookbooks is great on explaining how.  It is the one I follow all the time.  I do leave out the powdered milk though because whole milk and straining the yogurt later makes it plenty thick.  When you are ready to put the yogurt in maker, allow it to cook for at least 8 hours.

2. Once yogurt is finished, strain it by lining a strainer with paper towels or a cheesecloth and placing the yogurt in the strainer.  I usually let it strain for about an hour or so in the refrigerator.  This will make the yogurt thicker and easier and less messy to feed your baby.

3. Once yogurt is strained, stir in your favorite fruit.  Serve and enjoy!

Make sure you talk to your pediatrician prior to feeding your baby yogurt to make sure they are ready for it.

*Cut or mash all fruit into pieces that are smaller than a pea.  Supervise your baby at all times while feeding him or her.  Never leave a child unattended while they are eating.

Baby Snob’s favorite is banana and blueberry.  I prefer to use frozen blueberries because they cut and mash more easily.

If you would like the yogurt to be thicker, you can always stir in some rice cereal.

Here is the breakdown on costs:

4 cups of milk: $1.50

1/2 cup yogurt: $0.38

Bananas: $0.57

Total: $2.45 for 6 servings of banana baby yogurt

Does your baby like yogurt?  Have you ever tried making it at home before?

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