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Healthy, organic, and fresh fuel for your little astronaut

Recently, there has been a new addition to our family.  And while we are sleeping through the night… Mostly!  Days are a bit challenging.  She is at that stage that seems to require constant motion.  Sitting still simply will not do. This can be a bit challenging work wise, but we are enjoying getting to know the folks along our daily stroll on Cortland Avenue in Bernal Heights.  The other day, I popped in Big Dipper Baby Food to chat with owner Claire Hoyt.

Big Dipper Baby Food

How does organic baby food differ from what I can get at Safeway?

Our food is Fresh, which makes it as close to homemade as you can get without actually making it yourself. There are a lot of recent studies too that reveal that many common brand name baby foods that you find on the shelves use fillers, ie flours, and heavily dilute their product with water. This can reduce the nutritional value of the product as well as make it difficult to identify reactions to food that your baby may have because these ingredients generally aren’t listed.

Will my baby like it?

One of my driving motivations is the idea that healthy eating habits start with the first bite. Think of how many times you’ve heard how people never like spinach, beets, brussel sprouts, parsnips, and many other veggies because of how they were prepared when they were young. Imaging the possibility of choices that your baby could grow up to make if they grew up knowing and enjoying these foods and more because they were prepared well and introduced early.

Can’t I just make this at home?

You can make your babies food at home. We find that many parents WANT to make their babies food, and do make some of it. But it is hard to find the time/energy/creativity to

a) Make food that your baby will eat

b) Provide balanced choices,

c) Create and introduce new flavors that meet the previous criteria-especially the older they get.

The list goes on. We want to provide a great option for parents committed to these standards.

I don’t eat organically, why should my baby?

For starters, your baby is just starting off! Think about it, first bites, ever! They are living examples of how you are what you eat. Look how far they’ve come in just 4-6 months off of milk alone! What they eat and drink affects everything. Knowingly putting a spoonful of food into their mouth that contains chemicals that WILL be harmful to them in one way or another just doesn’t sound like a choice many people would make very often, if at all, if they really thought about it. And, our food is not just about being organic. It’s also about not being off of a shelf. Think of how you would feel if you ate nothing but canned food for 4-6 months straight.

Organic baby food is more expensive than is regular baby food, does that mean that organic baby food is better?

Well, yes! Organic regulations limit potentially harmful chemical use so that you don’t consume them. I think it is simple. And for now, Organic ingredients cost more; hence the baby food does to. Organic takes more work to grow (without the heavy use of herb/pesticides), is an expensive certification, and more. The hope though for all, I believe, is that by supporting organic now, while it is more expensive will someday help bring it down enough that it will not take personal sacrifice ($$) to make the healthier choice.

Does Big Dipper cater to babies with allergies?

WE are very happy to work with parents/children with allergies. We are available to customize a program for your infants/toddler and at our store, we offer a wide selection of puree’s in hopes that anyone will be able to find at least a few things that support their dietary needs. We rarely use milk products in our purees. Instead we love making and cooking with freshly coconut milk. It adds great flavor and a delicate sweetness that babies and parents both enjoy.

How do I maintain my baby’s organic food when I get it home?

Our food lasts in your fridge up to 4 days, and in your freezer up to 3 months! We suggest purchasing a variety of flavors, keeping a few ounces of each in the fridge that your child will enjoy over the next few days, and putting the rest in the freezer portioned out into meal sizes (generally 4oz). A lot of people use ice cube trays, seal them tightly in saran wrap, then pop a cube out and defrost when its meal time! Basically you treat it the same as you would your homemade food.

What ages do you serve?

WE serve infants having their first bites (as early as 4 months). We always have 1-2 single ingredient puree’s that are great for starter foods, as well as 2-3 other puree options each day that are sure to include greens, protein, and many other essentials! Our menu changes on Monday and Friday, but we are always layering in newly developed purees.

We offer 1-2 ‘stage 4′ options as well, soft foods with more texture then puree’s. AND, we have kids meal boxes-basically great entree options that are a sure bet (usually pasta or chicken w/sides) for parents to pick up when they need some help with dinner, or their child’s school/camp/daycare lunch, or to have stocked in the fridge as a backup meal. We offer 1-2 items every day, ranging from Chicken Teriyaki with Brown Fried Rice to Noodle Kugel, to Mac and Cheese with White Beans and fruit salad.

Do you deliver?

We do delivery. We have a regular delivery service on Sunday’s, but are happy work out a customized program for families, day-cares and schools.

Where can I find out more about Big Digger Baby Food?

On our website and we are all over our Facebook page – Big Dipper Baby Food! We update our menu’s there, answer questions, have specials, promotions, etc. Also, anyone can call us at 415-879-0433. We’re happy to answer any questions.

Related articles

• Big Dipper Baby Food (bearathome.com)
• Hello world! (bigdipperbabyfood.com)
• Bringing Up Baby Organically (webmd.com)
• Baby (Food) Makin’: Baby Dash’s Favorite Chicken (citymama.com)
• The adventures of homemade organic babyfood- First foods, Carrots (julielmoyer.wordpress.com)

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