Making your own homemade baby food will ensure that what your child is eating is fresh, nutritious also free of additives. By making your own baby food, you will be saving money. Also, you will have total control over what is put into your baby’s food. You can therefore take the extra steps to ensure that only high quality foods are selected also used. You will be able to feed your baby according to his or her needs because you will know what foods are best suited for your baby from experience.
Making your own baby food or else ensures that your baby is exposed to a greater variety of tastes also textures. This will help your baby when making the transition to table foods also or else help him or her develop healthy eating habits. See http://www.baby-shop.org.uk/guide/ for a collection of articles on babies also toddlers.
Baby Food Preparation Tips
1. As babies are susceptible to digestive upsets, always work with clean hands also use clean cooking utensils, preparation surfaces, pots also pans etc., when making home made baby food. Prepare foods immediately upon removing them from the refrigerator also freeze immediately after cooking any foods you want to store.
2. Steaming vegetables is the best method of preparation. This softens them, makes them easier to chew, also preserves more of the vitamins also minerals than boiling. A steamer basket is cheap also by cooking fruits also vegetables in it, you will be sure of keeping the nutrients in the food, instead of in the cooking water.
3. To puree your foods, you can use a fork, a food mill or blender. A blender quickly purees almost anything into the finest consistency. When your baby first starts on solids, you will be pureeing things to a very fine consistency and, as baby gets a little older, you will make foods a little coarser. You may wish to buy a food mill which comes in large also small sizes. It is very handy also inexpensive. The food mill strains most cooked foods to a very smooth consistency, although meats can be a problem as they will have a coarser texture. Remember all the tools you need to make baby food are probably already in your kitchen.
4. You can prepare large amounts of foods at once also freeze them. Take your prepared foods also plop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Freeze the plops right away also then take them off the sheet when they are frozen also put them into plastic bags. You can or else freeze the food in plastic "pop out" ice cube trays. Small tupperware jars with lids serve the same purpose also stack easily. Label also date the packages rotate them putting the most recently frozen foods behind the previously frozen ones. Frozen baby foods can be stored for up to two months.
5. When you take frozen foods out for baby, warm the food in a cup placed in a saucepan of boiling water with a lid on. If you use a microwave to thaw or warm baby food, be sure to stir the food well to avoid hot pockets.
6. Cereals are typically the first foods given to a baby because they contain lots of iron. You can prepare your own, by running oatmeal through your blender. Fruits are generally given next. Except for raw, mashed banana, you will need to cook all other fruits till they are soft.
7. Try making your own apple sauce also pear sauce; don't add any sugar, as these fruits are sweet enough on their own. You can or else peel peaches, plums also apricots also boil or steam them.
8. Buy also use organic fruits also vegetables. Use fresh also organic vegetables whenever possible in order to provide the best nutrition also flavor for your baby. Your baby deserves pesticide-free foods. Frozen vegetables are better to use than canned.
9. Yogurt, mashed cottage cheese, mashed pumpkin, baked potato, avocado also tofu (oriental soy bean curd) are all popular with babies. One good idea is to blend together cottage cheese, banana also fresh orange juice - delicious!
10. Meats should be added slowly. They can be boiled or broiled, then put in the blender with a little milk also perhaps banana or cream of rice to get the right consistency. Chicken is generally the first meat baby is introduced to also usually goes down fairly well.
11. There is no rush to start your baby on solid foods. Milk is his most important food. Your doctor's recommendations also your own intuition will help you to know when to begin introducing solids to your baby's diet. Introducing solids prepares the baby for the transition to adult food also offers further vitamins also minerals as the baby grows. Always remember to be patient with your baby also allow at least a few days between newly added foods to make sure the baby does not suffer any reactions.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Copyright © 2005, Bridget Mwape writes for the Baby Shop UK: http://www.baby-shop.org.uk/ which features baby information including articles also discounts on baby products, gifts also advice from other parents. This article may be republished as long as all the above links are active also clickable.
