The Ins and Outs of Homemade Baby Food
So your baby is growing up and is ready for solids. Now the decision needs to be made as to whether to purchase pre-made baby food or make your own. When it comes to making your own baby food, it really is very easy. Most of what you cook for yourself, your baby can enjoy too. A few things to have on hand to make this process easy is a blender or food processor, extra ice cube trays, and a can do attitude.
First meals are comprised of purred vegetables or fruits. One recommendation is to introduce just one at a time so as to track any allergies that may arise. Also, throw out any uneaten food that the spoon has come into contact with, as bacteria grows quickly.
You can easily make up a large amount of baby food quickly and easily. Take the vegetables and fruits that you would like to puree, and steam them until they are soft. Steaming them will leave the vitamins and minerals in the food, boiling removes them. Once cooked, place in a food processor or blender and puree till they are the consistency you want. If it is too thick, add some water, formula, breast milk, yogurt, or apple juice to thin to desired consistency. If the consistency is too thin, you can use wheat germ, whole-grain cereal, yogurt, mashed white or sweet potato. Fill the ice cube trays and freeze. Remove them from the tray, place in freezer container and label. Take out one block at a time, thaw and serve. Before you move onto meats, you should make sure your child has accepted a wide variety of vegetables and fruits.
Things you need to keep in mind when making your own baby food. Do not feet a baby nuts, raisins, raw vegetables, unpeeled fruits or peanut butter. These should be saved for children over the age of 2. Never give honey to a child under one year of age, as honey can harbor deadly bacteria. Beets, spinach, collard and turnip greens have high concentrations of nitrates and should not be fed to babies under one year of age. Highly acidic foods such as oranges, tangerines and pineapples should be avoided until the baby turns one. Egg whites should be avoided until after a year as well, due to possible allergic reactions. Cooked egg yolks are fine at any age. You do not need to add seasonings to your baby’s foods. It is best to keep the baby’s palette as simple as possible, as they will like a wider variety of foods longer.
Be careful to carefully read the labels of all canned or frozen foods you plan on using to make your baby’s food. Many canned vegetables are full of salt and other ingredients that are not good for the baby. Frozen vegetables tend to contain less of these ingredients.
At this point, remember to encourage eating, do not force feed your child. Let the child guide you as to how much they want to eat. Never limit the amount of fats in your child’s diet during the first couple of years of life. The fats are necessary for proper development.
I am providing a couple of simple recipes here for you. There are many great recipes for homemade baby foods. As the baby gets older, the more you can add to their foods, and learn to enjoy eating healthy.
How To Make A Baby Food Purée
Start by cooking the vegetable/fruit either by steaming, baking, microwaving or boiling.
Take the cooked vegetable or fruit and place them into your blender or food processor.
Puree the food. Add liquid to thin or a thickener to make the consistency you desire for the stage your baby is at.
Freeze in ice cube trays or storage in the fridge if a small amount.
Broccoli & Carrot Veggie Pancake Recipe
(from: http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/baby-finger-food.html)
- 2 tbsp cooked, grated carrots
- 2 tbsp cooked, shredded broccoli
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup water (OR use part milk, soymilk, ricemilk)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Depending on the liquid content of your cooked broccoli and carrot, you may need to adjust the water (or milk) amount for a nice thick batter. Preheat skillet or frying pan on medium and put either butter or a tsp of olive oil in the pan. Pour small circles of batter onto the pan. When bubbles appear, flip the cakes over. When in doubt about doneness, simply cut one in half. Let cool before giving to baby! Be sure not to overcook, cakes should be mushy, not crispy on the edges.
This is the basic recipe that you can customize in any way you like! Instead of broccoli and carrots, you can add blueberries and bananas. Instead of 1 tbsp olive oil you could use 1 tbsp applesauce or yogurt. Add egg yolks or grated cheese!
Other Baby Food Recipes:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/
http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/
http://baby-food.romanvirdi.com/
http://www.angelfire.com/nm/MorganWilliam/food.html
