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