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Make Your Own Baby Food

11.27.2009 · Posted in Family Articles

In order to make your own baby foods, you’ll need something to cook in. A steamer basket is cheap rnand by cooking fruits and vegetables in it, you’ll be sure of keeping the nutrients in the food, instead rnof in the cooking water. rnrnTo puree your foods, you can use a fork, a food mill or blender. A blender quickly purees almost rnanything into the finest consistency. When your baby first starts on solids, you’ll be pureeing things to rna very fine consistency and, as baby gets a little older, you will make foods a little coarser. rnrnYou may wish to buy a food mill which comes in large and small sizes. It is very handy and rninexpensive. The food mill strains most cooked foods to a very smooth consistency, although meats rncan be a problem as they will have a coarser texture. rnrnAs babies are susceptible to digestive upsets, you’ll want to take note of the following tips rnconcerning the handling of foods: rnrnalways work with clean hands. rnrnalways use clean utensils. rnrnprepare foods immediately upon removing them from the refrigerator. rnrnfreeze immediately after cooking any foods you want to store. rnrnYou can prepare large amounts of foods at once and freeze them. Take your prepared foods and rnplop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Freeze the plops right away and then take them off the sheet rnwhen they are frozen and put them into plastic bags. Label and date. You can also freeze the food in rnplastic “pop out” ice cube trays. Small tupperware jars with lids serve the same purpose and stack rneasily. Frozen baby foods can be stored for up to two months. rnrnWhen you take frozen foods out for baby, warm the food in a cup placed in a saucepan of boiling rnwater with a lid on. rnrnCereals are typically the first foods given to a baby because they contain lots of iron. You can buy rnthe commercial baby cereals, or prepare your own, by running oatmeal through your blender, for rninstance. rnrnFruits are generally given next. Except for raw, mashed banana, you will need to cook all other fruits rntill they are soft. rnrnTry making your own applesauce and pearsauce; don’t add any sugar, as these fruits are sweet rnenough on their own. You can also peel peaches, plums and apricots and boil or steam them. rnrnUse fresh vegetables whenever possible in order to provide the best nutrition and flavor for your rnbaby. Frozen vegetables are better to use than canned. Steaming vegetables is the best method of rnpreparation. Carrots and sweet potato are two popular choices to begin with. rnrnYogurt, mashed cottage cheese, mashed pumpkin, baked potato, avocado and tofu (oriental soy rnbean curd) are all popular with babies. One good idea is to blend together cottage cheese, banana rnand fresh orange juice – delicious! rnrnMeats should be added slowly. They can be boiled or broiled, then put in the blender with a little rnmilk and perhaps banana or cream of rice to get the right consistency. Chicken is generally the first rnmeat baby is introduced to and usually goes down fairly well. rnrnThere is no rush to start your baby on solid foods. Milk is his most important food. Your doctor’s rnrecommendations and your own intuition will help you to know when to begin introducing solods to rnyour baby’s diet. Always remember to be patient with your baby and allow at least a few days rnbetween newly added foods to make sure baby doesn’t suffer any reactions.

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