Tips For Making Homemade Baby Food That Babies Love

When babies are ready to begin eating solid foods, it is fundamental to think about what precisely they’ll be eating. There are many healthy options in the isles of the grocery store, including organic and natural baby foods. However, they can still be loaded with sodium, sugars, ascorbic acid, and other ingredients for preservation. On rare occasions, there has been a need for some companies to recall their baby food due to potential health risks upon consumption. As a parent, it is essential to know precisely what is in your baby's diet, and making your own baby food is much easier than you may think.

Advantages Of Making Your Own Baby Food

The advantages of making homemade baby food are as abundant as the nutrients you’ll be giving to your babies. First of all, by making your own baby food, you will always be aware of the ingredients your baby is ingesting. Therefore the meals will be healthier and more nutritious, and there will be no need to worry about preservatives and additives. By making your own baby food, you have full control of your baby's diet, and by packing them in mason jars and jam jars, you can always keep a full stock. Another advantage is that making homemade baby food is also more economically friendly than purchasing jars and pouches of pre-packaged foods. All you need are some jars and a food processor!

Disadvantages Of Homemade Baby Food

Parents who have or remain making homemade baby food have revealed some disadvantages to making their own baby food. One of the most commonly heard disadvantages is making baby food takes a lot of time to make and prepare in meal servings and it is much easier, faster, and convenient to purchase prepackaged baby food. The other disadvantage that is commonly spoken of is homemade baby food takes up more room in the fridge and freezer and due to being organic, they spoil faster than store-bought baby food.

What Not To Do

There are many helpful tips as to what not to do when making homemade baby food. First of all, you should never include any nuts, raisins, raw vegetables, unpeeled fruits, peanut butter, popcorn, honey, salt, sugar, or spices to any recipes for children under the age of two. Some foods babies under a year old should not consume include beets, collards, spinach, and turnip due to the high amount of nitrates, as well as highly acidic fruits like oranges, pineapples, and grapefruit, as they are too hard on their digestive system. Another piece of advice is not to use a microwave to heat up your baby’s meals. Remember to test the temperature by touching a spoonful of the food to your upper lip.

Healthy Homemade Baby Foods

Making your baby food is simple. Begin by washing and rinsing out your food processor and any mason jars or jam jars you plan to store the food in. Make sure to thoroughly scrub all fruits and vegetables, and peel them if need be. Bake, steam, or roast the fruits and vegetables until they are tender enough. Keep in mind that steaming will preserve the most nutrients. Puree all fruits and vegetables you’re mixing with your food processor. You may need to add a small amount of formula, breast milk, or water to get your desired consistency. Dish out the food between jars and store them in the refrigerator or freezer.

What Do Babies Need In Their Diets?

Babies’ diets change drastically within the first year of their life. During the first four months of a baby's life, they are fully reliant on breast milk or formula, and cannot eat anything else because their digestive tract is still developing. Between four and six months, babies will continue on breast milk and formula but can be introduced to pureed fruits and vegetables. At seven to eight months, babies will have a similar diet to previous months, but they will be able to eat more spoonfuls of pureed food. Finally, when they reach nine to twelve months, they can begin eating mixed foods, and mashed or cut up fruit.

Various Methods Of Pureeing Food

There are various methods you can try when making homemade baby food, and ultimately you should continue using whichever method you find easiest, quickest, and the most convenient. Many foods such as fruits or steamed veggies can be mashed with a fork or potato masher. You will receive different consistencies based on the tool you use, and your baby may like one more than another. Using a food grinder, blender, or food processor can finely grind food up, and by adding water, breast milk, or formula, you can get your desired consistency. After mashing or blending the food, you can put your homemade baby food through a strainer or sieve to eliminate skins and seeds from many fruits and vegetables.

Recipes For Babies Between Four And Six Months Old

When your baby reaches four to six months old, they can finally be introduced to real foods provided they are showing usual signs of readiness. These include having doubled their birth weight, having the ability to sit up and hold their head up unassisted, an interest in trying new foods and can signal when he or she is full, as well as the loss of the tongue-thrust reflex which allows babies to swallow with ease. During this time, it is best to stick your baby to single-ingredient purees with foods with low acidity and sweet vegetables. It has also been reported that new foods should be introduced four days between each other to properly identify possible allergic reactions.

One recipe for a good source of protein is a sweet potato puree. All parents need is four ounces of finely chopped sweet potato and one cup of water. Other purees you can introduce to your baby at this time of their life is pureed carrots, butternut squash puree, peach puree, pureed peas, and apple puree.

Recipes For Babies Between Seven And Eight Months Old

When your baby turns seven months old, you should continue testing new foods. Remember to introduce one ingredient at a time to identify possible allergies, but mix ingredients you know your baby has come to love. At this time, you can also introduce them to pureed meats and protein-rich foods like lentils.

Between seven and eight months, many fruits can quickly be mashed such as bananas, avocado, peaches, and pears. You can also mix foods you previously introduced to your baby to create new recipes. For example, there are recipes like peach and banana puree, and green bean, potato, and kale puree. Discover new recipes based on foods your baby enjoys. Remember to try and try again, even with foods that your baby doesn't enjoy at first, as they could develop a taste for different foods much the same as an adult would.

Recipes For Babies Between Nine And Twelve Months Old

Between nine and twelve months old, babies are capable of eating chunkier purees, and small pieces of soft foods like fruits, cooked vegetables, whole milk, and dairy products. Some nutritious purees for babies in this age bracket include a blueberry and chickpea puree, chicken and vegetable puree, white bean, sweet potato and carrot puree, and a dried bean puree. At this age, continue to test their palate and introduce new foods, but keep in mind to add new foods four days between each other.