Baby Food 101

Per your requests, here are a few tips on making your own baby food purees at home.  It goes without saying that you should consult your pediatrican with any questions about food allergies and such.  Mother's milk  or infant formula is all your baby needs for the first six months, but most doctors say it is fine to begin to introduce solids between four and six months.  Go at your baby's pace.  Some, like my Lili, are not thrilled with the idea of eating from a spoon at first, so take your time, and don't ever force it.

 Baby rice is a nice bland place to start, but after a few days of that, you can introduce pureed fruit or vegetables.  I usually start with one of the sweeter root vegetables like carrots, squash or sweet potato.  Wash, peel and chop the veg, then boil or steam until soft.  Add a bit of breast milk or formula; then use a hand blender or food processor to whip up a nice smooth puree.  At first baby will only try tiny amounts, so freeze baby-sized portions in sterilized ice cube trays (or specialized baby food storers if you just want to be fancy).

The same can be done with fruit.  Washed, peeled, cored and chopped apples or pears can be steamed for about 15 minutes or until nice and soft.  Add a bit of apple juice and whizz with the blender.  I am guessing that fruit purees stirred into baby rice makes it a bit nicer.  Banana, avocado and papaya can be pureed without being cooked.  A bit of banana can just be mashed with a fork and mixed with your baby's milk.  Why on earth would you buy a jar of mashed banana??

Last night we all had chicken with rice and peas, so I put away some pureed peas for the future.  It's super easy to pull out some of the vegetables your family is having for dinner anyway before you add any seasonings...

Step 1:

Cook the veggies.

Step 2: 

Pull out a small portion for Babes and puree with a bit of your baby's milk.

Step 3: 

Transfer the pureed loveliness into sterlized ice cube trays or other small containers for freezing or fridge-keeping.  These little pots hold one ounce portions, which is more than enough for Lil at the moment.

Step 4: 

Feed that happy girl or boy.  Above Lili is enjoying mashed banana and rice cereal.  Bon Apetetit!

I must give credit to Anabel Karmel and her fantastic book Feeding Your Baby and Toddler, which has provided me with a wealth of recipes and instructions.  Happy feeding!