Making Your Own Baby Food

Many parents don't realize that making baby food at home is a simple and economical plan to provide your baby with food that is high in quality, nutrition and taste. In addition, it gets your baby used to eating the same food the rest of the family does, a strategy that may pay off during the picky toddler years.

Here are basic steps for making your own baby food:

• Wash and rinse your hands and equipment.
• Scrub and peel fruits and vegetables.
• Steam, bake, roast or microwave until tender (steaming and microwaving will preserve the most nutrients).
• Puree in a food processor with a little liquid (breast milk, water or formula are all appropriate choices), or mash if your baby can handle more texture.
• Store in the refrigerator or freezer, in airtight containers. One to three extra servings may be stored in the refrigerator. Use cooked vegetables or fruit within three days. Raw fruit and meats should be used the next day.
• Rewarm when it's time to eat and allow to cool.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are best, but you can also use frozen or canned. Look for items that contain very few additives such as salt, sugar or preservatives. Recommended fruits and vegetables to soft-cook and puree include apples, plums, pears, apricots, peaches, bananas, carrots, peas, green beans, butternut squash and sweet potatoes. In addition to fruits and vegetables, you can also puree foods such as cooked meats. Make sure that the meat is fully cooked, with no pink, and has the fat, skin and connective tissue removed.

When your baby is just beginning to eat solids, remember to introduce only one food at a time to identify possible allergies. As your child gets older and you know which foods have been tolerated well, you can start to blend two or three different fruits or vegetables together. Try the following recipes and see how simple it is to offer your baby fresh and nutritious homemade baby foods.

Stage II (8-10 months)

Baby Beef Stew
INGREDIENTS

• 1 peeled potatocup cubed cooked beef

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash vegetables thoroughly and chop very fine.
2. Simmer the veggies for 20 minutes.
3. Add the macaroni and water; cook for 10 minutes or until macaroni is tender.
4. Drain.
5. Add cooked beef cubes.
6. Mash or puree the mix until consistency is adequate for baby.

Stage I (6-8 months)

Mango Madness
INGREDIENTS

• 1 ripe mango
• Liquid of choice (Formula, breast milk or water)

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel, de-seed and chunk the mango.
2. Place mango chunks in a blender or food processor.
3. Add formula, breast milk or water and blend or mash until the proper consistency.

Source