How to make your own Baby Food Simply at Home

A mother’s relation with her baby

Your baby is you’re most precious and prized possession who you would like to take care of in the best possible way. Making baby food at home is easy, efficient, and economical. Instead of spending money on prepackaged baby food, we can use fresh produce, grains, and meat that is easily available. Pre- packaged baby food contains high amount of sugar as well as preservatives that may be bad for your baby in the long run. Best of all, we'll know exactly what we're feeding the baby if we are making the food at home. Going the do-it-yourself route also gets the 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 a few tips to make Baby food easily at home. There are various baby food recipes that you can also try out at home.

BABY FOOD

Buying the best products for your baby

It is always important to buy the best food for your baby so that it is nutritious and filling as well. Your baby cannot eat just anything and everything under the sun. She has to eat well so that she can grow into a healthy and strong human being.

·      Choose the freshest fruits and vegetables, and try to use whatever is bought in a day or two. When fresh isn't available, frozen is a fine option.

·      Good fruits to start with include apples, apricots, bananas, blueberries, mangoes, peaches, pears, plums, and prunes.

·      Vegetables to try include asparagus tips, avocados, carrots, peas, potatoes, sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, and winter squash.

Baby Food tips

First foods need not be limited to the ones listed above. Many adventurous first foods may be tried and experimented.

You can also buy organic meat from the market and then cook it as per your own wish with less amount of spices and oil so that your baby can digest the same. There are organic vegetable counters from which you can buy organic products. If possible, you can also grow organic fruits and vegetables in your backyard porch and then offer the same to your baby. He will just love eating them.You can also try from organic herbs as spices that would be good for health.

Avoid any kind of food that may produce allergy

Avoid foods that may contain allergens such as peanuts, soy and milk, eggs as well as other products. Babies should not be given any kind of food that may give rise to allergic conditions or may cause rashes.  Try and stick to homemade products and no processed food from outside.if you are giving food at home, avoid eggs, peanuts, brinjal and products that may be harmful to your baby.

Minimize nitrate exposure

Nitrates are a chemical found in water and soil, and they're a concern when it comes to feeding the baby. Babies who ingest too much can develop a type of anemia called methemoglobinemia. Preparing formula with well water that's high in nitrates is the usual cause of the illness, but some vegetables can also contain nitrates. The most likely sources are beets, carrots, green beans, spinach, and squash. Also try and avoid canned baby food, as canned baby food tends to contain nitrates in them.

Baby Food ideas

 Nitrates cause a disease called the blue baby syndrome in your baby as well. Babies who are above six months old can be given vegetables as, their stomach starts producing an acid that helps in fighting nitrate problems.

There are a few things one can do to make sure the baby isn't exposed to high levels of nitrates:

• Get the well water tested for nitrates. It should contain less than 10 ppm of nitrates.
• Get your home water well tested for nitrates as well.
• Nitrates increase with storage time unless frozen. When using fresh vegetables for homemade baby food, prepare the food as soon as possible after purchase and freeze extra servings right away.
• Consider using frozen vegetables instead of fresh for the foods highest in nitrates.
• Baby food companies test their products for nitrates. So store-bought baby food – including dishes containing beets, carrots, green beans, spinach, or squash – should be free of these chemicals.
• The best water to feed the baby is water that is completely purified in the filters and then boiled.

Babies should not be given solids before 6 months

Different baby foods

To be on the safer side, it is recommended not to feed the babies any solid food at all until 4 to 6 months, even if they start introducing vegetables to the infants before 3 months, they should avoid these vegetables in particular.It is best to only continue mothers milk till she is 6 months old and then slowly you can start weaning with the hep of simple home made products like rice, lentil soup, mashed apples and orange juice, carrots and other kinds of vegetables.

Choosing the right equipment

It is always recommended that baby foods should be cooked and served with a boiled spoon that is clean and free from any kind of dirt. Hands should be avoided as they may contain germs. A tool is required to grind or puree the food. Some possibilities, all of which can be purchased at stores or online: Always ensure that your baby’s food is being cooked with a utensil that has been boiled and clean with soft detergent. Also make sure to cover the food when it is not being eaten. There are various equipments with the help of which you can make your baby food.

Baby food

• A hand-turned food mill with different blades for various textures of food. Many parents say this portable, non-electric gadget is their favorite tool.
• An all-in-one baby-food maker, a device that first steam-cooks and then purees fruit, vegetables, and meat for the baby. Some models also defrost and reheat previously prepared food.
• A baby food grinder, is a very inexpensive and simple way to break down chunks of food for the baby. It is non-electric and portable, but there is no choice of textures. It is advisable to read the reviews online before ordering. The grinders don't always work as well as they promise, but some parents swear by them.
• A hand blender, a useful electric gadget that purees food like a blender does, but works in the opposite way: It should be placed into the food rather than vice versa.
• A regular kitchen blender or food processor. Most of us probably already have at least one of these at home. A blender or food processor might work well, though it is found to be less than ideal for small jobs.
• A good old-fashioned fork. This simple piece of kitchen equipment found in every kitchen does a great job with easily mashed foods such as sweet potatoes, avocados, and bananas.
• Carefully choose storage containers and ice cube trays (or similar trays made just for baby food) for refrigerating and freezing extra portions.

Whatever be the utensil, always make sure that they are well maintained and well cleaned as well.

Introducing finger foods

baby food reciepe 

The first thing is washing the fruits, vegetables and food ingredients properly. It is advisable to wash them twice. Wash them once in normal water and once in boiling water at least till your baby is 1 year. When your baby crosses the age of one, it is a significant improvement in your baby’s life. Many babies develop teeth while most babies are still lagging behind. You can start by introducing finger food in your baby’s diet. Finger foods help your baby develop eye and hand coordination and also helps them to develop the taste of food. If your baby is a picky eater, try finger foods like fruits, meat, vegetable slices, small cereal bits or pastas. Always try and avoid food like too much salt or sugar in the Childs diet because too much sugar and salt in not desirable in the diet.

Preparing the food

·      After washing, cook vegetables – and fruits like apples and prunes that need to be softened – before pureeing or grinding. Bake, boil, or steam the vegetables until it's soft. Use as little liquid as possible while boiling the food, and add some of the leftover liquid when mashing the food (or it may be added to the family's soup stock).

·      Peel and pit the produce if necessary and strain out any seeds. Some fruits and vegetables don't require any liquid – simply mash, add a seasoning or two, and serve. For others, one may have to add a little liquid (breast milk, formula, or water) to puree or grind to get the required consistency. As the baby adapts to solid foods, less liquid may be added.

tips for baby food

·      Grains like quinoa or millet can also be pureed or ground in a food mill. Cook them first according to package directions. For older babies, whole grains make fabulous finger food.

·      To prepare meat and poultry, remove the skin and trim the fat before cooking. Then puree the cooked meat in a blender or grind it up in a food mill with a little liquid. For older babies, simply chop the meat into very small pieces.

·      "Homemade baby food" can be the very same food that the rest of the family feeds on. It's an old-fashioned idea that deserves to be resurrected. Simply use a food mill or other tool to puree, blend, or mash some of the same food that the family is having for dinner.

·      It is always best to cook your baby’s food in a pressure cooker so that all the nutrients remain intact in the food. A slow cooker is a parent’s best friend and it takes very less time as well. It keeps food fresh and nutritious as well. Get ready to make healthy food for your baby in just a matter of minutes.

·      Soups and stews, for example, can be processed and fed to the baby. The same goes for most of the healthy foods the family might eat. Pack empty baby food jars with extra so that there is enough meal for the next day. However, ensure that the packed jars are clean and sterilized so that the food stays fresh and clean.

·      Homemade purees comprise of essential vitamins and minerals that are required for your baby to grow. Purees can be made with the help of fruits as well as vegetables.

Serving tips

Babies are not able to eat very hot food. It is always advisable to give them Luke warm food that is similar to room temperature.

·      Before serving them the food, taste the food and see whether it is appropriate for your baby.

serve baby food

• Serve the food no warmer than body temperature.
• Use caution while heating meals in the microwave. Microwaves heat unevenly and can create "hot spots" – areas of the food that are much hotter than others – so be sure to stir microwaved food well and let it sit for a few minutes before serving. However, please note that heating is microwave is not a very hygienic process for babies. Instead it is advisable to heat food on fire and then let it cool slowly.
• Only dish out the amount of food that the baby will eat at that feeding. Do not leave leftover food for the next day. The leftover has to be tossed because the baby's saliva will get into the mixture and make it easy for bacteria to grow in the food.
• Don't sweeten the baby's food. Babies don't need any extra sugar. In fact too much sugar is bad for babies diet. Never use honey or corn syrup, which can cause botulism – a potentially fatal form of food poisoning – in babies.
• Use seasonings that the babies can tolerate and let them enjoy different flavors. However ensure that the food is not too rich or too hot.
• Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and use them up within a couple of days. Also freeze leftovers in ice cube trays or similar devices. Frozen food is safe for babies. Once he is ready for eating, thaw the food and finish it at one go. Do not freeze it back. After the cubes are frozen solid, remove them and store in plastic freezer bags. Fruits and vegetables, frozen this way will last six to eight months. Meat (including poultry) and fish will last one to two months.

food for baby

Babies have to be taken care of very cautiously, especially during the initial months because they do not have resistance or immunity power in the first six months or so. Thus, it is always advised that a baby be fed wholly with mother’s milk for the first six months and then tried homemade food slowly as mother’s milk is easy to digest.  A small difference in what they feed may impair their digestion and might affect the baby’s health. Commercially available baby foods may be certified, yet it is always safer to choose homemade baby foods. It is simple, easy to be prepared, hygienic and safe as well. Happy Parenting!!!!