Baby Care: Introducing Solid Foods

The next time you stroll down the baby food aisle, gaze for a moment at the meticulously stacked jars of baby food.  What could be easier, flavors galore with quick, easy open tops.  Ready to serve in an instant!  But would you eat it?

Making your own baby food is easy and delicious.  It is healthier and doesn’t take much time to prepare.  First, start with organic vegetables, if at all possible.  Get yourself a steamer and begin cooking.

Clean your vegetables thoroughly.  Most baby’s love homemade carrots and sweet potatoes the best.  You can also use squash, peaches or apples, whatever looks good for the season.  All of these can be steamed together to make things quicker.  Put some water in the bottom of your pot, put in the steamer and add cut up veggies and fruit.  Steam the food until it is soft and let cool.

There is no need to season or add salt to steamed food as fruit and vegetables are naturally seasoned.  Pick out any seeds or fibrous strings that could choke your baby. 

Separate the steamed food and put each separately in a food processor, adding a little bottled or filtered water when needed to soften food.  As your little one grows, you can leave larger bits of food in the mix.  But for your baby, keep it smooth and creamy.  Rinse the processor after each batch you make.

You can buy little jars or containers to use or even use ice cube trays to store your food.  Freeze the steamed food in little portions so you won’t waste any during feedings.  These can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator or warmed in hot water.  Always mix well and stick your clean finger in the food to look for hot spots.  It is not a good idea to microwave the steamed food, as it can overheat and burn your baby.

When feeding your baby, never put the spoon in a jar full of food.  The saliva on the spoon will break down the food and you will have to throw out the rest.

Keep your food in the freezer by date, with the newer batches going behind the old.  The food can be frozen for three months.  Once you see how rich in color these steamed foods are, you will never want to go back to jarred, store-bought baby food.