Oh Baby - You Are What You Eat
Author: Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
Never before has the phrase "you are what you eat" ever rang so true or so loud. Now that your baby is ready to begin eating solid foods, you may be considering what foods you will feed them. As important as what they will eat, is where their foods will come from. As with anything, there are many choices. Even with a variety of organic baby foods on the shelf and jars marked with well-known company names, you may find the most comfort (and even some fun) in making your own baby food. How?
Making your baby's own food is relatively simple. Better yet, it will even save you a little money, and you'll have the comfort of knowing the quality of the food you are giving to your baby.
How and where to start?
- The easiest place to start is with fruits and vegetables. Think sweet potato, carrots, bananas, etc. If you can, buy organically (and locally) as certain foods are known to retain higher levels of pesticides than others. Check out this article for more information on choosing organic foods: http://www.planningfamily.com/toddler/nutrition-and-feeding/eating-organic/. If you are not sure which foods to start with (remember, always try one new food at a time so that you can easily see if there are any allergic reactions), take that trek down the baby food aisle to get some ideas.
- Get ready to cook. It's time to get out the pots, pans, and colander. Ensure that the surfaces you will use to cook on are clean. Think beyond cooking for one meal or one day. Ice cube trays are perfect for storing your baby's food in the freezer for a longer shelf life (each cube equals 1 oz. of food for your baby).
- Steam away. Although other methods of cooking fruits and vegetables can be used, steaming is recommended as it preserves the most nutrients in foods. There is no need to add any additional ingredients (i.e. salt, butter, or other spices). Simplicity will make the best food for your baby.
- Blend. You don't need a "fancy baby-food maker" machine. Your kitchen blender will do the trick. Set the blender to "puree," "blend," or liquefy." You CAN add breast milk, formula, or a little water in order to thin the food. Note: some prefer to freeze as is and thin before serving to their baby (that works too!).
- Finally, pour your creations into ice cube trays to set. Once they are frozen, you can break them up and store them (up to a month) in freezer bags. Be sure each type of food you create is well marked.
- Get creative. Once you have mastered the basic foods and your baby has consumed them easily, feel free to mix things up a little. For example, you may decide to mix sweet potatoes with apple or banana with pear.
- Enjoy! When you are ready to feed your baby, simply thaw out enough for your little one and reheat. Remember, even though you have made the very best foods for your baby, it may take several attempts for them to try a new food. They also may show preferences for foods, depending on texture, etc.
