Preparing homemade baby food from natural ingredients will allow you to offer your baby nutritious foods free of additives. According to Kimberly Rider, author of "Organic Baby: Simple Steps for Healthy Living," preparing baby food is one way to ensure that your baby only eats foods as close to their natural state as possible. Prepare several batches of a variety of different foods and you will always have healthy foods on hand when your baby is hungry.
Step 1
Choose the recipes you will use and cook food until it is soft. Cook vegetables, beans and meats well so you can puree them. Cut vegetables into small pieces and steam them until they are very soft, recommends Rider, because steaming will preserve as many nutrients as possible. Bake meats in the oven or crock-pot until thoroughly cooked. You can steam fruits if you plan to use them in a recipe. Joan Ahlers and Cheryl Tallman, authors of "So Easy Baby Food: A Personalized Guide to Making Baby Food at Home," suggest cooking large batches of your baby's favorite foods to save time.
Step 2
Puree the cooked foods in a blender or food processor until smooth. Rider writes that you do not need to add salt, spices or other flavorings to your baby's foods because his taste buds are quite sensitive and will respond to food in its natural state, but you can feel free to experiment if your baby enjoys trying new foods. Try adding cinnamon to pureed baked sweet potatoes or pureed fruits to offer him new taste sensations. Avoid adding salt or sugar because these additions will lower the nutritional value of natural foods.
Step 3
Store the homemade baby food safely. Ahlers and Tallman recommend ice cube trays or specially designed baby food cube trays as good storage containers for freezing baby foods. The sections of the trays allow you to portion out servings of each recipe so you can thaw only what your baby will eat at each meal. Fill the trays and place in the freezer until frozen solid. Remove the cubes from the trays and store in airtight containers until ready to be used.
Step 4
Experiment with different combinations to see what your baby likes best. According to Ahlers and Tallman, eating is an enjoyable experience for your baby and offering her a wide variety of foods will help her eat plenty of nutrients as well as teach her to like many different foods. Consider creating new recipes that include your baby's favorite foods. Ahlers and Tallman suggest adding pureed walnuts to cooked and pureed apples or pears. Rider writes that adding herbs such as mint to pureed peas can enhance the flavors of your baby's food.
Tips and Warnings
- Make large batches of several different recipes once a week to save time throughout the remainder of the week. Thaw cubes of food a few hours before meal time.
- Always introduce new foods one at a time. If your baby has a reaction it will be easier for you to identify the culprit. You may want to speak with your baby's doctor before introducing new foods. Remember to check the temperature of any warmed foods before feeding them to your baby.
Things You'll Need
- Variety of healthy foods
- Storage containers
- Cooking tools
- Blender or food processor
References
- "Organic Baby: Simple Steps for Healthy Living"; Kimberly Rider; 2007
- "So Easy Baby Food: A Personalized Guide to Making Baby Food at Home"; Joan Ahlers and Cheryl Tallman; 2005
