Cooking for a baby is one way to lead a greener lifestyle. Making your own baby food instead of buying prepackaged baby food also saves families money. Homemade baby food also gives your baby a chance to try foods, such as avocados, not offered by the large baby food companies. Whether you are making organic baby food or not, you will need to pay attention to what items you make baby food out of to minimize the amount of foods that have a high chance of pesticides making their way into your baby's diet.
Preparing
Step 1
Sterilize your cooking utensils by boiling in a pot of water for five minutes. Wipe down your pot, pan and any other item too large to fit in a pot with hot water.
Step 2
Wash your hands thoroughly.
Step 3
Wash fruits or vegetables with hot water before starting to cook.
Step 4
Chop fruits and vegetables into small cubes with a knife. Cutting boards will protect your counter tops from scratches.
Step 5
Fill pot halfway up with water and add your choice of fruit or vegetable.
Step 6
Boil food in water until soft. Drain water through strainer into a large bowl.
Step 7
Let food cool until you can touch it without burning your hands.
Mash
Step 1
Place food in a bowl large enough to maneuver a potato masher.
Step 2
Mash food while periodically adding cooking water, formula or breast milk until you reach your desired consistency.
Step 3
Thicken foods that have had too much liquid added by adding rice cereal to the food until food reaches desired consistency.
Food Processor
Step 1
Place food in a food processor and replace lid.
Step 2
Turn food processor on and switch to puree.
Step 3
Add cooking water, formula or breast milk to the food processor to reach your desired consistency if food is thick or add rice cereal if food has a more liquid consistency.
No-Cook Foods
Step 1
Slice fruit with a sharp knife being sure to remove any seeds or pits.
Step 2
Cut meat of fruit into cubes
Step 3
Place fruit into a large bowl and begin mashing food with a potato masher.
Step 4
Add breast milk or formula to the bowl to thin puree or add cereal in order to thicken.
Storage
Step 1
Freeze homemade baby food in ice cube trays.
Step 2
Transfer frozen cubes of baby food to plastic freezer bags. Label bags with type of food and date it was made.
Step 3
Keep defrosted baby food no more than 24 hours.
Tips and Warnings
- For infants with sensitive stomachs, peel fruits and vegetables before cooking. Frozen fruits or vegetables can be used when fresh foods are out of season.
- Refreezing foods that have been thawed can lead to food poisoning.
Things You'll Need
- Pot
- Pan
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Strainer
- Bowls
- Potato masher
- Formula or breast milk
- Rice cereal
- Food processor
- Ice cube trays
- Plastic freezer bags
- Marker
