Welcome to your healthy eating resource
 

Welcome to our Healthy Eating Archive. Have fun browsing!

 

Article #237: Benefits of Making your Own Homemade Baby Food

(Browse for more articles)

 
Benefits of Making your Own Homemade Baby stack easily. Label and datethe packages
Food rotate them putting the most recently
Making your own homemade baby food will frozen foodsbehind the previously frozen
ensure that what your childis eating is ones. Frozen baby foods can be storedfor
fresh, nutritious and free of additives. up to two months.
By making yourown baby food, you'll be 5. When you take frozen foods out for
saving money. Also, you will have baby, warm the food in a cupplaced in a
totalcontrol over what is put into your saucepan of boiling water with a lid on.
baby's food. You can thereforetake the If you use amicrowave to thaw or warm
extra steps to ensure that only high baby food, be sure to stir the food
quality foods areselected and used. You wellto avoid hot pockets.
will be able to feed your baby according 6. Cereals are typically the first foods
tohis or her needs because you will know given to a baby becausethey contain lots
what foods are best suitedfor your baby of iron. You can prepare your own, by
from experience. runningoatmeal through your blender.
Making your own baby food also ensures Fruits are generally given next.
that your baby is exposed toa greater Except for raw, mashed banana, you will
variety of tastes and textures. This will need to cook all otherfruits till they
help your babywhen making the transition are soft.
to table foods and also help him or 7. Try making your own apple sauce and
herdevelop healthy eating habits. See pear sauce; don't add anysugar, as these
for a collection of articles on babies fruits are sweet enough on their own.
andtoddlers. You can alsopeel peaches, plums and
Baby Food Preparation Tips apricots and boil or steam them.
1. As babies are susceptible to digestive 8. Buy and use organic fruits and
upsets, always work withclean hands and vegetables. Use fresh and
use clean cooking utensils, preparation organicvegetables whenever possible in
surfaces,pots and pans etc., when making order to provide the best nutritionand
home made baby food. Prepare flavor for your baby. Your baby deserves
foodsimmediately upon removing them from pesticide-free foods.
the refrigerator and freezeimmediately Frozen vegetables are better to use than
after cooking any foods you want to canned.
store. 9. Yogurt, mashed cottage cheese, mashed
2. Steaming vegetables is the best method pumpkin, baked potato,avocado and tofu
of preparation. Thissoftens them, makes (oriental soy bean curd) are all popular
them easier to chew, and preserves more withbabies. One good idea is to blend
of thevitamins and minerals than boiling. together cottage cheese, bananaand fresh
A steamer basket is cheap and bycooking orange juice - delicious!
fruits and vegetables in it, you'll be 10. Meats should be added slowly. They
sure of keeping thenutrients in the food, can be boiled or broiled,then put in the
instead of in the cooking water. blender with a little milk and perhaps
3. To puree your foods, you can use a banana orcream of rice to get the right
fork, a food mill or blender. consistency. Chicken is generallythe
A blender quickly purees almost anything first meat baby is introduced to and
into the finestconsistency. When your usually goes down fairlywell.
baby first starts on solids, you'll 11. There is no rush to start your baby
bepureeing things to a very fine on solid foods. Milk is hismost
consistency and, as baby gets alittle important food. Your doctor's
older, you will make foods a little recommendations and your ownintuition
coarser. You may wish tobuy a food mill will help you to know when to begin
which comes in large and small sizes. It introducing solids toyour baby's diet.
is veryhandy and inexpensive. The food Introducing solids prepares the baby for
mill strains most cooked foods to avery thetransition to adult food and offers
smooth consistency, although meats can be further vitamins and minerals asthe baby
a problem as theywill have a coarser grows. Always remember to be patient
texture. Remember all the tools you need with your baby andallow at least a few
to makebaby food are probably already in days between newly added foods to make
your kitchen. sure thebaby doesn't suffer any
4. You can prepare large amounts of foods reactions.
at once and freeze them. Copyright © 2005, Bridget Mwape writes
Take your prepared foods and plop by for the Baby Shop UK: which features baby
spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. informationincluding articles and
Freeze the plops right away and then take discounts on baby products, gifts and
them off the sheet whenthey are frozen advicefrom other parents. This article
and put them into plastic bags. You can may be republished as long as allthe
also freezethe food in plastic "pop out" above links are active and clickable and
ice cube trays. Small tupperware this author box
jarswith lids serve the same purpose and (byline) is not edited.






1 - A - B - C - D - E - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40 - 41 - 42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 46 - 47 - 48 - 49 - 50 - 51 - 52 - 53 - 54 -