Making Baby Food At Home Is Easier Than You Think
There is an enormous market for pre-prepared baby food. The convenience and availability of baby food pouches is very tempting but we believe in keeping your baby’s food as natural as possible.
Remember that commercially produced baby food can contain high amounts of salt and sugar, so be really vigilant with checking the labels if you do buy it.
Why not try making your own at home? Homemade baby food is so much cheaper than buying ready-made, and if you prepare in bulk it doesn’t need to take ages.
We don’t think you need any special mixers or equipment – just use a fork or normal potato masher. But if you fancy one of the super blenders, then go ahead.
Mash
Try bananas, strawberries and avocados – soft fruits can be easily mashed and eaten straightaway.
Steam
Steaming veggies preserves more nutrients than boiling. Remember to reserve some of the cooking liquid to make the puree smoother. When you first start weaning give them veggies like carrots, potatoes, and sweet potatoes (peeled).
Store
Ice cube trays are perfect for freezing baby food. Once frozen you can then store the cubes in bags (remember to label the bags with the date and content!).
You’ll only need a few ice cubes of food per meal which you can increase as your baby grows. Making big batches really does save time as you can then just take out a couple of cubes at a time when you need them for a quick and nutritious meal.
And you can keep your frozen fruit and veggie cubes for up to six months in the freezer. Once your baby gets a bit bigger and is eating fish and meat, these can be stored safely frozen for about a month.
Mix and match!
Encourage diversity in your baby’s diet from the beginning – you could mix a couple of cubes of carrot and apple, sweet potato and broccoli, strawberry and banana – don’t be afraid to combine foods and textures.
As your baby grows, you can start to introduce more texture to their food – it won’t need to be 100% pureed so slightly less mashing required!
Our Top Tips!
- Try to buy the freshest fruit and vegetables (preferably organic) to make your baby’s food – cook and freeze them within a day or two to preserve the maximum amount of vitamins and nutrients.
- Defrost your ice cubes over a few hours in the fridge or in a glass bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. We do not recommend using a microwave, as this can cause ‘hot spots’. We prefer to reheat frozen baby food by steaming it over water.
- Serve food no hotter than body temperature – remember your baby is more sensitive to hot food than you are.
- No need to sweeten. Babies don’t need extra sugar. Don’t be tempted to add honey which can cause botulism in babies (see the final article from the NHS website in the links below for more information about botulism).
- Add very finely chopped fresh herbs to your baby’s food. This will increase the variety of flavours they are exposed to and enhance the taste. Try green herbs like basil and rosemary or crushed garlic.
Some research indicates that babies who eat homemade foods learn to like a wider variety of foods than babies who eat commercial food so don’t be afraid to experiment, you are helping them to understand how fun and diverse food can be.
It can be so rewarding to help your baby explore this new world of solid food, and making your own means you’re giving them the healthiest start you can.
Sources
https://www.babylist.com/hello-baby/how-to-make-baby-food
http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-babyfood-home-made-idUKKBN16225C
https://www.babycenter.com/101_how-to-make-your-own-baby-food_10415266.bc
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Botulism/Pages/Introduction.aspx
