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How-To Guide to Baby Food: Homemade!
How-To Guide to Baby Food: Homemade! Special Report
"Can I Do This?"
Have you ever found yourself in the grocery store, in the middle of the baby food isle, frustrated with the outrageous cost of baby foods or added it all up and realized just how much you were spending on your baby's food? Or if you have ever picked up one of the jars and actually read the ingredients on the back and wonder ‘Why in the world is there add sugars and high fructose corn syrup in my baby's food? And what the heck is genetically modified starch?' Well let me tell you the right answer: It's stuff your baby doesn't need. So you are wondering: ‘Is there a better way?' And I am here to tell you that there is! Making your own homemade baby foods is a great way to provide your baby with the best stuff they can possibly get AND at a fraction of the cost! So I'm sure that you are wondering: ‘Could I actually do this?' And I am here to tell you that you can and it is really simple, it is really quick, and it's really fun!
Basic Equipment
I'm so glad that you are considering giving your baby the best start to eating right! One of the first questions that you might have is ‘Do I have the right equipment to make baby foods for my baby?' So let's jump right in and go over the equipment that you might have or that you might consider getting. The first item that is important is a steamer. I like the steamer over other ways to cook my baby's food because it keeps the nutrients right in the food versus microwaving or boiling because the nutrients leave the food and go into the water it is being cooked in, but if you steam your vegetables then that is a healthier way for your baby to eat and that's exactly why we are doing this. If you don't have a steamer, that's ok, I'm not encouraging you to go buy anything new to do this, you could always use a steamer pot, or a metal colander works well also in a regular pot.
The next piece of equipment that you will need is a food processor. And I love my food processor. It is so simple to operate, after cooking the food you put it in the food processor bowl, snap on the lid and turn it on and let it do it's magic. Food processors can be a bit pricy, so again I am not encouraging you to go out and invest in anything that is too expensive, but you will need something that will puree the baby's food so that it is easy to digest for them. If you do not have a food processor and do not want to purchase one, you could always look into a food mill, which can run between $10 and $12 dollars.
When you baby's food comes out of the food processor you will need either a spoon or a spatula. Now I am sure that everyone has one or both of these, but I just wanted to make a note of them. When the food comes out of the food processor with the spoon or spatula, it can go directly into the baby's bowl for meal time, or if you are storing the food for later consumption you will need regular old ice cube trays. These make the process so simple because after freezing your baby's food one cube equals one serving for your baby.
You may also want to consider having aluminum foil to cover the trays in the freezer, gallon sized and sandwich sized Ziploc bags, as well as a permanent marker and a remarkable marker.
First Foods
This is the part of making your baby's food where you get out of the kitchen and head to you local food market. Picking out your baby's first foods is fun and exciting to know you are putting the best stuff into your baby. I like to shop in the organic section because that really is the best for baby. If for some reason you don't want to or can't shop the organics, no problem, go ahead and pick up the regular fruits and vegetables but just make sure that you are really washing them well to remove all the chemicals and pesticides that you don't want your baby to be consuming.
So now you know you have all the equipment that you need and you are wondering "What in the heck do I feed my baby?' Well, let me tell you exactly what to make. Some perfect first foods include Sweet Potatoes, Avocados, Carrots, Bananas, and Apples. These are a bunch of great first foods to start with, but if you come to a point where you get stuck, and you have gone through all the first foods I've suggested and you are wondering "Now what?" Let me give you a little cheat tip. Head right around the corner to the baby food aisle and just see what is on the shelf that you haven't served yet and then head right on back to the fresh produce section and pick up what you need.
Don't forget about the "4 Day Wait Rule" which tells us to introduce the baby's food one day then wait for 4 days to see if they have any type of allergic reaction. This will help you pinpoint exactly what your baby is reacting to instead of introducing many foods and not knowing which one caused the reaction.
So now that you know what to feed your baby, it's time to head back to the kitchen and cook up some of the foods you just picked up!
"Just Do It" Preparing Your Baby's First Food
Ok, so now you know that you have all the right equipment, you have shopped for those precious first foods and it is time to Just Do It! Before you start working with the heavy machinery in your kitchen, I would encourage you to start with something really simple like bananas or avocados. Now, bananas tend to be a little bit sweet and some doctors tend to discourage you from feeding your baby fruits before veggies because they might develop a sweet tooth and not want veggies, completely up to you, just something to consider. Even with fruits and veggies with skin like the banana and avocado, I would encourage you to wash it really well to remove any chemicals or pesticides and it gives you another chance to wash your hands so that when you handle the fruit on the inside you are not contaminating it. Being very careful with the knife cut the avocado right down the center long ways and spoon out the insides into a bowl and discard the skin. Using a fork mash the avocado until very smooth. If this is your baby's very first meal, I would encourage you to mix it with some breast milk if you are nursing or just plain water if you are not to thin it out just a little making it easier for baby to digest.
You can do the same with a banana, wash the outside well and then cut a small portion off the banana as you baby will not be able to eat an entire banana right away and you don't want to waste the rest of the banana. Mash the banana the same as you did the avocado with a fork and mix with breast milk or water. Simple and easy, yes?
Well, now that you have mastered those, lets move on to the food processor. Place your food of choice into the steamer basket and steam for 10 to 20 min. or until really soft and well cooked. Once the food has completed cooking in the steamer then you will transfer the food directly into the food processor. Be careful not to burn yourself! Then let the food processor do it's magic. Add breast milk or water to thin it out a little if needed, then process until smooth and runny or the consistency that is right for your baby as they grow allowing it to thicken up as they get older. Then removed a spoonful or two directly into your baby's bowl for their meal. Remember to do a finger test to make sure that it isn't too hot coming right out of the steamer. You don't want to burn your baby's mouth or esophagus and ruin the first foods experience or worse.
There you have it, you just did it! Congratulations on making your baby's first meal. If they could speak I'm sure they would thank you!
Storing Baby's Food
This is where the ice cube trays come in. Spoon the food you did not serve your baby in their first meal directly from the food processor into the ice trays and fill up each cube well. Once you have emptied the food processor bowl or filled the tray, cover the tray with aluminum foil. I like to label tray directly with a remarkable marker with the date and what food is in there. Place the tray into the freeze. Once it's frozen remove from the freezer and place the all of individual cubes (one cube = one serving) into a gallon sized Ziploc bag and return to freezer until needed for the next serving time. Be sure to write the name of the food on the bag and the date it was made. When it is serving time, remove one cube from large bag and place into sandwich size bag and seal. Place bag in a bowl or cup in the sink and run hot water over to thaw. Then serve!
Congratulations! You now know exactly how to make your baby homemade baby foods!
For a FREE 4 Part Video Series on Baby Food: Homemade! Go to http://babyfoodhomemade.com/homemade-baby-food-series/
About the Author
Cindy Ihm is a work at home mom to 2 beautiful girls. She has an amazingly supportive husband and currently resides in Chicago, IL living the life of her dreams. She enjoys living close to Lake Michigan and spending time outdoors with her family. For more information on Cindy or on Baby Food: Homemade! please visit http://babyfoodhomemade.com
Baby Food