5 Top Tips for Making Your Own Baby Food

You may be questioning yourself if you have the time to make your own baby food and whether you need a steamer and blender to complete the task. The answer is “yes” and “yes” again.

Firstly making your own baby food gives you complete control over what your baby eats. You can ensure that they get all the vitamins and minerals they need without the dangerous sugars and additives.

This gives you complete control and peace of mind when managing your baby’s healthy diet.

Here are some guidelines for making your own baby food.

1 Finding Ideas for Recipes for Home Made Baby Food

This doesn’t have to be complicated at all.

If your baby is just starting solids you need to stick to very plain food that is easy to digest. If you need ideas for what to make for your baby’s age just have a look and see what flavors are being sold in the shops for some inspiration.

You can search for home made baby food recipes online or you can just play around with different foods that you think your baby will like.

2 Stay Away From Salt, Spices and Strong Flavors

You may be tempted to try and make things really tasty for your baby but just keep in mind that your baby is used to breast milk or formula that is very bland tasting.

Your baby’s kidneys are not able to cope with much sodium and until your baby is 6 months old he will get all the sodium he needs from your breast milk or formula.

Sodium is present naturally in foods so don’t worry about adding any salt to the foods that you make for your baby.

After your baby has turned one year old you can consider adding a little salt and some more flavor to his food.

3 Steaming is the Best Method for Cooking Baby Food

You should cook all the ingredients needed for your baby’s food first even fruit. The reason for this is that it breaks down the fibers which help your baby to digest the food.

When food is cooked some of the nutrients escape, so it is best to cook the ingredients for your baby’s food in the way that keeps the most nutrients possible.

Steaming is perhaps the best method for baby food preparation. Place the vegetable and fruits in a steam basket and allow the rising steam to cook the meal. This way your baby gets the essential nutrients. There are food steamers available and some rice cookers come with steamer baskets.

The next best option is to bake your ingredients as this also keeps in a lot of the nutrients, however baking brings out more of the flavor compared to steaming or boiling which is more bland. While we may enjoy flavorful food, your baby will enjoy more bland flavors.

If you do want to boil the ingredients use as little water as possible and use a crock pot to try and lessen the amount of nutrients that are lost.

You really do want your baby to take in the most nutrients possible at this stage.

4 Use A Blender

Yes you can just mash your cooked ingredients with a fork, however this will never make a nice smooth puree that is best for your baby to eat. Food pureed with a fork will have lumps in it which will make your baby gag and possibly even choke.

For this reason it is highly recommended that you use a blender to puree your baby’s food to make it smooth with no lumps. As your baby gets older you can also change the consistency of the food so that your baby gets used to thicker and more solid food over time.

There are even some awesome baby food making machines that steam and blend your baby food. If you are planning on making all your baby’s food yourself then it would certainly make sense to invest in something like this.

You are probably trying to juggle home, work and a baby so having an all in one device will make your life much easier.

5 Storing and Freezing Homemade Baby Food

Home-cooked meals are free of additives and preservatives. This means that it does not contain any substance that can preserve the food for a long time, making it susceptible to spoilage if not stored appropriately.

While it is always best for your baby to eat fresh food you don’t really want to be making baby food every day, especially if you are a working mom with not much spare time at your disposal.

If the food is not going to be consumed the same day, you may freeze it; however, make sure that you don’t keep it frozen for over 2-3 days. While the low temperatures of the freezer slow down the bacteria, it does not eliminate it.

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