Making your own baby food allows you to know exactly what you are feeding your baby. You don’t have to worry about the different processes and machines that it may have gone through at a factory. You can make flavor combinations that suit your baby’s taste buds (hint: adding sweet potatoes to other vegetables will make them gobble it up!) It is cheaper than the store bought stuff. And it is so much easier than you think.
First you need to get the right equipment. You will need a tool to puree the food. A blender or food processor will work, but they do require you to puree at least 4-6 ounces at a time. A handheld immersion blender works well for smaller batches. Or you can use a hand-turned food mill. The food mill is a convenient option for making meals away from home as well. You will also need need airtight containers or ice cube trays to refridgerate or freeze extra portions.
Then you need to pick you produce. Many parents prefer organic when it is available. You can use either fresh produce is great, but frozen works just fine too. Some good fruits to start with are apples, apricots, bananas, blueberries, mangoes, peaches, pears, plums, and prunes. Some vegetables to try are asparagus tips, avocados, carrots, peas, potatoes, sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, and squash.
One thing to be cautious of is nitrates. Nitrates are a chemical found in water and soil, and they can be dangerous for your baby. Babies who ingest an unsafe level of nitrates can develop a type of anemia called methemoglobinemia. Preparing formula with well water that’s high in nitrates is the usual cause of the illness, but some vegetables can also contain nitrates. The most likely sources are beets, carrots, green beans, spinach, and squash. There are a few things you can do to protect your baby from nitrates.
- If you have well water get it tested. It should contain less than 10 ppm of nitrates.
- Nitrates increase with storage time unless frozen. When using fresh vegetables for your baby food, prepare it as soon as possible. Freeze extra servings right away.
- You might consider using frozen vegetables instead of fresh for the foods highest in nitrates.
- Nitrate fertilizers are not used on land where produce is grown organically, so the risk of nitrates is much lower with certified organic produce.
Now you are ready to prepare your meals! Be sure to wash your hands, produce, and all of the bowls and utensils. Peel and pit the fruit if necessary.
- All vegetables and fruits like apples and prunes that need to be softened, should be cooked before pureeing or grinding. To preserve vitamins and minerals, bake, boil, or steam the produce until soft. If you boil the food, use as little liquid as possible and add some of the leftover liquid when mashing the food.
- To prepare fruits or vegetables, simply add a little liquid (breast milk, formula, or cooking water) to the produce as you puree or grind until the consistency is soupy. As your baby adapts to solid foods, you can add less liquid. If the fruit has seeds, strain it before serving.
- Rice can also be pureed or ground in a food mill. First cook it according to package directions.
- To prepare meat and poultry, remove the skin and trim the fat before cooking. Then puree the cooked meat in a blender or grind it up in a food mill with a little liquid. For older babies, you can simply chop the meat into very small pieces.
Helpful Tips
- Serve the food no warmer than body temperature.
- Avoid heating meals in the microwave. Microwaves heat unevenly and can create ”hot spots” in the food that can burn your baby.
- Only prepare the amount of food you think your baby will eat at that feeding. Your baby’s saliva will thin the mixture and make it easy for bacteria to grow in the food. So you should throw out anything that is left over.
- Never sweeten baby food with honey or corn syrup, which can cause botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning, in babies.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and use them up within a couple of days. You can also freeze leftovers in ice cube trays. After the cubes are frozen solid, remove them and store them in plastic freezer bags. Fruits and vegetables frozen this way will last six to eight months. Meat, including fish and poultry, will last about one to two months.
