HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BABY FOOD: USEFUL TIPS

When your little wee is 6 months old, it’s time for him/her to try solid food. Experts recommend various products to start from; they can be jarred or homemade, it depends on you.

We stand for homemade baby food – it’s tasty, healthy and less expensive. Feels like making baby food yourself too? We’ve got you covered! In this post, you’ll get to know what products to give, how to make baby food, the right ways to store it and other useful information. Scroll down!

If your kid can already sit upright without assistance, is interested in meals and want to try them, then he/she is old enough to be introduced to something new and tasty.

Don’t know what to start from? All new parents face this challenge! However, there are no official rules on first baby food. Just do not take choking hazards, of course; the no-nos are bread or pastry, crackers, nuts, small pieces of eating, etc.

Therefore, the best way to introduce solids is to start from tasty, easy to eat and digest products. Before you feed your little one, mash or puree the meal. Here is a list of delicacies for your baby to try at first:

• Apple
• Banana
• Avocado
• Cauliflower
• Sweet potato
• Baby cereal (rice, oatmeal, barley)

If you decide to start from cereal, you can add a bit of formula or breast milk; the taste will be familiar to your little one, and he/she will like the nosh more. If your kid is allergic, or you still hesitate which product to choose, consult your pediatrician.

Don’t know how to make stage 1 baby food? Feel confused? We are here to help you out! Logically, your first question will be “What do I need to make baby food?”

Experienced parents swear by the best baby food maker – a lifesaver for new mommies and daddies. It is a device that steams and purees baby food. Of course, you can go for simpler devices which you already have at home – blender, juicer, hand-turned mill, even a fork will do for soft products, e.g. avocado or banana.

No matter what you cook for your baby, the consistency must be thin; that’s why you should know how to puree food well.

Hard fruits and veggies

• Bake, boil or steam vegetables/hard fruits – use as little water as possible
• Peel and pit/strain prepared eating
• Puree the ingredients in a blender, mill, or grinder
• Add water to make the mix thinner

Soft Fruits (banana, avocado, baked apple)

• Puree them with a fork

Meat/poultry

• Boil meat or poultry in water for 5 min
• Shift it to boiling hot water and cook until it’s ready
• Cool it down
• Trim and skin meat/poultry
• Add some liquid and mix it well in blender

Grains

• Grind organic grains, cook it in boiling water to be soft and creamy – that’s the way how to make baby cereal

Sweet potato is one of the most favorite infant’s meals, let’s get to know how to make sweet potato baby food.

• Bake and cool it down

• Scoop out the flesh

• Place it into a blender, add some water
• Mix it to be thin

You are done!

Now when you know how to make homemade baby food, let’s find out whether you can store it and how to do it right.

It’s always better to cook for a single-serve and feed a little one with just-cooked meals. However, it’s a rather challenging task: you’ve got lots of chores and other duties, so feel free to cook baby nosh for several servings, just make sure to store it properly.

How long does homemade baby food last? Peeled fruit and veggies don’t last at all – they must be eaten at once. As for cooked puree, you can keep it up to 1 hour at room temperature, then you have to put it in the fridge.

How long is baby food good for in the fridge? You can keep homemade puree in the fridge for up to 48 hours. If you store it for longer, bacteria will grow – you don’t want to feed your little one with food which is not completely safe.

How to freeze baby food? It’s a good idea to freeze baby food if you leave your little for daddy or nanny one while you are away. The simplest way is to use ice trays – put nosh into a tray, cover it, and stack it in a freezer.

How to warm baby food? The easiest way is to heat it in the microwave, stir it well and make sure the eating is not hot.

How to heat baby food without a microwave? Place a bowl or a cup with baby food in hot water, stir it while it’s heating. When the water gets cooler, change it to hot.

Attention! Always try the nosh yourself to check if it’s not too hot!

How to defrost baby food? It’s better to defrost purees in the fridge. Place frozen cubes of puree in a dish and cover it, leave them to melt in the fridge overnight.

Or you can put the cubes in a frozen bag, seal it well and place it into a bowl with hot water. Don’t forget to change cool water to hot.

Parents try hard to make the best baby food, however, they often fail, but not only that – jarred eating may tastes awful too! So, why does baby food taste bad?

• You might not puree it thoroughly and there are lots of clumps
• There is no seasoning in it (salt, sugar, cinnamon, etc)
• A weird combination of products

If you prefer jarred baby food, buy it from a trusted manufacturer; most of their solutions taste well. When you cook for your little one yourself, add some healthy seasonings – cinnamon, some herbs and make sure that the baby eating is really tender.

We, here at parenthoodroutine.com, do believe that the best baby food is a homemade one, cooked by loving parents. Hopefully, you’ll become a chef for your little wee thanks to our tips.

Our team is always here to help you out with any parenting issue!