How to make baby food

What happens when you serve your baby foods that he is not ready to eat? The short answer: it can be hard on their digestive system and could be a source of food allergies later on.

How do you know if your baby is ready for solid foods?More than likely, your pediatrician has already suggested introduction of baby cereal or solid foods. If not, some of the signs are:

 Basic First Foods:*Note, there is no significant difference wether you introduce fruits or cereals first.

Food Making Supplies
In recent years, there have been some all-in-one food steamers and blenders that make baby food making a snap. Know, that for hundreds of years people have used traditional methods and things typically found in your kitchen to make baby food. Therefore, you don’t really need any special equipment to make your own food. 

You have done your research, got all the materials and foods you need so you are ready to get started. The main thing you need to remember is to make your food smooth and thin for those beginner babies and as they get older you can make it a bit thicker and with more texture. To make your food smooth and thin you need to add a little bit of water at a time.

Fruit Purees

***NOTE – If you choose to start feeding your baby before the age of 6mos old you will need to steam all fruits. Steaming or light cooking these foods makes it easier to digest. After the age of 6 months you do not need to good fruits unless it’s a harder fruit such as apples. Also depending on the fruit and how much natural liquid the fruit has in it you may not need to add water. For instance pears have a TON of natural juices so you may not need to add any water.

Directions

Vegetable Purees

The only other material that you would need when doing vegetables is a baby pan.  When steaming you would do the same type of thing as you did for the fruit. When blending this is when you will add water. I suggest using the steam water for extra nutrients and then add additional water if necessary. Remember to always add water a teaspoon at a time so you can control the consistency.

I like to roast many of my vegetables such as sweet potatoes, acorn squash, butternut squash or any type of winter squash. Check out these easy vegetable roasting instructions. Once your fruits and vegetables are made into puree’s then you can spoon that mixture into a BPA FREE ice cube trays and place into the freezer up to 24 hrs. Place on the counter and let defrost just enough until you can easily take them out. Once all the cubes are out place them into a labeled freezer baggie and put back into the freezer.

Your homemade baby food can last in the freezer for up to 6 months. When serving remember that each ice cube is 1 ounce. Follow the guides as to how much your baby should be eating at their age.