For years, diets in the western world have given up health in place of convenience. This convenience carries over into the pre packaged and processed foods that so many people have come to depend on to feed their babies. Unfortunately, these foods often are lacking in nutrients and are packed with sugars and other fillers, making them anything but healthy. A better idea, and one that will greatly benefit your baby’s health, is a return to homemade baby food.

Making homemade baby food does not have to be a difficult, time consuming task. Most of the food you buy in the market is simply pureed vegetables and fruit. To maintain the food’s freshness, chemicals are often added. This is the main thing we want to avoid. A couple of hours a week is all it takes to prepare a full menu for your baby. Not only will the baby be getting fresher, healthier food, you will also be saving a lot of money.

What you need to get started are a few ice cube trays. Select the foods that your baby is used to eating such as green beans, carrots, apples, etc and prepare them by either steaming or cooking in a microwave. Do not boil the food since many nutrients are removed this way. Once the food is cooked, place it in the food processor or blender and puree it. Now simply put the food into the ice trays and place the trays in the freezer. Once frozen, the individual portions can be popped out and placed in freezer bags. Now you have an entire week’s worth of meals for only a few dollars. You see, homemade baby food is a piece of cake.

When it’s time to feed the baby, simply place the freezer bag in warm water to thaw and pop the food in a microwave for a few seconds to reheat if desired. Any uneaten portions should be discarded. This is not a problem since each meal represents less than a dollar.

Homemade baby food is so simple and so beneficial to your baby, that it just doesn’t make sense to use any other kind if you have the time. Putting aside an hour or two a week for baby food preparation will become a routine and certainly an important part of raising a healthy baby.

The type of food you first introduce is of the utmost importance. A good rule of thumb is to start with a hypoallergenic cereal such as rice or barley cereal with added breast milk, formula or water. Give your baby one to two teaspoons on a rubber tipped spoon to start. Begin with just a small amount on the spoon itself. Follow the cereal with some formula or breast milk to aid in digestion. Remember, this will be a very foreign feeling for your baby, so do not be surprised if s/he spits it out and does not eat that much. Like any other newly learned skill, babies need practice with eating foods. Keep on feeding your child once a day at a time that is convenient for you and when you feel your baby is hungriest, increasing the amount of food every week or so.

As your baby successfully eats more and more cereal (more than 2x per day), you can then move on to introducing other solid food choices. As a general rule, it is best to introduce fruits and/or vegetables on a one by one basis with a three day interval between each food to ensure your child has no reaction. While some experts believe it is best to introduce green vegetables first, the choice is up to the individual parent. We recommend introducing our single ingredient recipes first (i.e. Sweet Potato or Broccoli) and then moving on to our fruit recipe (Banana Blueberry). In other words, after cereal, the recipes we recommend for first introduction are:

    Sweet Potato or Broccoli
     Banana Blueberry

The above recipes are rich in Vitamins A and C and are perfect “starters” for your little one.

After 8 months or so, your growing little tot will be able to move his jaw in a chewing motion and will want to put everything into his mouth! Your baby will likely be able to pick up small food objects with his thumb and forefinger and can transfer objects from hand to hand. At this stage, an infant’s energy and nutritional demands also change with an increasing need for protein and iron. The recipes we recommend as a second introduction are:

Veggies & Chicken
Lentils & Root Veggies
Veggies, Beef & Barley

When you first introduce food, do not be alarmed if your baby’s stool changes color and has a different smell; this is completely normal. Remember, your baby has only been on formula or breast milk up until this point. If your baby’s stool becomes hard and firm, try switching from rice cereal to barley cereal.

Reprinted with permission from Sweetpea Baby Food http://www.sweetpeababyfood.com/