Homemade & Pureed

If you have a four-to-six-month-old baby and you'd like to start giving them solid foods then you've come to the right place. It seems like you were just bringing them home for the very first time, you blinked, and now its time for baby’s first food.
When deciding if your baby is ready for solids, there are a few deciding questions to ask yourself: Can your baby hold their head up? Does your baby gum on toys or hands? If you put a utensil near your baby’s mouth, will they try to bite it? If you answered yes to these questions, your baby is showing signs of readiness.
Homemade is a popular option for parents who want to know exactly what goes into their baby’s mouth. I’m here to share with you, my experience, and why its easier than you think.

What You’ll Need

When I first began taking my baby from breast milk to solid foods, I thought we needed all of those baby food gadgets on the market. I found the process quite complicated until I realized that she could eat a modified version of my dinner plate. All you need is your food processor. If you don’t have one, you can use a blender or potato masher. Just make sure that the food is soft and doesn’t have chunks.

Choosing a First Food

Sweet potato, banana, avocado, apple, pear, green beans, and butternut squash all make for great first solids for baby. You could also puree food such as fully cooked meats, beans, and eggs. In the beginning, it's recommended to only introduce one food every couple of days. Should your baby have an allergic reaction, it’ll be a lot easier to hone in on. Common signs of allergies to watch for could be: hives, vomiting, diarrhea, itchy and watery eyes, difficulty breathing. When you begin introducing more foods to your baby, mixing different blends is an easy way to make your baby's meals more flavourful.

Making Baby Food

-Scrub or peel your fruits and veggies.

-Cook until tender. (Steaming and microwaving preserve the most nutrients)

-Puree with liquid. (Water, breast milk or formula)

-Store in refrigerator or freezer.

-Rewarm when it’s time to eat.

-Allow time to cool. (Puree is ready when it is just warm to your touch.)

Storage

Like there are many baby food processing gadgets on the market, there are a lot of storage containers. Ice cube trays worked great for me!

Advantages

Inexpensive- Making your baby food is very cost-effective. Especially when you opt-out of the extra gadgets and just use kitchen appliances you already own.

No preservatives- Store-bought food is cooked at a high temperature to kill bacteria for longer storage, at the same time taking out many of the food’s vitamins, nutrients, and taste.

Wider variety- Having different varieties is essential to avoid developing fussy eating habits. Homemade food gets baby used to eating the same food as the rest of the family.

As you can see, homemade is just as easy and a lot more beneficial. If you are unable to make homemade baby food, don’t be hard on yourself. A puree diet is such a short season in your baby’s life, and they are still gaining their main nutrients from breastmilk or formula. Whether homemade or store-bought, embrace this exciting milestone of sticky hands, messy faces, and priceless facial expressions!

Written by: Meaghan Kelly