How to Make Baby Food At Home

Making the transition from milk to semi-solid foods marks a significant stage in a baby’s life and as a parent, you could make it easier, safer and definitely, much better by making baby food at home. It is easy to do and a much more nutritious option than commercial baby food.

Here is how you could easily make the two most basic, wholesome baby foods at home.

Stewed Fruit- A baby food basic, you can easily make this at home using the following steps-

• Take an apple or pear or peach.
• Wash thoroughly. Peel, core and cube
• Heat a clean saucepan with a ¼ cup of water. Add the fruit.
• Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Drain the water. Mash or puree the stewed fruit and refrigerate in clean, sterilized jars or glass containers.

Boiled Veggies- The next most basic baby food. Make a single vegetable or a stew as follows –

• Take ½ a white potato, a carrot or a sweet potato.
• Wash thoroughly. Peel and chop.
• Heat a clean saucepan with a ¼ cup of water. Add the vegetables.
• Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Drain the water. Mash or puree the boiled vegetables and refrigerate in clean, sterilized jars or glass containers.

To begin with, you could make just one vegetable or fruit and then, as your baby gets used to the taste of each and is not allergic, you could start mixing 2 or more vegetables or fruits together to make a healthy medley and add variety.

A few things to keep in mind when preparing baby food at home-

• Always wash your hands and the utensils being used for preparation.
• Make sure that the work surface is clean.
• Do not add any sugar or salt to the food. Babies don’t need it and it is best if they learn to taste the food as it is.
• Change the texture of the food from puree to rough mash to small pieces as your baby grows and gets more adept at chewing.
• Do not feed baby directly from the jar and if you do, discard any leftovers, since the saliva from baby’s spoon would lead to bacterial contamination of the food.
• When refrigerating, use within 2-3 days or freeze it in ice trays and use within a week.

Home made baby food is not just more wholesome and nutritious; it is also, the best way of ensuring that your baby gets food that is preservative-free and prepared with the utmost care. So, go ahead and start making baby food for your little one at home and provide the best possible nutrition.