Before you start buying baby food
Pediatricians will suggest when and at what time is best to begin feeding your baby real food and it’s important to adhere to those suggestions. However, what you feed your baby is in your hands. It is convenient and easy to buy the jars of baby food, already to warm up and feed your child, but some parents think the preservatives in pre-made baby food might not be as valuable, nutritionally, as homemade baby food.
Do the research
Before you start buying all the things you need to make your own baby food, do some extensive researches on the topic to find out the nutritional value of each type of food you wish to feed your child. It’s recommended that you understand the recommended daily allowances your baby needs at the age he or she is. You don’t want to give your baby a balanced diet that is both healthy and tasty to him or her. You should also speak with your pediatrician; they will have the information you need as to what your baby needs as he or she grows older. Nutritional needs change as your baby gains weight and gets older so it’s important to know where these stages are in your child’s life.Congratulations! Your baby is ready to start eating solid foods. Now what?
First of all, keep in mind that we're talking about minute amounts of food. Beginning at four to six months of age, most infants get introduced to solid food with a spoonful or two of iron-fortified rice cereal mixed with breast milk or water. This slow, gentle approach doesn't affect your child's established feeding routine much at all in the beginning. In a few weeks, after your baby learns to swallow and begins to express interest in foods, you'll gradually add a few ounces of pureed vegetables, fruits and meats to his or her diet.
You could buy jars of baby food off the grocery store shelf to meet this need. But making homemade baby food is almost as easy as boiling water. With just a little effort, you can make fresh food for your baby alongside meals you prepare for the rest of your family. Among other benefits, making baby food yourself saves money, ensures freshness and allows you to control the ingredients. You'll also be able to alter the texture of food as your growing child gains eating experience, learns to chew and grows teeth.
1. Try to serve some meals at room temperature. Serving meals at room temperature will allow your baby to become accustomed to food that is not hot, and save you the worry of a meal being rejected because it is not heated.
2. Carry ripe bananas with you: Probably the easiest source of baby food that you could get your hands on, you will just need a ripe banana, a clean container and a fork. Mash up the fruit, and you have fresh and instant baby food ready!
3. For people who are adventurous enough to go camping with your baby, take along a mini-cooler packed full of the frozen food cubes you will need. As the cubes are already frozen, they should be able to withstand a journey of 6 hours with minimal thawing. You can also take your cubes to a hotel as many hotels provide mini-refrigerators. The food cubes should keep for approximately 5 days if stored in a refrigerator.
4. Cereals will also travel well and you may either take ground grains and cook as needed or take cereal that has been frozen, and prepare as usual.
5. In case you are carrying food, be sure to purchase fruits that are "almost" ripe, to avoid spoilage during the trip.
6. Vegetables travel well and if you prepare them during your stay, peel and dice them before leaving your home. Store them in an airtight freezer bag and if possible, fill the bag with some water to help maintain freshness.
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