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Feeding Our Babies

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Feeding our little ones properly sets them up for life and we can always give them an even better start with our very own homemade baby food...
With all the toxins and preservatives in the foods we eat, it’s no wonder that many parents begin to turn to making their own baby food. After all, we spent so much time creating and caring for these little ones through their first few months, we want to continue the same love and nurture through these early feeding stages.

Making our own baby foods gives them a great start in life. One of the first concerns of new parents is that we will not be able to fully meet the nutritional needs of our children by making our own foods. It is actually quite the opposite. Simply by keeping in mind that they need a well balanced diet, and that they are still getting the majority of their nutrients from their formulas or breast milk, we can ease our concerns.

Many mothers will argue organic is the only way to go when it comes to feeding our little ones and in some cases this is very true. There are a few foods referred to as the ‘dirty dozen’ that are laden with preservatives and pesticides and should be bought organic whenever possible. These are apples, peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, raspberries, spinach and strawberries. Above that list it is really a decision up to the parent whether or not we wish to limit the preservatives and pesticides we feed our children. There has also been some research and debate that many organic foods contain more nutrients than non-organic.

Make your own baby food recipes

A mother can cover almost every first step single fruit or vegetable food recipe with the following: wash, peel, cook and mash, puree or blend. Unlike adults, baby food recipes don't require specifics. We essentially are only using one ingredient and can make any quantity we feel we can properly store or use in a reasonable amount of time.

Here are a few to try:

Baked Apples

1. Core apple and leave peel on
2. Place a wee bit of butter (if baby is ready for or has had dairy) on the inside of the cored apple (sprinkle a bit of cinnamon in the apple if baby is ready for or has had cinnamon)
3. Place in a pan with just enough water to slightly cover apples – about an inch of water
4. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes or until tender; be sure to check on the water level.
5. Once baked, either cut apple into little bits and serve as a finger food or mash.

Baby Vegetables

Frozen mixed vegetables
Broccoli, washed

Put the amount of vegetables you want to use in a ceramic bowl with a dash of hot water. Cover with a paper towel. Microwave for about 4 to 5 minutes. Chop vegetables using an electric blender or chopper.

You can use the vegetables in this recipe immediately to feed baby or keep a few in the freezer. Put the veggies in ice cube trays. When they are frozen, pop them out of the ice cube trays and transfer into freezer bags to store in freezer.

Or for older babies:

Banana Bread Sticks

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1 3/4 cups flour (white, whole wheat, or a combination)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Combine ingredients and stir only until smooth. Pour into a greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour or until firmly set.

Cool, remove from pan, and cut into sticks. Spread sticks out on a cookie sheet and bake at 150 degrees F for 1 hour or longer until the sticks are hard and crunchy. Store in a tightly covered container.

For a whole wealth of baby food recipes there is also a great website called www/wholesomebabyfood.com which can help a new parent come up with great new tastes and ideas for our little ones.

Article by Rachel Goodchild