How to Make Homemade Baby Food

Have you been wondering about how to makeApple Purée: Take one apple, peel and core it,
homemade baby food? Have youalso wondered ifchop into dices andsteam in a scant amount of
there is actually any benefit to taking the timewater, in a pot on the stove, until tender thenmash
tomake your baby's food? If so, then here's whatinto a texture appropriate for your infant. If you
some parents report abouttheir experiences withneed to createa thinner apple(sauce) puree, simply
making homemade baby food.add more liquid and blend.
"My children's first solid foods were items straightBanana Purée: peel a ripe banana, slice into small
from my kitchen.pieces, transfer thepieces to a bowl and then grab a
No commercial jars of baby foods here! My husbandfork and mash the banana.
and I felt that wewanted to start our children offVegetables: Fresh or frozen vegetables and fruit
right. I breastfed withoutsupplementation, and makingshould be washed andpeeled. Cook over low heat in
my own baby food seemed the next natural step.a small amount of water. Cool and puree ormash.
We started off with the basics: Fresh banana, boiledCarrots are really easy to puree in the blender with
chicken, mashedcarrots, and the like. I purchased ajust alittle water to get the same consistency of
very inexpensive hand-grind babyfood mill and it wasjarred baby food. A food millis also a good choice,
as easy as opening a jar - and a lot cheaper! Thiswassince you can vary the texture of the food.
nearly 20 years ago now, and I have very fondChicken-Veggie Baby Stew: "This is a recipe for a
memories of watching mychildren's faces as theysort-of "baby stew" Igot from my sister-in-law in
would try a new food for the very firsttime."Chile. Take a chicken breast, a potato,two carrots,
"Neither of my children ever ate a bite of jarredSwiss chard and a piece of pumpkin (you could use
canned baby food. Inless than an hour on thesquash)add a little bit of water and cook covered in a
weekends, I would be able to prepare andfreezepot. Do not salt orseason. When the chicken is fully
enough food for the week. I felt better knowingcooked and the vegetables are tender,puree in a
exactly what they ateand keeping sugar andblender. You can make a bigger recipe, then divide
preservatives to a minimum. At four and seven,theythe foodinto portions and freeze it for when you
are healthy, active little boys!"need it. It makes a healthy,tasty baby food, for less
"Making homemade baby food is highly individualizedthan store-bought foods.
and for many itemslike fruits and vegetables,Cinnamon Apple Ham: "My oldest son's favorite
wash-peel-cook-mash is the only instructionthat ishomemade baby food wascinnamon apples and ham.
ever needed. You may be thinking, "It's not thatI would peel and core two medium apples and
easy is it?"boilthem for about 15 minutes. Not complete mush,
Actually, it is that easy and there is no need to makebut no longer crunchy.
it complicatedby adding precise measurements.I'd then cube the apple and add a half a cup of
Another reason that we seldom useprecisecubed ham into our smallfood processor (a blender
measurements is that one parent may be able towould work, too). I would add about ateaspoon of
squeeze 10 servingsout of one baked sweet potatocinnamon and blend. I would set out enough for one
while another parent may only be able toyield 6meal, thenrefrigerate or freeze the rest in two or
servings."three small meal-sizedcontainers.
Here are some actual baby food recipes andHope you enjoy learning how to make homemade
instruction for deliciousand nutritious homemade babybaby food. Just rememberthe variety of foods will
food:only be limited by your imagination. Have fun.