DIY Baby Food: Healthy Recipes and Meal Planning for Busy Parents
Have you ever tried making your own baby food? If you haven’t you might want to give it a try! It’s easier, healthier, and in some cases even cheaper than store bought baby food. Here are a few advantages.
1. Ingredient Control
When you make your baby’s food at home, no one has control over what goes into it but you. That means, if you use fresh ingredients, no preservatives, excess sugar or salt. This helps you ensure your baby is eating a truly healthy diet.
2. Variety Introduction
Homemade baby food will also give you the ability to introduce your baby to a variety of textures and flavors. This will help them to grow up with a diversified palate.
3. Cost-Effectiveness
If you play your cards right, making your our baby food can be cheaper than store bought. Seasonal produce, bulk buying, and meal prepping are great ways to pay less for ingredients and save some money in the long run.
4. Lessening the impact on the environment
By preparing your own baby food, you can also cut down on waste. Baby good comes in single-use baby food containers, which typically get thrown in the trash. When you make your own baby food, you can use reusable containers.
Advice on Making Baby Food at Home
1. Start with Simple Single-Ingredient Purees
Starting your newborn on solid food? Try using a puree that has a single ingredient to help them get used to different flavors one at a time. It will also help you pinpoint potential allergies if they have any.
2. Introduce Combination Purees Gradually
After your baby becomes more accustomed to solid foods, you can start to introduce more complex purees that contain two or more ingredients. This helps to diversify nutrition and flavor as they develop.
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3. Follow Age-Appropriate Guidelines
For specific advice on timing for introducing certain foods and textures, always speak to your pediatrician to make sure you are meeting your child’s needs.
4. Use Fresh and Seasonal Produce
Always use fresh and seasonal ingredients when making baby food. This will reduce cost and offer better nutional benefits than frozen or canned. Farmers markets are a great option for finding the best ingredients.
5. Baking and steaming
Boiling tends to suck the nutrients out of fruits and vegetables, so it’s typically better to opt for steaming or baking.
6. Portion and Freeze
If you meal prep your baby food, you can freeze individual servings and freeze them for later use. This saves time, money, and makes things more convenient overall.
Remember to label each jar with the date and type of food before freezing.
Healthy Homemade Baby Food Recipes:
1. Ingredients for avocado banana mash
1 ripe avocado
one ripe banana
Instructions:
Peel banana and avocado. Mash together until smooth. Combine the two and mash until smooth. This puree is rich in good fats and potassium.
Apple and sweet potato puree
1 medium sweet potato, chopped and peeled
1 apple, cored, sliced, and prepared
Breast milk or water, depending on the desired consistency
Instructions:
Steam sweet potato and apple until soft. Blend cooked components with water or breast milk to achieve smoothness. This puree is high in vitamins and minerals.
Blend of lentils and carrots
1 cup chopped carrots
Red lentils, half a cup
2 cups of veggie broth or water
Instructions:
Bring water to a boil and add lentils and sliced carrots. Cook until tender. Using additional water, blend as necessary.
Ingredients in Pea and Mint Delight:
Frozen peas, 1 cup
New mint leaves
Depending on the required consistency, add additional water or vegetable broth.
Instructions:
Steam peas. Blend with fresh mint leaves, water, or vegetable broth until smooth.
It’s always best to gradually introduce your baby to new foods while making sure they are receiving all of the nutrients they need for development. Making your own food can meet this goal, can save money, and give mom’s peace of mind that their baby is getting the best food. Share with another mom and spread the word on home made baby food!