Making your own baby food
Many parents are interested in making their own baby food. Why? Primarily, it's cheaper than buying prepared baby foods and is easy to do. You also have full control over what your baby is eating and you can introduce them to the foods your family eats. At about six months old, your baby will be ready for solid foods.
When offering your baby food
- Start by offering food a couple times a day. By the time your baby is close to nine months, they should be eating 2-3 meals a day with 1-2 snacks.
- To begin, your baby will only eat about a teaspoon of food at a time, so don't make too much baby food at once.
- Offer your baby a variety of textures including ground, mashed, soft foods and finger foods.
- Offer an iron rich food (meat and alternatives or infant cereal) daily.
- Whenever possible, eat with your baby. They learn from modelling your behaviour.
Baby food prep
- Some foods like yogurt, rice, and pasta require very little or no prep to make them into baby food. You can cut bread into strips and grate cheese to make them the right size for your baby to hold or pick up.
- Vegetables: Wash and peel your vegetables, removing any seeds. Chop the vegetable into small pieces and steam over boiling water until soft. Put the cooked vegetable in a bowl with a little water and mash with a fork.
- Fruit: Pick soft, ripe fruit. Wash and peel the fruit; remove any pits or large seeds. Cut into pieces. Soft fruits like banana and peaches can be mashed with a fork. For firm fruit, before mashing, take the pieces and boil in a small amount of water until soft.
- Meat and alternatives: Meats like beef, turkey, wild game, and others should be well cooked and then ground, finely minced, or shredded. Fish can be baked or poached; skin and bones must be removed before mashing with a fork. Soft beans, lentils, and eggs can be mashed with a fork after cooking. A little water might need to be added to moisten.
Trying new foods with your baby is a time of exploration and fun. Enjoy the experience!
For more information visit HealthLink BC.
This article was originally published in the Summer 2016 issue of Healthier You magazine. Read the full issue - all about child health.
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