A Guide For Preparing Healthy Baby Food
If you’ve read any of my blog posts before, you know I’m a firm believer that parents should be able to prepare their own food for their children. This can give you more control over what your baby is eating and can help reduce the amount of additives, sugars, preservatives and fats that might be in commercially prepared baby foods. Preparing baby food also helps promote communication with your child as you will likely have to discuss what they are eating and why it is being introduced into their diet at this age. There are pros and cons with preparing baby food, however, so it’s important that you do your research first before deciding whether it’s something that will work for your family. So, if like me you are interested in learning more about how to safely prepare homemade baby food then keep reading.
What is homemade baby food?
Homemade baby food is essentially the same as making any other type of food for your child, but with a few extra steps. You’ll be creating your own meals by combining ingredients, then cooking them in a variety of ways. To make homemade baby food, you will need a food blender, a pot or a large pot with a lid, a measuring cup, a food processor, a jar or containers, a freezer bag, freezer containers, and ingredients.
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Homemade baby food, just like homemade food for adults, is simply food that is cooked and then combined in different ways to create new dishes. The main difference between homemade baby food and homemade food for adults is that babies don’t need as many ingredients.
Why make homemade baby food?
- Your baby will get more vitamins in their diet: Commercial baby foods are often very low in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants compared to breast milk or formula. By making your own baby food you can ensure that your child is getting a daily dose of nutrients that are important for their development.
- You will have more control over ingredients and additives: Making your own baby food has the potential to greatly reduce the amount of additives, sugars, preservatives, and fats found in commercially prepared baby food. This is because most commercially prepared baby foods are made with a high ratio of cooked ingredients to raw ingredients or they are cooked in a very short period of time, which results in the ingredients being exposed to large amounts of heat.
- You can lower the cost of feeding your baby: Making your own baby food can be much cheaper than buying commercially prepared baby food. This is because many ingredients are quite low in cost and you can grow your own foods with minimal effort.
- You can make your baby food with healthy ingredients: Making your own baby food allows you to use ingredients that are good for your child, such as fresh produce and homemade baby food recipes that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Safety precautions when preparing homemade baby food
- Homemade baby food is a safe and nutritious way to feed your baby once you know how to safely prepare it. In order to safely prepare homemade baby food you will need to follow a few rules and precautions.
- Use clean utensils and equipment: You will want to make sure that all of your utensils and equipment are clean before using them to prepare homemade baby food. This includes your cutting board, blender, pot, and other tools.
- Always wash: Before you begin to make homemade baby food, you will need to wash all of your utensils and cutting board to ensure there is no bacteria on it. Also, make sure your blender and pot are clean before starting to make homemade baby food.
- Make sure ingredients are fresh: Make sure that all of the ingredients you are combining are fresh and not spoiled.
- Use the correct pot: It’s important that you use a pot that is large enough to hold the amount of ingredients you are making.
- Use the blender slowly: When using a blender to create homemade baby food, you will need to make sure you use it slowly. This is because when making homemade baby food the blender will be constantly running and that can be very dangerous. To ensure you don’t use the blender too quickly, you will want to place a towel on top of the blender while blending.
- Store homemade baby food properly: You will want to make sure that your homemade baby food is stored properly. This can be in a cool dry location.
Equipment you will need to prepare homemade baby food
- Blender: A blender is essential for making homemade baby food. It can help to break down the ingredients and create a smooth texture.
- Pot: You will want to use a pot that is large enough to hold whatever ingredients you are making.
- Cutting board: You will need a cutting board to chop your ingredients on.
- Storage containers: To store your homemade baby food in containers, you will want to use glass containers that are airtight.
- Jar lifter: Using a jar lifter will help to avoid spilling ingredients in the pot when transferring it to the storage containers.
- Spoons: You will need a spoon to stir ingredients in the pot.
- Storage containers: To store your homemade baby food in containers, you will want to use glass containers that are airtight.
Summary
Homemade baby food is a healthy alternative to commercially made baby foods that are full of preservatives and additives. It’s important to follow safety precautions when preparing homemade baby food as well as using the correct equipment and storing it properly. Homemade baby food can be a great way to get your child more nutrients and is an excellent choice when you want to avoid certain additives or low cost ingredients found in commercially prepared foods.
