Baby’s First Foods

Discover Why You Should Prepare Homemade Food For Your Baby and How Easy In Fact It Is... 

Every new parent wants the absolute best for their little ones. When I closed my eyes and visualized my son growing up, among other things, I wanted him to be super healthy, acquire a good palate of tastes and be open to trying new foods, and make good food decisions for himself in the years to come. After all, eating healthy is essential for physical, mental and emotional growth, therefore quite crucial for a long, healthy and harmonious life. 

Preparing food for him at home was a very minor labor compare to what he was going to gain for the rest of his life. It was going to be done with care, passion and love, so like everything else with a big driving force behind I knew it was going to be simple, easy and fast.

Here is why... 

Benefits of Homemade Food

I believe homemade is the best way to provide a young human being with the most nutritious, wholesome food. Organic foods tend to be higher in nutrients, mostly due to the soil quality. In fact according to British Journal of Nutrition organic food is high in antioxidants and lower in toxic metals and pesticides.

And although there is a wide variety of choices in the market for baby food, there is no more flavorful, healthy, or cost-efficient option than making your little one’s meals from scratch at home.

No matter how a store-bought baby food claims to be fresh, natural, or even organic, in order to prolong its shelf life it will most likely contain additives, hidden sugars, colors, and/or stabilizers. And those are the things you do not want in your precious baby's pure and clean body.

When you prepare and freshly cook your baby's food, you know exactly what’s in it and where all the ingredients came from, especially when you use organic produce. We will touch upon the importance of choosing organic produce shortly.

Is Homemade Food More Expensive?

Even when you get the most expensive organic produce from your favorite market -because we know how much a mom wants only the best for her baby- we guarantee that you will actually end up saving compare to store-bought and factory packed baby food. 

Here is how...

One potato, one bunch of kale, and a couple of apples, pears or prunes will go a long way and make several meals for your baby's small stomach. Even if you get the very best produce and spend $10 on these it will cost you way less than jarred or pouched baby food. 

A 4-ounce jar of organic sweet potato puree is around $2 depending on the brand. And this cost adds up jar after jar...​

Simple, Easy, Fast?

It is not at all very complicated.

Toss a few slices of sweet potato, a handful of spinach leaves, and one small peach peeled and diced in a small pot and cook slowly with a touch of water, then puree and viola you have it... 

Your choices of creating baby food is really limitless too. Most of the time you can add anything you'd like to the mixture (you will find a few guidelines below). This means that your baby's taste palate won't be limited to what a vacuumed package or a sealed jar can offer. And that's probably one of the most important reasons to choose home made food.

Furthermore with a little planning, you can prepare an entire week's worth of delicious meals in less than an hour. And once you get used to it, the whole process will become like a second nature. Also when you have a home-made meal or puree stored in your freezer, you can cover your emergencies or any time you can't cook meals for your baby.

Why Organic?

A quite few important reasons...

Naturally grown and raised produce and unprocessed or unaltered foods are much more superior in taste and nutritional quality.

While non-organic food might contain additives, chemicals, artificial ingredients, dyes, pesticides, antibiotics, preservatives and wax in some cases, eating organically will limit the consumption of these harmful ingredients. Your baby's growing body and developing organs shouldn't be exposed to these dangerous and toxic elements we find in modern food.

Pesticides and chemicals in any shape or form are things that you should keep away especially when your baby​ is very young.

Washing and soaking fresh produce in water is not going to eliminate pesticides or its residue.

Healthy eating habits should be introduced early. Don't be afraid of offering him new things and variety of flavors. Baby's taste buds are so adjustable. If he refuses it the first time, try a second time. Remember everything is so exciting for him!!

Whatever babies are exposed to they will get used to it right away. As a parent it's our job to set a higher nutrition standard for our little ones (as much as we can) and offer them healthy and wholesome food choices. It's our duty and in our power to set a life long habit of eating healthy.

However...

Shopping for good pure food might be a bit confusing due to the labels on the ​packages. Below list will give you an idea what all that means...

Terminology of Labels

Nowadays there are a lot of labels on produces and packages, We have to understand what they mean in order to make informed decisions when we purchase fresh produce or packaged food.

Natural

This is one of the most deceiving of all. Most people think that "natural" is synonymous with organic. That's what most manufacturers want you to think!!

But be aware that this label only implies that the food or its ingredients are minimally processed (according to the USDA), meaning it does not contain artificial ingredients or preservatives. However, unfortunately they may contain antibiotics, GMO’s, hydrogenated vegetable oils, growth hormones, and other harmful chemicals.

For instance "natural" meat and poultry must be minimally processed, so that the raw product is never altered. But this label doesn't address any farm practices. The animal can get antibiotics and growth hormones and still be labelled as "natural". 

Please make sure to look for the explanation next to the label: there should be a statement explaining the meaning of the term natural (such as "no artificial ingredients; minimally processed"). USDA makes this mandatory.

USDA Organic

This label is a proof that the product has been produced using USDA regulated methods. Organic producers rely on natural substances and physical, mechanical, or biologically based farming methods to the fullest extent possible.

Choosing the USDA Certified Organic product assures you that it has been produced without synthetic fertilizers, conventional pesticides: fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering (GMO’s).

Organic livestock always eat organic feed and are never treated with hormones or antibiotics.

Please note: When packaged products indicate they are “made with organic [specific ingredient or food group],” this means they contain at least 70% organically produced ingredients. The remaining non-organic ingredients are produced without using prohibited practices (genetic engineering, for example) but can include substances that would not otherwise be allowed in 100% organic products. These will not bear the USDA organic seal, but, as with all other organic products, must still identify the USDA-accredited certifier.

Non-GMO

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are plants and animals that have had their genetic makeup altered unnaturally. 

The Non-GMO Project Verified seal will assure the consumer that a product has been produced according to best practices for GMO avoidance.

By choosing organic (products with USDA Organic label) you will be buying what is good for you, your baby and our beautiful planet!

But we all know that organic food is more expensive than conventional. Its price could be 50% to sometimes 100% higher. While I can find a 16-ounce pack of conventional strawberries for $4.99 in the market, its organic counterpart would cost $7.99 or $8.99, if not more. And that's a considerable difference in price.

I understand that there might be times where it's not possible to buy organic food or ingredients due to cost or availability. If you can't always shop organic, go conventional but make sure at least to stay away from the conventional "dirty dozen".

The Dirty Dozen 2017

Environmental Working Group publishes every year an annual list of the twelve kinds of produce, in sequence, that have the highest amount of pesticide residue: The Dirty Dozen. You’ll want to avoid buying them nonorganic. Here is 2017 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™:

In addition to the dirty dozen some sweet corn, papaya and summer squash sold in the United States, as well as around the world, are produced from genetically modified seeds. Buy organic varieties of these crops if you want to avoid genetically modified produce all together. You can find the full EWG list here (51 produces).

The Clean Fifteen

EWG also publishes another list that's called Clean 15 that identifies kinds of produce that have the least amount of pesticide residue:

1. Sweet Corn, 2. Avocados, 3. Pineapples, 4. Cabbage, 5. Onions, 6. Sweet peas (frozen),
7. Papaya, 8. Asparagus, 9. Mango, 10. Eggplant, 11. Honeydew Melon, 12. Kiwi, 13. Cantaloupe, 14.  Cauliflower, 15. Grapefruit

Seasonal Eating

Nowadays most of the produce we see in the market is seasonless.

However when eaten in the right season, the produce will be at its peak flavor and nutritional values.

In some areas of the country and the world the weather is milder throughout the four seasons, so the production can be year around or most of the year. However in that case, in order to send the produce to the other side of the country farmers need to harvest foods well before they’re ripe, so that they can travel from Mexico or California without going bad. This means that the food ripens in transit rather than on the vine, as a result making it less nutritious and less tasty!!

Here is a quick -but not extensive- reference list of seasonal produces:

When you eat in season, the food doesn't need to travel from other faraway places. So the cost is lower, and the flavor and nutrients are higher. You also end up supporting your local farms which is exteremely crucial to continue eating healthy produce.

What Tools Do I Need to Make Homemade Baby Food?

When your baby is very young all you need probably is a fork to mash his banana or avocado bits. Later you might need a few more tools to make your life easier.

Photo credit: RachelCooks.com

We used glass or ceramic grater to grind soft fruits and veggies such as apple for our children's first solids. These are multi purpose kitchen tools that you can use for ginger and garlic later.

Blender, food processor or immersion blender: There are many types in the market. Even a handheld one would do. However we also know how important it's for moms to have their hands free of tools.

There are quite a few special baby food blenders in the market, but we think that it's not a good idea to invest in them.

Most of these offer steam and blend in one tool however usually they can only make a couple of serving​s of baby food. Depending on your needs and schedule, that may not be the best option for a mom whose hands are very full.

Also your baby will grow out of this purée phase pretty soon, and you won't be able to use the baby food blender for anything else.

If you do not have a blender already you can invest in a good one that you can use for the years to come such as Blendtec or ​another alternative that is more cost-effective such as Ninja Professional Blender.

It's worth it to invest in a good quality stainless steel vegetable steamer that won't rust.

Here the key is not to put a lot of water in the pot.

Multi-portion Baby Food Freezer Trays: These will make your life very easy. You can preserve, organize and safely store your delicious homemade baby food. It freezes in nice 2 ounce portions (7 portions in each tray), and comes in bright, fun colors to ease the food classification. When food is frozen it may not always be clear what it is.

We are so proud that this one is our own product and each package contains 2 trays.

EASY TO FILL, POP, AND CLEAN - Just one push at soft silicone bottom to pop your delicious purée out. It's dishwasher safe but cleaning is so easy that even rinsing with water will suffice.

SAFE TO USE - They are made with FDA Approved, BPA Free, non-toxic 100% Food Grade Silicone. Oven and Microwave Safe (up to 440 degrees F).

We also included an orange baby feeder in the package. It's designed with textured silicone surface that also works wonderfully with fresh fruit, frozen fruit or ice cube to soothe teething pain and massage your baby's aching gum.

You can also use 2.7 oz. glass mini jars to store and freeze your baby food.

Store frozen portions in zip-top freezer bags and write down the content and date with a permanent marker. To save you effort and to avoid the freezer burn in case you can't close it properly while your hands are full, we recommend the ones with slider that are easier and faster to close.

Keep in mind that silicone multi-portion trays are not recommended to be used as long-term baby food storage.

Looking for a quick answer?

What foods can I freeze?

Most likely you'll have the greatest success with freezing these foods:

• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Carrots
• Corn
• Green Beans
• Peaches
• Peas
• Squash (acorn, butternut, and pumpkin)
• Sweet Potato

Some food might brown or discolor. Generally, this doesn't affect nutritional value or flavor. When these food are in store-bought jars they don't look that way because unfortunately additives are included to stop discoloration. Some of these foods are:

• Apples
• Avocados, best when cut in half and frozen with a splash of lemon juice
• Bananas, best frozen with skins on

There are instances when frozen some fresh foods may alter in taste and/or texture. But when you cook and blend them with other foods you shouldn't have any issues:

• Apricots
• Citrus fruits
• Eggs (you can hard boil, freeze whole or freeze cooked yellow/whites only)
• Grapes (freeze whole or in halves)
• Mangoes (freeze in chunk form)
• Melons (freeze in chunk form)
• Nectarines
• Noodles (freeze whole)
• Papaya (freeze chunked)
• Pears (best when frozen in slices
• Plums
• Potatoes
• Prunes
• Rice (cook and freeze whole)
• Squash and zucchini
• Tofu​

What are the super foods and how soon I can give them to my child?

Here are some of the superfoods that are appropriate for babies 6 months and older, when prepared according to your baby's eating skills:

Note that certain foods, such as meat, fruit, and vegetable purées, may be gradually introduced earlier than 6 months if your baby is ready for them. Always consult with your pediatrician.

How much my 6 or 8 month old will eat at her first meal?

If your 6-8 month old baby is just starting solid foods, she will probably only eat 1/2 of the tablespoon sized portion the very first times you begin solids.  

As your baby becomes accustomed to eating solids, you will gradually increase the portion sizes. Keep in mind that breast milk and/or infant formula are providing for the total nutrition of your baby at this early stage.

How can I thaw frozen food?

1. The safest way is to move the frozen food from freezer to your refrigerator and let it slowly thaw for 10 to 12 hours. Once thawed you can either warm it (if it's cooked) or give it to your baby once it reaches the room temperature. Never leave any frozen food on the counter to thaw as it may develop bacteria.
2. You can immerse the baby food in hot water for 10 to 20 minutes, We never use plastic bags to do this just to be on the safe side. We place frozen baby food in a glass or ceramic container and put the container in hot water, and stir as needed.
3. We do not use microwave, so we can't really recommend it. If your purée is cooked, you can place it in a small pot and heat it super slowly. You can add a dash of liquid if needed.

Do I need to cook all the purées?

As your pediatrician will also tell you that fruits and vegetables should be steamed and boiled before pureeing up until your baby is 8 months old. This helps make the food more easily digestible. Raw fruits and vegetables probably won't harm your little one, but maybe it will be too much work for his little stomach to digest.

Which purées I should start with?

• It's better to start with the basic, single-food purées... See a few suggestions below.
• Steaming the fruits and veggies is often the preferred cooking method, but you can also boil or bake the foods in a small amount of water.

How sould I purée meat?

• Purée meat while it is cold. Not only let your meat cool after cooking, but give it a good chill in the refrigerator before puréeing.
• Chop up the meat into 1 to 2-inch pieces, then pre-grind the meat to a clumpy texture before attempting a smooth purée.
• Add juices from the meat, breast milk, formula, or a puréed fruit or veggie to help get a smooth consistency.
• The method of cooking the meat will also help with result. When meat is cooked slowly it will retain its juices and allow for a smoother mash.

A Few Baby Food Recipes to Get You Started...

Happy Times!!!

Most of all make this precious time as enjoyable as possible. Watch your baby grow, develop and taste different foods with wonder, marvel, and joy... That little hungry mouth will open with excitement any time you approach the spoon...

I will never forget my son's face and the light in his eyes when he tasted watermelon for the first time in one of those fruit feeders. His love affair with watermelon started right there...

Happy feeding!!!