How to Make Your Own Baby Food?
Your baby has a smaller appetite than you do and still somehow, you find yourself spending more on baby food than you spend on your own appetite. But luckily, we at Baby Aahar have found a pretty easy alternative to buying the overpriced, tiny jars or pouches of baby food.
There are an array of benefits to becoming your baby’s personal chef. Making your baby’s food will save you money, reduce loads of packaging waste and at the same time allow you to know exactly what’s going into your baby’s meals hardly taking any time at all. Read our best tips on making baby food at home with ease.
How to Make Baby Food at Home
Making baby food is as simple as steaming the food that needs to be cooked (such as potatoes, carrots, peas, and beans),then blending it up, portioning it and storing it safely.
Most importantly the tools you’ll need to make baby food at home is a blender, food processor or baby food maker. You will also need something to steam veggies with and food-safe storage containers.
What is the Age that babies can Eat Baby Food?
The American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend introducing solid foods at around 6 months of age, but still continuing to breastfeed or formula feed the baby until they naturally wean off which is usually between 1 year and 2 years of age, even though this is different for every child.
For more guidance on when your little one is ready to start eating solid foods, check out the Baby Aahar’s list of signs — for example, whether your baby is holding their heads up without support, or if they are putting toys and hands in their mouth, and are they are showing interest in food.
Baby Aahar suggests starting with things like pea puree, banana puree, avocado puree, baked sweet potato puree, apple puree, and carrot puree.
If possible, opt for organic versions of foods that are on the Baby Aahar website. And again, don’t forget to consult your pediatrician to see if there are any foods they would want to specifically recommend for your baby.
Homemade Food Recipes for Babies
Keeping in mind that the first few months of solid food should be in puree form as babies are unable to chew. The best options include green vegetables, lean meats and fish, nuts, whole grains, fruits.
For 4 – 6 Months Old Babies
The first few attempts at feeding your baby semi solid food should be in a thin, runny puree form. This is because young babies can’t swallow large chunks of food, being used only to liquid milk until this point.
1. Pea Mash
Peas are simple but nutritious and rich in proteins.
Ingredients:
- One cup of shelled peas
- Half a cup water
How to Make:
Boil the peas until they’re cooked thoroughly. Then Strain the water and mix the peas with half a cup of fresh water and blend it until you get a consistent paste.
2. Banana Puree
Bananas are good for the baby’s digestive system and have a lot of nutrients such as potassium and dietary fibre.
Ingredients:
- Half cup of ripe yellow bananas, peeled and properly sliced
- One cup water
How to Make:
Combine both the ingredients in a mixer until you get a smooth runny mixture.
3. Whole Grain Puree
Introduce whole grains at this age due to their vitamin A and high iron content.
Ingredients:
- Half cup of cooked brown rice/ragi/oats
- Half cup of water
How to Make:
Mix both ingredients in a blender until you get a watery mix.
4. Mashed Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes also have loads of Vitamin A and several other minerals along with carbohydrates.
Ingredients:
- Half cup of sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced small
- Half cup of lukewarm water
How to Make:
Boil sweet potatoes until they cook well. Mix them well with water in a blender until a consistent puree. Water can also be substituted by breast milk.
For 7-9 Months Old Babies
At this age, you can start mixing two ingredients, as your baby will be better at digesting and open to newer flavour combinations. You could start giving your baby thicker purees as a start.
1. Sabu dana and Pumpkin Mash
Both of these ingredients are high in a host of vital nutrients, ranging from vitamins and minerals to proteins and healthy good fats.
Ingredients:
- One cup of pumpkin, peeled and sliced
- Half cup of sago(sabudana)
- One cup water
How to Make:
Cook the pumpkin and sabudana separately. Combine them along with water in a blender until you get a puree.
2. Papaya Mash
Papayas are high in carotenoids and other antioxidants, and along with that also vitamin C, folates and pantothenic acid (vitamin b5).
Ingredients:
- One cup of papayas, peeled and seeded and sliced small
- Half cup water
How to Make:
Mix the ingredients in a blender to get a smooth paste.
3. Berry and Beetroot Puree
Both berries and beetroots contain high levels of antioxidants known as anthocyanins, which are also called immunity boosters.
Ingredients:
- One cup of beets, peeled and sliced
- Half cup of seasonal berries
- Half cup of water
How to Make:
Cook beetroot until it is soft. Blend all of the ingredients to make a delicious puree. You could replace water with breast milk for a thicker form of the puree.
Storing Homemade Baby Food
Homemade baby food can spoil easily and it can be quite complicated to store. Thus it is important to know that glass is not the right choice for freezing, because it can crack and burst when exposed to sub zero temperatures. There are three easy methods for storage of the food.
1. Refrigeration
This is the easiest and most convenient way to store homemade food. Still, it is important that you do not store any baby food for any more than two days to prevent the chances of bacterial or fungal contamination.
2. Ice Cube Method
The least amount of waste and the longest storage time. Once prepared, you could keep any remaining amounts in ice cube trays and place them in the freezer. When it is feeding time, one needs to only take a cube or two, heat until lukewarm and give it to their baby.
3. Wax Paper Method
You could Take the unused baby food and transfer them to wax paper sheets. Then fold the sheet up and place it in the deep freezer. Once frozen solid, transfer them to the freezer bags for proper storage.