When baby starts to eat solids, at around 6 months, mixing up a bowl of rice cereal and breast milk is easy and just the right thing at the right time. But after 6 months, baby needs more nutrition ... and I have a few tips for choosing baby's first foods!
-As you choose first foods, remember: You are setting up baby's taste buds for life, so start it right. Babies will naturally like fruit because they're used to milk, which is very sweet, so consider using vegetable purees at the start, too. You can even mix them right into baby's cereal.
-Choose bright, colorful, naturally grown foods like carrots, spinach, broccoli and apples.
-Making your own baby food is as easy as chopping, steaming and blending foods into purees. If you have a blender or a mixie, you're already in business, but if you want convenience and power in one, I love the Baby Chef Ultimate Baby Food Maker. Always make sure that the mixie is clean of masalas. I recommend that you get a separate jar for baby.
-To help you remember which foods baby likes best, keep a little Post-it Note on the fridge and every time you feed baby, write down the kind of puree with a smiley or sad face next to it. It's also fun to look back at when your child is older. When they refuse to eat their veggies, you can say, "Look! You used to love peas!"
Try this easy applesauce recipe for starters!
Delicious Split Applesauce
Ingredients:
Makes about 3/4 cup.
1 medium apple, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
Water
Directions:
1. Place apple pieces into small saucepan with just enough water to cover the apple chunks.
2. On medium heat, simmer the apples for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove apples from heat before they look like mush. Overcooking the apples can result in flavorless applesauce.
3. Pour soft apples into the blender with the apple water from the pan.
4. Puree until very smooth, adding more water if necessary. (As with all hot foods, be very careful when blending, and open the blender slowly with a towel when you're finished.)
5. Cool, mix in a little rice cereal and breast milk or formula, and serve.
For older children: Blend for less time for a chunkier texture and add 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon or 1/8 teaspoon of cardamom, for a new flavor introduction.
What was or will be your baby's first food, after milk?
Hit Reply below and tell us!
Activity Chain from Fisher-Price
Teaches basic counting. Colourful rings with no sharp edges encourages baby to make different patterns.
Helps baby grasp things better.
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