Many contemporary parents are starting to gain knowledge of the benefits of making baby's food for the same reasons as healthy food is prepared for other members of the family. One of the primary advantages is being able to control the quality of ingredients and also to avoid the preservatives and additives that many of the processed baby foods may include.

First things first . . .

The fact that you will be preparing homemade food for the baby does not change any of the timing schedule for when exactly solid foods should be introduced. This is something that needs to be discussed with the baby's pediatrician; not just when to start solids, and in which order, but also so he or she knows of your plan to make the homemade food.

Pediatricians do not always agree on the exact month of life to start introducing solid foods, or in which order to do so, but there is certainly agreement that starting solid foods too early is never a good thing. Breast milk or formula is all that a baby will be needing for the first months of life. After talking with the doctor about it, you will probably be introducing some solid foods during the 4 to 6 month period at some point.

Safety first . . . Always!

The first thing to remember if you will be preparing homemade baby food is that sanitation is of the greatest importance. The same safety and sanitation rules for the kitchen that apply for other times need to be followed when preparing foods for the infant's introduction to solids. A few basic safety issues include:

• All the equipment you will be using, including knives, need to be clean and rinsed with hot water.
• Make sure your hands are cleaned. There are hand sanitizers sold now in liquid form, just rub it into your hands to sanitize. This is the type of thing that is used in hospitals.
• Be sure to wash the cutting board if you use one, not just before you begin, but also between different foods that will be touching it. This is especially important if you will be dealing with meat preparation for an older baby.
• When you are working with fruits, be sure that all pits and seeds are removed.

Don't go overboard

While you may be very anxious to get a lot of baby food made at once, remember that there are storage limits and babies eat very little. If your baby food contains meat or eggs, for instance, you should plan to use it immediately or at least within 24 hours. If you have prepared fruit or vegetables, it will last a few days longer with regular refrigeration and covered, but not more than 3 days.

It is perfectly fine to freeze most of these foods for baby, and many parents find it very convenient to use ice cube trays to do the job. Babies eat very little at first, so when you freeze these small cubes of foods and then store the cubes in freezer storage bags, you can just remove a cube or two when you need them. If this is the method you choose, be sure to throw any leftovers away and do not reheat any of it.

So how do I start?

You will discover through research or talking to the pediatrician that the foods to begin with are fruits and vegetables. Do not spend too much time agonizing over which to start the feeding of solid food with because 50% of people will recommend one and the other 50% will swear by the other. The best advice is to follow what your baby's doctor recommends or what you have chosen after research. Children thrive whether you start with fruits or vegetables. Meats will not be started immediately, however.

Preparation: (Ways to prepare baby's food for freezing)

• Use a fork to mash foods like bananas and soft cooked vegetables. Cook harder fruits such as apples, too. A fork can be used to mash hard cooked egg yolks.
• Use a blender or food processor for fruits and vegetables when you are making larger amounts at one time. You may want to add a little liquid to some of the vegetables. Formula works well, or a little bit of fruit juice, preferably apple juice. Citrus juice should not be given to babies until they are older.
• When you are ready to introduce mixed food meals and meats (not before 9 months) you may want to use a food grinder for the preparation.

Important things to remember

When introducing new fruits and vegetables to a baby, it is a good idea to wait a few days between new foods. Four days is usually enough and this will allow you to discover any food allergies the baby may have without having to risk another outbreak by having to feed all the week's food over again to find the culprit.

If foods can be steamed or softened in the microwave before pureeing, it is preferred. This will allow you to retain some of the vitamins and nutrients that would have been lost in the cooking water if they had been prepared in that manner.

Don't forget to use baby cereal as well as fruits and vegetables. This is often introduced before any other solid food.

Remember not to use honey or egg whites in any of your homemade baby food recipes for a child under a year old.

To each his (or her!) own

It is important to remember that babies will have their personal likes and dislikes when it comes to food. Your favorite food in the world may be bananas but the baby may refuse to have anything to do with mashed bananas. The most important thing to remember in this area is:

Never, ever force a baby to eat foods he does not want to eat.

That doesn't mean that you will never try the food again. Offer it again in a week or so, and again after that, but if the baby doesn't want the food any of those times, he or she just is not going to be enjoying that particular food.

Let's get specific . . .

Preparing Fruits

Ask your pediatrician which fruits should not be given to a baby under a year old. These will include any form of citrus fruits and fruits with high acid content most likely.

You can use canned or frozen fruits for making baby food, but it is usually much better to use fresh if at all possible. Yes, it is more work to have to wash, chop, and cook the fruit to soften it, but it is certainly more nutritious. Often canned foods have already lost some of their nutrients, so frozen is better if fresh will not be possible for whatever reason.

When the cooked fruit is soft, puree it until there are no lumps left. Whether frozen, canned, or fresh, be sure that there are no seeds, skin, or pits remaining.

If you need to use canned fruits, use those that are packed in natural juice. If it is packed in syrup, rinse the fruit to remove some of the added sugar.

Bananas, peaches, pears, etc. will not need to be cooked prior to pureeing or mashing.

Good first fruits include bananas, applesauce, peaches, and pears.

Preparing Vegetables

Ask your pediatrician which vegetables should not be given to babies younger than a year old. These may include beets, greens, corn, and spinach and recommendations from doctors will vary, so gather the facts and make an informed decision about whether to introduce these foods before a year of age or not. Because of the natural nitrates, this is important to remember and research.

Do not add sugar, salt, pepper, or other spices to the food you are making for the baby.

As with fruits, fresh vegetables are a much better choice. If that option is not possible, use frozen vegetables for the better alternative. Canned vegetables are very heavily salted and that is not good for anyone's health, babies included.

Good first vegetables include carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes.

When it's time for meat and combos . . .

When the pediatrician gives you the green light to start introducing combination dishes and meats to the baby, a whole new world will open up with the possibilities. This will happen when the baby is 9 or 10 months old in many cases, and the new food type is called junior foods. They will not be as heavily pureed but you still need to be careful that it is soft enough and prepared safely for the age of the baby.

You will suddenly be able to mix any pureed meat with vegetables or cereal. If your combinations are too thin, add a little extra baby cereal to the mixture and if it is too thick, try a little bit of apple juice or water.

Do *not* decide to put a child under the age of 2 on a fat restricted diet. Children need the fats found naturally in foods for proper growth.

Do not use processed meat such as cold cuts because of the sodium content and additives. Instead, just puree your own meats (if you are preparing the baby food from the family's dinner, remove the baby's portion to puree before the meat is seasoned for other family members.) You will need to add water, broth, or baby formula in order to puree meat and after a certain period of time, you will be able to leave some soft and small pieces of fruit or vegetables in the junior stage of food.

Try all kinds of combinations of meat and vegetables for junior foods. Try mixing rice with some of the combinations. You may also want to try pureeing some of the family's favorite casseroles and other meals as the baby is approaching a year of age. Be careful about large pieces, however, and also about the amount of spices in the food. It is still a baby eating it and foods will still have to be softened and put into a food processor or blender even if not pureed to the same degree.

Last words

Introducing new foods to the newest member of the family is a fun and exciting stage of a baby's and parent's life. There are things to keep an eye open for, however, and the major thing is making sure that foods you are introducing are not causing allergies or other kinds of distress.

This is the reason why foods are introduced one at a time and only one ingredient at a time. For instance, don't mix peaches and pears until you know the baby is not going to have a problem with either fruit. Be sure to introduce new foods at least four days apart; a week apart is not too much to be sure there won't be a reaction.

The top five ways to recognize an allergy or food intolerance:

1. Rash on face or around the anus
2. Excess gas and bloating
3. Common allergy symptoms such as watery eyes and dripping nose
4. Diarrhea
5. Throwing / Spitting up

External Links:

• Pregnancy and Parenting – iVillage - Many collected resources for parents
• Kids Heath Website - Great start for parenting questions that are health related
• The National Parenting Center - More resources and articles for parents