Recipes for homemade food for a 6mo old?
I've got a 6 month old girl, and we've been giving her Gerber branded baby foods. I used to trust Gerber as a brand, but sometimes I wonder about the quality of the ingredients and how processed the food seems.
Is it easy to make your own food? Where would I go about finding recipes for a child this age? Is there anything that I should avoid?
6 Answers
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http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/
I haven't actually tried these recipes, but the site has as lot of information - some of which my pediatrician didn't agree with....
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I found many of the websites proposing baby food recipes confusing. So I just looked up the ingredients in baby food jars and started with those.
I did notice that they put in apple a lot, though - to make the foods sweeter and more palatable? Often times apple was the second listed ingredient, but it wasn't in the "name" of the food. I stopped using apple so much, though. Babies don't always need sweet food.
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One easy "homemade" meal for babies of this age is to cook up a small winter squash (Acorn, Butternut, any small edible gourd) in the microwave. Our 9mo old really loves any of this stuff, and it seems like a pretty healthy starch to me.
Cut the squash in half and clean out the seeds. Don't bother to peel it, unless you really feel like it. Place as much of it as you'd like (one or two halves, or less) of it in a microwave-safe dish, add a splash of water, and cover with plastic wrap. Save the rest (uncooked) for another meal.
Cook it in the microwave for about 3-4 minutes. Cooking time depends on the size and type of squash, as well as the power of your microwave. To see if it's done, poke it with a fork or toothpick. When it's done, it has a consistency just slightly firmer than mashed potatoes. If it's not done, keep cooking in 2-3 minute increments.
For some variety, you can even spice it up with a little allspice, cinnamon, etc.
The cooked squash will be very hot!
Using a small spoon, scoop the cooked squash right out of the skin and on to a plate to cool. When just warm to the touch, you can give it to your child.
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I've made a lot of homemade baby food for past several months - basically steaming peas & carrots, roasting butternut squash, stewing apples and then pureing it. I put it in ice cube trays and freeze it. Or I use old baby food jars and freeze them. I think that the food has more flavor than the Gerber jar food. But, I've also had a recent case of vomiting and diarrhea and I don't know if it is related to a bad batch of baby food. So, be careful. At Whole Foods you can get frozen cubes of baby food. I think it is 12 cubes for $5. A little pricey but the quality of the food is good.
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I make all of my daughter's baby food. She just turned 6 months and so far we are just buying organic fruits and veggies and steaming and pureeing them. Use ice cube trays with lids to freeze it and then just transfer to a freezer bag. Every night just take out what you want for the next day and thaw it in the fridge. You don't have to heat it up before you feed it to the baby- they will eat it cold. Only adults have a taste for warm food- babies don't care. I got a great list online of what to give at this age but it's pretty much anything except highly acidic foods- tomatoes, citrus, etc. and highly allergic foods- strawberries, peanuts- not because it will change the allergy if it exists but because if there is an allergy it's more manageable at an older age.
We are saving a ton of money and I feel good knowing my baby is getting pure food. It's pure fruit or veggie and water to thin it out. No sugar or anything processed. Plus your baby really only eats baby food for a few months and then they are onto eating what you eat, so it's not as big of a commitment as it may seem.
