Weekend is kind of a rest day for me 'coz I am in the house the whole week, so I need to spend the weekend out even if it means I need to just sit at the mall. It was then I realised that I could not make Giselle's food and would resort to baby jar foods. While it is the best source of takeout baby food, I would still prefer feeding her homemade stuff (I'm I being stubborn or what!).
So, for all you stubborn moms and the not so stubborn ones too, here are a few pointers to what you need to prepare solids for your baby and how to preserve them.
There are loads of fancy baby food processors now a days in the market. I saw a few of them myself at Babies R us and Baby Depot. They were so attractive that I almost picked up one when the voices in my head said "Wait Mel! are you serious, you are gonna use that stuff only for 6 months and you are gonna pay so much for it." That's when I decided sure, I will see what I have handy at home to make solids. So here are a few things you will need and the best thing about these "baby food making gadgets" are that they are readily available in your kitchen.
The Essentials:
- A food steamer: I am sure that most of u own this one as a kitchen possession. You can use a steamer to prepare vegetables for your baby.
- A Colander: Don't have a steamer, that OK. Used to strain rice or pasta, a colander works as a great steamer. A readily available tool in the kitchen, you can steam any food item using it. Its very simple: Keep a vessel of water under the colander. Add required food stuff in it and close it. Keep it on the cooking range. Your food is getting steamed.
- A fork: A great tool to use to mash soft fruits and veggies. Can be also used to shred chicken and other meats. A fork is an old fashioned tool used for centuries to make baby food.
- A spice grinder: used to puree baby food after boiling or steaming. This tool works great for all stages of baby food. You want to puree, mash, or just cut the food into chunks, a spice grinder will be able to do it for you.
Ways of making baby food:
- Steaming: Popular among most moms, the steaming process is on of the best ways to cook your baby a healthy meal.When you steam a certain food almost all its nutrients remain in the food itself and has a less chance to be lost in the process of cooking.
- Boiling: A faster method to cook baby food. All you need is water and your desired food in it. Set in on the gas and let it boil. The only draw back is the food that is being boiled can lose some of its nutrients in the process. But you can still use the water to puree the food.
- Baking: the most favorite, I love baking foods. Baking cooks food in its own juices and does not require a help of a substitute like water. All nutrients remain in the food, which makes it more healthy for your baby. Not only does baking provide good health benefits, but also gives a nice flavor to the food. Baby food can get very boring so bake it and let your baby enjoy a different flavor and texture (a gourmet food for you little eater) .
Preserve food for your peanut:
For mothers who are working and have less time to make baby food everyday here is how you can keep yourself busy and at the same time stay guilt free. You can make a batch of food and store it. This works great for me when I need to go out on a weekend and still feed my baby homemade food.
You will need:
- Ice trays: available in plenty in the market, a ice tray can help portion food accordingly and freeze it. You can freeze baby food for 3 months (I would finish it in 1 month tho, 3 months seems to long for me). I use a normal ice cube tray that is already sitting in my freezer.
- Freezer bags: After the food has turned into ice cubes, go ahead and store it in freezer bags (I use Ziploc bags). Label the food and the date on the bag so it is easy for you to identify the food and the time you stored it.
Always remember:
- Know how much your baby is eating in a single feeding. Once you know it, you will find it easy to portion the food.
- Portion food as required in ice cubes so that you can use it completely. Do not defrost and freeze food again. The chances of bacteria growing in the food is higher.
- If your baby has not consumed the entire portion, do not go ahead a freeze the remaining food. Your baby's saliva can contaminate the food. Dispose immediately.
- After preparing baby food, wait for it to cool. Do not put it in the freezer immediately as it can bring down the temperature of the other foods in the freezer causing bacteria to grow.
- If you have stored food in the refrigerator and not the freezer, do not keep food more than 1 day.
Sometimes I do not have homemade food in my freezer. So I go ahead and give Giselle jar foods. Once you open the jar food remove the required portion in another container and refrigerate the rest. Use it within 1 day.
You can also travel with homemade baby food. You will require a ice bag for it. If I am travelling for more than a day then I prefer taking jar foods or cereals as the chances of my baby falling sick is less.
So here are a few pointers for all you baby home food makers. I hope this information helps all my readers. If there are some more points you want to add moms, do drop me a comment. I shall incorporate the same :)
Till then happy cooking.
Note:
- While pureeing food, use the same water you have used to boil or steam the food.
- If you do not have a spice grinder, go ahead a use your food processor. You may need to add a little extra water (osterizer works great). This works great when you make food in bulk. For less quantity food I would still prefer a spice grinder.
- Cover the ice cube trays with plastic wraps before freezing food.
- Making baby food at home is very easy but if not preserved properly can cause babies to fall sick.
- If you think you are not confident preserving food in advance go ahead and do it everyday (I do it). It will keep you tension free :)
- You want to invest in a baby food grinder, yes you can. Its up to all moms to decide that. Its still healthy and serves the purpose :)
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