There was a study published recently that showed high amounts of heavy metals in popular baby food brands foods. While there are some heavy metals naturally in many foods, I find it easier (and cheaper!) to make most of my baby's food. This way, I know exactly what is going into my little one's tummy and exactly how much of each item. I've been doing it for a few months now and below are the best tips that I have found to help.
Add a fruit with the vegetables. It makes it sweeter and baby likes it better.
If you're using frozen vegetables and fruits, then either cook them first to get them nice and thawed for consistency, or keep the consistency much thicker than you think it should be. This way, once they are at normal refrigerated temperature instead of frozen, they won't be super runny and are still thick enough for baby to eat without dripping it everywhere.
You can buy resealable pouches online that are dishwasher safe for easy clean up. These are the ones I bought: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Modern-Reusable-Food-Pouches/dp/B08SXQYYF4/ref=sr_1_7?crid=31AZWLHH3E5J&dchild=1&keywords=reusable+pouches+for+baby+food&qid=1612562478&sprefix=reusable+pouches%2Caps%2C265&sr=8-7 They are cheap and easy to use, but make sure you stay under the fill line or you will have food spilling out of them when you go to close them. It's also easiest to spoon the food into them instead of pouring it in my experience.
You don't need a fancy baby food processor, or even a normal food processor, to make food. You can just throw it all in a blender, and add water to get the right consistency.
You don't need to add breast milk or formula to the food unless you want to. You can instead add just water for the liquid, or some avocados and bananas can help give the food a bit of creaminess so its more like a smoothie mixture. You can also make smoothies for baby with fruit and yogurt once they are old enough to have some dairy. They are a good source of fiber, and they are usually sweet just because of the fruit so baby likes them and you don't even need to put juice in!
If baby is having trouble with constipation you can add prunes or apples to any of your purees and this generally helps things get moving.
Make large batches of food and then keep it in the freezer. You can pull them out and thaw them as needed. The food stays good for longer in the freezer and this way you don't have to make food as often.
Add spices! Get your baby used to all those different flavors so they learn to like all of them as they get older. Cinnamon goes well to sweeten some of them up, or you can go with bolder flavors like curry to add a little variety to that baby food.
You can freeze greek yogurt bites for a good, sweet teething snack for baby that is still full of protein. Whip a couple of egg whites until stiff, then add in the greek yogurt and you get that meringue like consistency after you freeze on a baking sheet. They melt fast though so only take out a few at a time.
Let your baby get messy. Let them feel the food and the different textures. This helps them learn about the different food before they taste it so that they learn what to expect.
Keep giving it to baby. If they seem like they hate it, then just keep offering it. It can take more than 10 exposures to a new food before baby will start eating it, and that is not only okay, but it is perfectly normal.
Whether you are buying store bought food, making purees, or giving your baby whole pieces of food like baby led weaning, YOU are the one that knows what is best for your little one so stick to your gut. Hold yourself a little higher, give a shout out to all the other mamas out there doing their thing, and carry on with your multi-tasking, kick-ass attitude, because that's all there is left to do and we're all in this together!
Comments