Making Baby Food?

Philip has been eating baby rice for a while now, and we want to start him on veggies.
We want to try carrots first. Or pears. Or peas. But I don't want to buy them jarred, I want to make them myself.

So - - do I just boil the bejeezus out of the veggies until they are softer than soft, then mush them up with a fork? He eats his cereal with a really thick consistency, he chomps on it and is really good about swallowing and moving it around his mouth...

I made baby food too.  You want to be careful that you don't over-boil them because then you are cooking the nutrients out of the food.   I also had a had blender-stick to puree them up so that they were sufficiently fine.

Are you going to freeze it in ice cube trays for later use?

I had this small blender I used and these little compartment things with lids I got from Mothercare.  I'm afraid it was sooo long ago. 

I have no idea what I'm going to do! I want to start tonight - so of course I want to do my research until tonight. I'll prbably pop out to tesco later and buy the stuff, and make it tomorrow. I'm looking for a primer online, just a guide from beginning to end, how long to cook things etc. I figured carrots and peas and pears were easiest - I also thought veggies before fruit?  

You can buy those comparment things from mothercare still - I'll be there over the weekend and may pick some up. Or maybe I saw those in the blooming marvellous catalogue? Hmmm - I should go look.

Philip is sitting on my lap at the moment, and is smiling. He can't wait to have my baby food I guess. Either that or my fingers are fast and funny.

veggies first.  Why?  Because fruit tastes nicer.     And then they don't want veggies. 

Don't forget things like spinach and sweet potatos.  And squash-babies LOVE squash.   Bananas are very easily mushed. 

So which veggies are easiest to start with? I'm only going to try 1, and then give it to him for a full week. He's got a sensitive little belly, and we don't want to try too many new things too soon.

carrots

do i have to peel them first? how soft sould they be when I boil them. I don't have a steamer.

I did baby applesauce first with both of mine -- much to the dismay of the health visitor who also said start with veggies.

Some veggies I just couldn't get him to eat -- like string beans.  So I would add a bit of apple juice, etc to sweeten it a bit.  The next time I'd make another lot, I'd reduce the quantity down until he was eating straight string beans.

OH, and organic carrots are worth the money.  Apparently with normal carrots you'd have to peal it down to nothing to get to a layer with no pesticides!  And they do taste better.

 

peel them.  slice them. boil them. drain them.  and then either use your potato masher and mash them (you might need a little water or formula).  OR  throw them in a blender. 

Gotcha!
I'm off to buy carrots!!!

When I was pressed for time I used the tins of vegetables in water with no salt or sugar.  They mush up really quickly.  It also works with fruit in juice.  You have the convenience of jars but without all the fillers.

You might want to get a copy of Annabel Karmel's Baby and Toddler Meal Planner.  I'm going to start weaning Yasmin when she is 6 mos.  and this book has really helped a lot to get ready for it.

pcb