Starting Solids / Homemade Baby Food

Starting Solids / Homemade Baby Food....

(For the Solids Chatter thread, see HERE )

I put this list together when I started Olivia on solids. It is a general guide, based on current information. It may differ slightly from other available food lists, but is a good guide as a starting point. I have erred on the side of caution: it is always better to start any solid food later than earlier in order to avoid any potential risks of food allergies.

It goes without saying that when you are thinking about starting your baby on solids, always check with your child health clinic, and as we know, the guidelines seem to change all the time, so always check out what the current guidelines/suggestions are for yourself.

At May 2006, the recommendation by the World Health Organisation is not to start your baby on solids until they are 6 months old.

For a discussion on why you should delay starting your baby on solids until at least six months is HERE

To read abstracts from evidence based research about why it is recommended to delay starting solids until six months, click HERE.

Making Baby Food

Before you start:
~Make sure you always use clean utensils, clean hands etc
~Wash and peel fruits before using them

Handy Items

~ Microwave
~ Microwave plastic steamer basket (I think you can get these in Woolies, they are made by "StarMaid")
~ Blender or sieve to strain food through
~ Rubber spatula
~ Brush to scrub raw veggies with

PLUS

~ Loads of bibs
~ Loads of face washers
~ A "splat mat"........something to catch the bits of puree that get splurted out of your babies mouth; hurled off the spoon etc etc........

General Rules when starting solids...

~ You can thicken things with rice cereal
~ You can thin things down with breast milk, prepared formula or cool boiled water
~ Don't add sugar, salt or fat
~ Use a nice soft plastic spoon rather than a metal spoon
~ Use a small plastic serving bowl.......babies eat hardly anything in the early days and so start off with small portions, as all food that is not eaten in that sitting should be thrown out
~ Try the same food on your baby for a few days......it is all practice, and apparently they need a few goes on each new taste sensation!

First Foods (6months)

Rice Cereal
Apples
Bananas
Pears
Sweet Potato
Pumpkin
Squash
Green Beans

2nd Stage (8 months)

Rice
Barley
Oats
Apricots
Avocados
Necterines and Peaches
Plums
Prunes
Carrots
Peas
Zuchinni
Chicken
Turkey
Plain whole milk yogurt

Third Stage (10 months)

Wheat (ie crackers/bread/toast)
Melon
Mango
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Potato
Eggplant
Egg yolk
Legumes
Lean beef
Pork
Ham
Cream Cheese
Cottage Cheese
Cheddar

4th Stage (12months)

Pasta
Cherries
Citrus Fruits
Corn
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Fish

5th Stage (12 months to 2 years)

Whole Eggs
Whole Milk
Strawberries


6th Stage (2 years and beyond)

Peanuts
Nuts
Honey


To Puree Baby Food

~ Choose the type of food you are going to prepare
~ Wash and peel it
~ Chop into small pieces
~ Add to microwave steamer basket, with a tablespoon of water
~ Steam in microwave for approx 4 mins (until very soft)
~ When cool enough to handle, empty the food into a processor and whizz until smooth, or push through a fine sieve.

Pureeing "Grown Up Food" for babies

Either:
~ Puree the babies portion immediately whilst still hot (in a blender or grinder or through a seive)
~ As soon as it is cool enough for baby, feed straight away

OR:

~ Cool the grwon up food quickly by placing it in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight
~ The next day, put the cold food into the blender and add a bit of cooled boiled water
~ Puree, and then spoon into an ice cube tray to freeze it.
~ Deforst on high for 30 secs

(You basically don't want hot food hanging around: it should be either served straight away, or chilled and frozen.........luke warm is when the bugs and bacteria start multiplying, especially in meat based dishes.)

Storing & Freezing Baby Purees

~ Any food that is prepared should be refridgerated or frozen as soon as it is prepared
~ Store portions in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days only
~ Freeze purees in ice cube trays (once they are frozen, pop the blocks out into zip-lock bags)
~ Frozen purees should only be kept for 1 month