If you would like to prepare your own baby food, follow these basic tips:



•Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly to remove any chemical residue.
•Steam or boil your baby's favorite fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables until mushy.
•Use fresh fruits and veggies for the most nutritional value, frozen next, and canned as a last option.
•If you use canned veggies, be sure to use the "No Salt" versions.
•Use little or no spice.
•Purée the fruits or vegetables very well for smaller infants, or leave a bit coarser for older ones.
•For variety, mix two fruits together.
•If these are the first foods you are feeding your infant, you may even want to strain the pureed fruit. You can purchase an inexpensive baby food maker that does this for you.
•Spoon puréed food into ice-cube trays and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze. At meal time, simply pop out a few cubes of food and allow to thaw to room temperature or defrost in the microwave for a few seconds. You can make weeks worth of meals at a time.
•For older babies, mix plain or vanilla-flavored yogurt with their favorite fruits.
•Freeze baby's favorite juice in ice cube trays. Mush up and let baby eat with a spoon for a frozen treat! This one is great for those terrible teething days.
•As baby gets older, you can also purée dishes that you fix for the rest of the family such as: macaroni and cheese, spaghetti well cooked, chicken and ham. Freeze in ice cube trays similar to the fruits and vegetables.



Good Foods to Purée

•Apples
•Bananas
•Pears
•Peaches
•Plums
•Potatoes (mash with water, formula or breast milk)
•Peas
•Carrots
•Sweet Potatoes
•Butternut Squash

Food Safety
Be sure when thawing baby foods, especially meat dishes, that you allow them to thaw in the refrigerator or defrost in the microwave to prevent the risk of bacteria forming.

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