Babies certainly can’t live on milk alone. Even though
it’s essential to feed your little one with milk for
the first few months of life, you also need think
about solid foodstuff once the baby shows certain
indications of readiness. You can find out about the
different signs of digestive system preparedness by
reading My First Baby books or by surfing the
Internet.
Cooking for your baby is pretty much like cooking for
grown-ups. The only difference is that preparing baby
food calls for extra attention and care in the
preparation and handling of ingredients.
Pre-cooking Basics
As a rule, you need to wash your hands with soap and
lukewarm water prior to preparing your baby’s meal. Be
sure to dry them up using a clean towel before
touching any of the ingredients. Similarly, you also
have to thoroughly wash your cooking utensils
beforehand.
Preparing The Ingredients
Fruits/Veggies - Wash, peel and cut up fruits and
vegetables prior to cooking. In addition, remove the
stones and seeds if you see any.
Fish - Take out the bones, fat and other tough parts
before cooking. Once the fish is done, take it to bits
and do away with any left over traces of skin and
bones.
Meat - Cut all the fat away before cooking. Once the
meat is done, slice it into tiny portions. Don’t
forget to get rid of any bone and other tough bits.
Cooking Baby Food
Fruits/Veggies - Except for bananas and avocados, all
types of fruits and veggies should be cooked before
feeding them to your little one. You have the option
to microwave, boil or steam them. Some varieties of
fruit (e.g. pear or apple) can even be oven-cooked.
Nonetheless, steam cooking remains to be the most
excellent choice since it preserves a greater amount
of nutrients.
In case you don’t own a steam-cooker, don’t be
bothered about it. Microwave cooking and boiling are
fine alternatives so long as you keep the water to a
bare minimum and make an effort not to overcook or
undercook the food.
As for carrots, turnip, spinach and beet, you must
boil them at all times rather than using the microwave
or steam-cooker. These vegetables normally contain
potentially detrimental nitrates that are largely
removed in the course of boiling.
Meat and Fish - You may cook them any way you like.
Just see to it that they are well done and that you
take out all the fat and tough bits prior to serving.
If you wish to roast or to fry meat or fish, aim to
avoid putting in fat or at least keep it to a minimum.
Also, bear in mind that it’s not necessary to add any
sugar, fat or salt to your baby’s food.
Serving Suggestions
Make use of a mashing fork-or a food blender, if you
have one-to mix up the food to its appropriate
texture. If your baby is still in the early stages of
taking solids, then the food must be totally
liquefied. As his/her tolerance to solid food
increases, you can slowly transition to slightly
thicker and chunkier servings. Needless to say, you
need to give your little one some time to adjust at
each stage of the progression.
In case you have cooking water in handy, you may put
in some in order to smoothen or moisten it up the
food. Keep in mind that your baby’s mouth is more
receptive to heat than yours. Therefore, the baby food
should be warm and not hot.
To sum it all up, the two most vital tips to remember
when cooking for your little one are: (1) do no
prepare foods that are not suitable for his or her
age, and (2) see to it that he/she is able to tolerate
the consistency of the food. Everything else is simply
plain cooking. All you need to do now is to get hold
of My First Baby Food recipes so that you can start
practicing for your most precious one.
Nutritious Bites For My First Baby
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