When my siblings and I were babies, my mother made all of our baby food herself. As soon as I got pregnant I had no doubt in my mind that I would make the baby's food myself. As my daughter got closer to six months old and it was time to feed her food I was feeling a little overwhelmed with making all the meals for myself and my husband and then also making food for my daughter. To my surprise, it is a lot easier then I thought. Since she started out only eating a small amount at a time I was able to make a batch that would last a few days. Also, at my baby shower I got the best thing ever – the Beaba Babycook. It steams and purees foods all in one container, its awesome. It only takes 15 minutes and its easy clean up. I highly reccomend it.
Just as I don't eat refined or packaged foods myself I would never feed that to my baby – unless I knew it was 100% organic and pure vegtable or fruit with no fillers. When I make the food myself I know its coming from organic ingrediants. An infant's immune system is less developed than an adult's, and more vulnerable. Nonorganic baby foods tend to use fruits and vegetables that have been treated with chemicals. I do my best to minimize any chemicals that go into or onto my baby's body to give her immune system the best chance to develop.
Studies have shown that mass produced baby food are mostly made of water and thickening agents and have very little real food in them. The nutrition value is very low in many baby foods – Gerber and Heinz have been shown to be amoungst the worst as far as nutritional value. Other brands are a bit better but nothing will stand up to fresh food made at home. It's also a great way for your baby to try a lot o different foods and combinations of foods.
Share with me your baby's favorite combinations, I would love to hear from you. One of my new creations for my daughter that was a hit was Red Lentil and Carrot Puree.
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