Whip up homemade baby food for your little one: Here’s how!

A good time to begin

It is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that you should exclusively breastfeed your baby for at least the first six months of his life. If your baby is not breastfed, then infant formula is the next best option. However, once your baby is six months, it’s time to introduce him to an exciting new world of tastes and textures. This is where solids come in.

Let’s get started

To begin with, baby food need not be very complicated. You can start off your baby’s food journey by offering him pureed fruits such as apple and pear, or mashed fruit such as banana. It is wise to introduce a new food at an interval of say three days, to watch the baby closely for any reaction such as an allergy.

Similarly, once your baby responds well, you could offer him vegetables that have been steamed, mashed or pureed. Nutrient-rich vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, kale,and beetroot are a great place to begin. Your local supermarket is the best place to source fresh, local produce. An added bonus would be to feed your baby seasonal fruit and vegetables because they are known to be a powerhouse of nutrients.

Things to keep in mind

• Be very careful when preparing and handling your baby’s food. Not just the raw food and vegetables, but even the plates and bowls you use should be sanitised.
• Remember to introduce new flavours and textures as your baby progresses on his food journey. It will help him develop a wide flavour palette as he grows, and in all likelihood, a liking for food.
• You don’t need fancy equipment to make your baby’s meals. Invest in a good hand blender so that you can save some precious time preparing the meal (and spend it with your baby instead!). A pressure cooker is also useful to get started with vegetables, rice,and dal.
• Before you season any food with sugar and salt, be sure to set some aside for your baby. Neither in excess is good for your growing baby.
• Preparing fresh food daily is ideal, but it may not always be possible to do so. In such an instance, make sure that the food is prepared and stored in a hygienic manner so that you can offer it later to the baby. If you believe that the food is not fine, don’t serve it up. Offer your baby an alternative instead.
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The bottom line

These tips should help you prepare healthy, fresh and preservative-free meals for your little one. Making meals at home also ensures that your baby gets the best food available, and the best start possible.