Feed Babies Organic Veggies and Organic Fruit
Once your baby gets to the age where she’s ready to eat solid foods, you’ll be eager to give her only the best. She’ll be switching over from milk or formula to more tasty options like baby cereal and then pureed fruits and vegetables. Now you have to decide whether you’re just going to grab a jar of baby food off the shelf or make it yourself. If you opt for the pre-made jarred foods, which kind should you get? If you decide to make it yourself, how do you do it?
New parents often wonder if one brand of baby food is the same as another. You really do need to read labels in order to compare. There are completely organic companies that process baby food, so if you want your little one to have no preservatives and no chemicals in her food, (and who wouldn’t?), then go organic. These baby foods will be clearly labeled as organic, and this means that everything in the jar, whether it be fruits, vegetables, or meat, has been produced organically with no dangerous pesticides or hormones.
Many baby foods are available that list nothing but the vegetable or fruit and water, but you have to wonder where those ingredients are coming from. Many come from mass producing farms that don’t use certified organic farming practices. For the best store-bought baby food, use only organic brands that package right after picking the produce. If they are using frozen, leftover carrots or questionable bruised fruits, you don’t want that. But of course, no company will write that on their packaging. Research the companies that you see represented in the baby food aisle. Look online to see how their food is made. Or better yet, make your own!
It is so easy to make your own baby food even if you work full time out of the home. Take a few hours at night or on the weekends and make some baby food batches that will last you for weeks. You can even do meat products. You’ll freeze the extras, so there’s always something ready for baby to eat.
First, shop all organic. Go for organic carrots, peas, green beans, corn, peaches, apples, berries, etc. Then pick up some organic chicken and farm raised organic beef too. Cook up batches of food in the microwave or on the stove. Just don’t add any extra salt. It may seem bland to you without butter or salt, but babies don’t need the extra additives. In fact, most babies prefer the bland flavors.
Next, when your vegetables and meats are cooked, grind them. Baby food grinders come in various shapes, sizes, and prices. But if you have a food processor at home, you already have a baby food grinder. Chop up small batches of carrots. Then do the green beans, etc. Once you have your individual batches processed, pour them into clean ice cube trays. Put the trays in the freezer and let sit until frozen. You can do this with the meat as well.
Once your food cubes are frozen, transfer them to zip top bags. You can put several of like kinds of cubes together in one bag and take one out at a time when you need it. Label the bags so you won’t forget what they contain and also include the date. They will stay for months in the freezer, but for freshness, use in the first two months after freezing.
When your baby is ready for a meal, take the cube out and place it in a microwave safe bowl. Heat it for a few seconds and stir. Don’t overheat it and always test it yourself to see how hot it is before feeding it to your baby. It’s a real timesaver to have the cubes of organic food ready to go when you need it. They can also travel with you in a cooler if you’re taking a short day trip.
There’s no reason baby has to eat food with chemicals or preservatives in it. Be sure that the ingredients you start with are organic and wash them well before processing. You’ll save yourself a bundle of money over jarred baby food and also ensure that you are feeding your baby the best possible foods.
If you take baby to day care, bring a few cubes of food for lunch time and ask them to put them in their refrigerator or freezer. Or pack them in an insulated lunch bag with ice packs and it will stay cool until lunch time.
You can also can foods when they are in season, like your own apples or peaches. Just be sure you leave them with their lids securely canned and in a cool, dry place on the shelf for storage. When you need applesauce, you’ll be glad you’ve got several jars of home cooked sauce from the fall to tap into. Baby will love it and you will love knowing that baby’s menu includes organic foods that are wholesome and good for her.
As baby gets older, you can still make her food and freeze it in cubes. You’ll just be adding more variety, but the process is identical whether she is 3 months old or 15 months old.