Like many processed convenience foods, commercial baby
food soared in popularity in the post-WWII era as parents spent less time in
the kitchen. As 21st-century parents return to their roots and reject
industrial creations in lieu of wholesome, scratch-made fare of varied flavors
and textures, they want the same for their babies and toddlers.
Dora Babić Cikoš
holds a Ph.D. in nutritional science. She and her sister, Ana Weinstein, formed
the U.K.-based Creative Nourish resource as a guide for parents that care about
their children’s nutrition. Babić Cikoš notes that commercial baby food often
consists of artificial preservatives and food colorings which are not
beneficial for babies just starting to eat solid food. By making baby food from
scratch, preferably with organic ingredients, she explains that parents can
minimize exposure to pesticides and unnecessary substances, as well as expand
their children’s palates so that they have a smaller chance of becoming picky
eaters.
“Store-bought baby
food often concentrates on a few foods as the main ingredients and builds
different jars and/or pouches around it, causing the food to be almost always
in puree form and of a similar taste,” she advises. “Children that eat homemade
baby food, especially if it is adapted for them from the foods that the family
also eats for their meal, are exposed to different foods, tastes, textures,
spices and ways of serving food.”
Registered Dietitian
Amy Reed, the spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND),
notes that the practice of infant feeding is one of many factors affecting how
a child develops. In infancy, this may include when solids and textures are
introduced, along with genetics and parental feeding styles.
The academy suggests
homemade baby food as a way to offer more variety to little ones’ diets.
Parents can choose from an assortment of fruits and vegetables in the produce
section, and frozen veggies and canned fruits can be added to homemade baby
food to help expose babies to a variety of flavors.
Reed says, “If a
family chooses to make their own baby food, they can control the ingredients
and individualize it. Baby food that is pureed is typically offered at around 6
months of age. Textures should be offered to babies before they are 9 months of
age. A delay in texture introduction can be associated with feeding
difficulties.”
Making Baby Food with
Ease
A food processor,
blender or immersion blender allows parents to quickly puree most fruits and
vegetables. Softer fruits like peaches can be pureed without cooking, while
vegetables such as carrots or sweet potatoes can be baked or broiled. Steaming
helps retain the most nutrients. Puree the foods in a blender or food processor
and slowly add water if necessary, to make them easier for the baby to eat and
digest.
Making baby food
allows parents to get creative and add more flavorful, nutritious foods such as
pureed kale to a butternut squash recipe. Parents can also manage sugars and
salt or add a dash of nutmeg, cinnamon, thyme or milder spices and seasonings
for extra flavor.
“Homemade baby food
does not have to be complicated, because you are not preparing a five-course
meal for your baby,” says Babić Cikoš. “Just giving them the same food you are
eating and cooking for the rest of the family minus the added salt, sweetener,
honey or milk, and pureeing or cutting things differently for your baby.”
She notes that price
comparisons between homemade baby food and commercial baby food might show that
store-bought baby food is more expensive. In addition, homemade baby food can
be stored in Mason jars or reusable containers, which cuts down on disposable
packaging.
For parents just
starting to introduce solid food to their baby, Dora Babić Cikoš, of Creative
Nourish, advises these purees can offer babies a sample to help decipher what
they will or won’t like: CreativeNourish.com/21-homemade-baby-food-recipes.
For
babies and older kids, this three-ingredient healthy pancake mix takes minutes
to prepare and is good for baby-led weaning: CreativeNourish.com/banana-chia-pancakes.
