The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide To Finding the Most Nutritious Baby Food Recipes
Newborns get all the nutrients they need from breast milk or formula. But as they grow older, their nutritional demand increases and you have to feed them some tasty and nutritious foods for their proper growth and development. While it is certainly possible to give them jarred baby food, homemade baby food tends to be more nourishing. Here is a buyer’s guide telling you how to choose the right baby food recipes for your little one:
What Should You Consider Before Purchasing a Baby Food Cookbook
It’s amazing how quickly babies become tired of eating the same foods. But who can blame them? How many times can you eat a banana puree before you become sick of it? That’s where baby food recipes come in handy. These books give you a variety of creative and yummy food ideas to try out.
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That said, you should never randomly pick up any baby food recipe book. Always consider the following things before making the purchase.
Your baby’s age
The first and foremost thing that you have to take into consideration is your baby’s age. The different baby food recipes available out there are either suitable for babies or toddlers, or for both. A book that offers a combination of both is a better choice because you can try the various recipes as your child graduates with the different levels of foods. Plus, you also won’t need to purchase another book when your baby starts on solid foods.
Your family’s diet
The next thing you have to make sure of is that the recipes are in line with your family’s diet. For instance, if your household is vegetarian or vegan, you’ll want baby food recipes that don’t include meat as an ingredient. Doing so will help your baby get used to the family diet and will gladly adopt it when they are ready to eat regular foods.
Type of recipes
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You should also keep an eye out for the types of recipes that are included in the cookbook. Some babies like purees while others enjoy finger foods more. You should look for a recipe book that includes everything, purees, smoothies, finger foods, and solids. This way your baby will get to explore the tastes and textures of different foods.
Author’s qualification
Not everyone is qualified enough to whip up nutritious baby food recipes. That’s why you should also keep a keen eye on the author’s background. Be sure to pick up a book whose author has worked closely with babies and has sufficient knowledge about various foods and their nutritional properties.
Number of recipes
Just like adults, babies also appreciate variety in their daily diet plans. You should therefore make it a point to buy the recipe book with enough recipes for the entire week. This way you will get the chance to introduce your tot’s tastebuds to a whole variety of flavors and textures.
Equipment
While most baby foods can be prepared using an immersion blender, a food processor or a basic countertop blender, you should still check the potential recipe book to make sure it does not call for other equipment that you might not have on hand.
How to Correctly Prepare Baby Food at Home
Homemade baby foods are more beneficial for your little one than store-bought ones. But even with the purest and highest-quality ingredients, the food can turn out harmful if you don’t prepare it correctly. Here are some tips for correctly making different foods:
Meats
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Of course, your baby won’t start chewing meat right away. You need to puree it before feeding it to them. But before you do that make sure that the meat is completely cooked. You should also not waste the juices because they come in handy when you are blending the meat.
Once the meat is cooked, take it out of the juices and chop it into small pieces. Let it cool down completely before blending it with the juice.
Grains
Barley, oatmeal and rice are the most popular grains used for making baby foods. There are two ways to prepare grains for your baby. You can either grind the raw grains into a fine powder and cook the ground powder with different broths until the desired consistency is reached. Or you blend them after cooking. When pureeing cooked grains, make sure to stop before they become pasty.
Eggs
When it comes to eggs, the yolk is the component that you should be feeding your baby. You can pop out the yolk from a hard-boiled egg and blend it in liquids like breast milk or baby formula milk. Alternatively, you can separate the yolk from the white of a raw egg and scramble it with breastmilk or formula before frying it in butter or olive oil.
Produce
The first rule of cooking produce, whether you are preparing it for a baby or an adult, is to wash it thoroughly. When you wash it rigorously, it removes dirt, impurities, or any leftover chemicals if the product is not organic. After washing, you can simply cook the different foods before mashing them into purees. Be sure to add in some liquid agent to achieve the desired consistency. You can use breast milk, baby formula and sometimes water for this purpose.
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