Have you ever been down the baby food aisle of your local grocery store? If you have you probably have noticed that there are about a hundred different brands, flavors, and kinds to pick from. When I first started my son on baby food, I was kind of overwhelmed, and I did not know if I was giving my baby everything that he needed. When I asked my mother what I should be feeding him everyday, she told me that I did not even need to buy baby food! I thought that she was joking at first, but she was definitely serious. Every person needs to eat from all the food groups to be healthy, and a baby is no different. You can feed your baby food that you eat, just the same as you can feed them baby food. All you need is a blender, plastic containers, and a refrigerator.
You can start out by going to the grocery store, and going into the fresh fruit and vegetable section. Pick out the kinds of fruits and vegetables you want your baby to try, such as bananas, strawberries, apples, or any other kind of fruit you think your baby would enjoy. When you are picking out vegetables, it is a good idea to buy green beans, carrots, and squash. Corn might be kind of hard to mash up for your baby, as will some other fruits and vegetables, but you can try if you want to. When you get home with all of the fruits and vegetables that you bought, the first thing you should do is wash them thoroughly. You do not want your baby ingesting any kind of sprays or anything that farmers put on their crops. After you wash them thoroughly, cut them into small pieces, and if they need to be, cook them. After you are done washing and boiling them if they need to be, place them into the blender until they are blended into a sauce. If it still has chunks in it, your baby might choke if he is not used to solids.
Once your baby is used to eating solid foods, you can even mix more than one fruit or vegetable together. You can try mixing bananas and strawberries, peaches and apples, or any of your baby's other favorite foods. You can also try mixing milk with some of your fruits, or maybe even some yogurt. This will keep your baby interested, and he will not grow tired of eating the same things every day. You can mix more than your child can eat in one day, and keep them in plastic containers in your refrigerator. Remember to write the date onto the container, so that you do not feed your baby food that is no longer fresh.
Besides fruits and vegetables, there are other foods that your baby can eat besides jarred baby food. One thing you can feed your baby is yogurt. At most grocery stores, next to the regular yogurt, they sell yogurt that is specially made for babies. This is a tasty and healthy treat that your baby will surely love, and it is also soft and easy for your baby to swallow and digest. You can also try feeding your baby mashed potatoes. You should hold off for awhile on the gravy since it is very greasy. Your baby may get a stomach ache, or an upset stomach. Another thing you can try feeding your baby is cooked pasta noodles. Whenever you open a can of chicken noodle soup, or any kind of soup like that, try taking out the cooked noodles if they are small enough. They are easy to mash up with a fork, and very tasty from the soup broth. Once your baby is a bit older, you will not even need to mash the noodles up.
If you would like to try to give your baby meat, try a meat that is very tender and that you can grind up in the blender. It is easier for your baby to swallow the meat if you blend it with something else that will make it more like liquid. You can try blending it with tomatoes, or a vegetable like green beans. The water content in the vegetables will make the meal easier for your baby to digest. Remember, if you are cooking the meat, make sure it is well done and safe for your baby to eat.
When people think there baby is ready to start on solid foods, most of them run to the grocery store to buy jars of pre-made baby food. It can sometimes get a little expensive, but if you have the time and the patience, you can easily start your baby on solids without having to buy jarred food.
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