Tuesday

Baby food recipes with Carrots

Carrots are sweet and simple tasting to start your baby's taste buds with and the potato adds those much needed carbohydrates.

Ingredients:
2 medium carrots
1 medium potato

Top and tail and peel the carrot, and roughly chop, place in a small pan.

Peel the potato, roughly chop and add to the carrot. Cover with water and simmer for 15 minutes or until soft.

Drain off half the cooking water (reserving the drained water) and blend with a hand held blender, adding more cooking liquid if needed, until you have a soft smooth consistency.

If using a potato masher or ricer, drain all the cooking water and reserve, mash well until lump-free and then add cooking liquid until a smooth soft consistency

Baby care-baby food one year baby

You are the best judge of when it's time to wean, and you don't have to set a deadline unless you and your child are ready to do so. However, the Department of Health now recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months (26 weeks). If you feel your baby needs to start solids before this, do talk to your health visitor.
Baby food
Babies make the change from requiring milk alone to needing a top-up with solids due to the fact that their stomachs are full after a feed and cannot hold any more milk, yet they still need more calories. Milk is a complete food, but as babies grow they require more calories, so the all-important solids, which contain more calories than milk, are introduced to meet the needs of your baby.
Baby care
A sign that your baby is demanding more is when, at the end of a regular feed, she is still restless and unsatisfied. She may even demand an extra feed during the day or wake up in the night wanting a feed, when she would normally have slept through. She may also take a swipe at your food!

Don’t rush to start feeding your baby solids, and do not be anxious if friends' babies have started on solids before yours has – every baby is different and no one knows a baby better than her mother. If your baby is happy and content with milk until around six months old, continue until the above signs are noticed. If you are in any doubt ask your health visitor or doctor's advice.
What to feed
Baby massage
The best foods to start weaning with are home-cooked vegetables and fruits. Prepare the vegetables by chopping and cooking in a little water until soft and then puree. A good tip is to add a little breat or formula milk to give it a soft consistency and to make the taste similar to what your baby already knows and likes.

Only make up very small amounts as, at first, she will only accept a teaspoon or two. Start with bland-tasting vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, cauliflower or broccoli, and never add any seasoning.

Pureed fruits are also very good - try starting with banana, papaya, mango, stewed apple or pear, never add sugar (just select sweet fruit) and do not sweeten with honey until your baby is 12 months old. By sweetening foods you will give your baby a sweet tooth, which is not a good start.

Start by offering tiny amounts of solids for your baby to get used to this new experience and taste. Never force solids upon a baby - it should be a gentle and enjoyable experience. If your baby refuses the food, forget trying to feed solids for a couple of days and then try again with another pureed food. Do not rush your baby as she is having learn to accept these new tastes and, hardest of all, having to learn how to swallow - all she has done until now is suck.

Lunchtime is often the best time to try with solids as your baby will be alert and usually very hungry. Milk is still a very important part of the diet so continue to give milk as usual along with the pureed foods.

First year baby food

From breastfeeding to weaning, vitamins to healthy eating, Baby care you all the way.

Get info and advice on every aspect of feeding your baby and keeping her healthy throughout those early years.
Baby food recipes
* Early days
* Food worries
* Weaning ways
* Nutritional help
* More on food

Early days

* Breastfeeding
* Breastfeeding problem solver
* Bottle feeding
* Mixing breast and bottle


Food worries

* Food intolerance and food allergy
* Fussy eaters
* Vegetarian babies
* Vegan babies
* Special diets

Weaning ways

* When to start on solids
* Weaning chart
* First foods from 6 months
* Feeding from 7 or 8 months
* Feeding from 12 months on
* Baby-led weaning
* Baby-led weaning recipes for 6 months and 8 months
* Gill Ripley's baby-led weaning video

Nutritional help

* Vitamin supplements
* Mineral guide
* Organic baby foods tried and tested
* Organic recipes
* Recipes for baby

More on food

* Organic baby food on test
* Small bites: food info, issues and recipes
* Find a recipe
* Baby-led weaning recipes : Breakfasts| savouries | puds
* Baby to adult: how to make the food transition
* Good eating habits start young, says food writer Fran Warde
* Drink up! Tips and ideas to keep baby hydrated

Saturday

How long you may store homemade baby food

In the refrigerator or freezer.
FOOD IN REFRIGERATOR IN FREEZER
Fruits and vegetables 2 to 3 days 6 to 8 months
Meats or egg yolks 1 day 1 to 2 months
Meat & vegetable
combination
1 to 2 days 3 to 4 months
What to do:
1. Wash your hands with hot soapy water. Wash all equipment in hot soapy water, rinse
it under hot water and air dry.
2. Wash fruits and vegetables by scrubbing under cool water. Peel fruits and vegetables
and remove seeds.
3. Remove bones, skin and visible fat from meat.
4. Bake, boil or steam food until cooked and tender.
5. Use the food grinder, blender, potato masher, or fork to mash the food until it is of a
smooth texture. You may also force the food through a strainer. Throw away any
tough pieces or large lumps.
6. Add liquids such as cooking water, breast milk or formula if the food is thick or dry.
7. Do not add sugar, honey, salt or fat to baby food.

Making your own homemade baby food


Making your own baby food from family foods usually costs less than baby food you buy
and allows the baby to get used to the types of foods the family eats.
What you need:
1. Something to mash or grind the food such as a:
· Food grinder
· Blender
· Potato masher
· Strainer, or
· Fork
2. Good quality food without added salt, sugar, fat or spices. Do not make baby food
from leftovers that have been kept for more than one day.

Friday

Everything You Need to Know About Feeding Your Baby

The Super Baby Food Book contains all the information you'll need to:

* Know when, how, and what to feed your baby and toddler.
* Know how to keep baby food safe.
* Take control of your baby’s nutrition
* Avoid harmful additives and preservatives
* If you would like, make your own baby food
Early days

* Breastfeeding
* Breastfeeding problem solver
* Bottlefeeding
* Mixing breast and bottle

Food worries

* Food intolerance and food allergy
* Fussy eaters
* Vegetarian babies
* Vegan babies
* Special diets

Weaning ways

* When to start on solids
* Weaning chart
* First foods from 6 months
* Feeding from 7 or 8 months
* Feeding from 12 months on
* Baby-led weaning
* Baby-led weaning recipes for 6 months and 8 months
* Gill Rapley's baby-led weaning video
Nutritional help
* Vitamin supplements
* Mineral guide
* Organic baby foods tried and tested
* Organic recipes
* Recipes for baby
More on food
* Organic baby food on test
* Small bites: food info, issues and recipes
* Find a recipe
* Baby-led weaning recipes : Breakfasts| savouries | puds
* Baby to adult: how to make the food transition
* Good eating habits start young, says food writer Fran Warde
* Drink up! Tips and ideas to keep baby hydrated

Finger Foods for baby

By around 7 to 8 months you can introduce finger foods. Your baby may find it easier to pick up food with his fingers than use a spoon at this stage. These finger foods can be made out of anything that’s not too sloppy to cut. Here are some ideas:

* Slices of bread or toast. Press the bread firmly with a rolling pin before toasting or cutting into fingers to make sure that no crumbs or lumps will fall off
* Strips of pitta bread, nan or chapati
* Fingers of pizza
* Cubes of cheese, or a pile of finely grated cheese
* Peas
* Cooked pasta in sizes and shapes your baby can pick up
* Cooked vegetables
* Chunks of dessert apple or finely grated apple
* Slices of carrot, celery, cucumber
* Tiny sandwiches with fruit or savoury filling

Note: you should always stay with your baby when he’s feeding himself in case he chokes. Usually, babies will cough or spit food out if they cannot swallow it. Occasionally you may have to pat him on the back or put your finger in his mouth to remove a piece of food.
Your baby and family meals

At this stage your baby can join in more and more with family meals. Seat him at the table in a highchair, perhaps with a cloth underneath to make clearing up easier.

You might need to give him his main evening meal rather earlier than you have yours - a baby cannot wait until 7 o’clock for his tea, unless he has a substantial snack in the afternoon. And some babies are asleep by 7pm!

Similarly, some older babies need an early lunch, at around 11 or 11.30am, and then have a post-lunch nap. Trying to keep a baby awake to fit in with your meal time is unfair and not very productive. However, even if you are not eating yourself, do sit down with him at the table and chat to him while he is eating.

Many families compromise, and eat together when they can, at the weekends and on holiday. You’ll find it is easiest to be fairly flexible, and to expect your baby’s routine to change from time to time.