Baby food Baby food chart,Baby Growth Chart

Baby Growth Chart
Baby food can be food other then breast milk. It generally comes in different varieties and tastes. It can be produced by manufacturers or may be a normal food what we eat in our day to day life. The common thing about the baby food is that it is generally in the liquid form or in a form which is easily chewed and digested by the baby. Parents take good are about their babies in most aspects of their lives like their education, clothing and all their daily requirements. But one aspect which is unknowingly ignored is their food and food habits.

During the initial stages of child he needs proper food care in order to be developed physically and mentally. The balanced diet becomes key factor in determining his/her health. Parents take a proper care of child but certain things are overlooked regarding their food habits.

Baby food available in markets contains additional fillers, sweeteners and other ingredients which are inappropriate for baby’s diet. They are present to add some artificial flavors to the food product. Nutritionally they do not contribute anything to baby’s health. Self preparation of food is far better then readily available food as it gives the exact amount of nutrition to your baby. Preparing baby’s food at home keeps the exact track of intake the baby does and the proper growth chart can also be maintained. Giving a baby an orange juice which is freshly prepared at home will be more appealing to you as you know the goodness it has against the juice which is available in market. Other factor is hygiene. You don’t know what level of hygiene has been maintained even by international company that produces a particular product.
Baby food chart,
Preparing baby food at home is quite easy and fun. You just require some proper instruments and you can make baby food in no time. Some fresh fruits blended with a blender and a fresh fruit juice is ready for your little one. Also some items are frozen and kept and can be consumed as and when required. Apart from fun, preparing baby food at home is also proves to be cheaper. Food made at home is much tastier then any other food product available in the market. Your baby deserves delicious and tasty food prepared by you. If baby eats at home you can avoid his fuss about the food he wants to eat in later part of his life. Avoid microwave heated food to baby as it may cause uneven heating of food. Food little warmer than room temperature is better for your baby. Some nutritionists think that freezing cooked ripe produce is much healthier then under ripe produce.
Baby food

Baby food chart 4to 6 months9to 12 baby food

Age/
Food Group 4 to 6 months 6 to 9 months 9 to 12 months
Cereals & Grains iron-fortified rice cereal
iron-fortified oat cereal
iron-fortified barley cereal
iron-fortified mixed-grain cereal
rice cereal with banana
cooked elbow macaroni
flour tortillas
rice
mixed-grain cereals

Fruits & Vegetables
applesauce, unsweetened
peaches, cooked and mashed
pears, cooked and mashed
bananas, mashed
green beans, cooked and mashed
squash, cooked and mashed
peas, cooked and mashed
sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
carrots, cooked and mashed
carrots, cooked and diced
banana, diced
peaches, diced

Meats

chicken, minced
turkey, minced
beef, minced
lamb, minced
pork, minced

Finger Foods

bread crusts
dry oat cereal
arrowroot crackers
rice cakes
toast
zwieback
Dairy foods and eggs
fruit-flavored yogurt
hard cheese, diced
scrambled or hard-cooked egg yolk
Age/
Food Group 4 to 6 months 6 to 9 months 9 to 12 months
Cereals & Grains iron-fortified rice cereal
iron-fortified oat cereal
iron-fortified barley cereal
iron-fortified mixed-grain cereal
rice cereal with banana
cooked elbow macaroni
flour tortillas
rice
mixed-grain cereals
Fruits & Vegetables
applesauce, unsweetened
peaches, cooked and mashed
pears, cooked and mashed
bananas, mashed
green beans, cooked and mashed
squash, cooked and mashed
peas, cooked and mashed
sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
carrots, cooked and mashed
carrots, cooked and diced
banana, diced
peaches, diced

Home made baby food care and recipes

Home made baby food
• Do not feed home-prepared spinach, beets, turnips, carrots, or
collard greens to babies under 6 months old. These types of
home-prepared vegetables may contain large amounts of nitrates
or nitrites which could make babies under 6 months of age sick.

• Select high quality fresh vegetables and fruits or plain frozen
vegetables and fruits (without added salt or sauces). Canned
fruits without added sugar or canned vegetables without added
salt can be used. If frozen or canned foods are used, make
sure to check the ingredient list.

• Wash fresh vegetables and fruits very well with clean cold
running water to remove dirt. Remove pits, seeds, skins, and
inedible peels from fruits and some vegetables. Edible skins
and peels can be removed either before or after cooking.

• When cooking is needed to soften a food’s texture, cook the
vegetables or fruits either by boiling in a covered saucepan
with a small amount of water or steaming in a saucepan until
just tender enough to be pureed or mashed or eaten as a finger
food. learn to choose nutrient dense prepared baby foods.

appreciate cost effectiveness of homemade baby foods.

learn how to prepare, store, and reheat homemade baby foods.

learn some important safety rules to follow while preparing baby food at home

Baby food recipes 1

You will require ½ cup of suji, 1 tablespoon on oil, mustard seeds, onions (optional), boiled and diced vegetables (optional) and buttermilk (optional). You can also add other vegetables for taste and nutrition, such as onions, peas and carrots. First saute mustard seeds, onions and boiled vegetables (optional) in oil. Then add suji and lightly fry for a few minutes. Once brown, you can add either 1 glass of water or 1 glass of butter milk (make sure it is not very sour) and keep stirring. Once well cooked, remove from gas, season with corriander leaves and serve warm. Remember that upma becomes lumpy very quickly, so make only when the child is ready to eat. Reheating upma ruins the consistency.

Baby food recipes 2

You will require ½ cup of suji, 3-4 tablespoons of sugar and 3 cups of milk. First boil the milk and then add suji. Cook it on slow fire, and keep stirring (to prevent lumps) until the consistency is semi-solid. Then add sugar to the suji. Garnish with powdered badaam or elaichi. Cool and serve warm.

Dalia can be made with vegetables or without vegetables. The advantage of making it with vegetables is that the child also gets some essential vitamins and minerals.
Baby food recipes 3
Dalia without vegetables
Start with equal quantities of wheat dalia and lentil. Add dalia to boiling water and cook it for some time (until half-cooked). Then add lentil until both the dalia and lentil are well-cooked. You can add salt and butter to taste.
Baby food recipes 4
Dalia with vegetables
Dalia is prepared in the same fashion as above. Except instead of cooking only dalia, you can also cook other vegetables like potatoes, onions, peas and any other green vegetables with it. You can also season it with sauted garlic or ginger.
Baby Spinach Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
1 packet baby spinach salad
1 large cucumber
2 large tomatoes
2 hot peppers
10 almonds
grapes or oranges
black olives - canned

For the dressing:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ cup orange juice
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp each ginger and garlic paste
salt, sugar, black pepper powder and chilli powder to taste

Method :
Mix the salad ingredients.
Separately mix the dressing very well and pour over salad.

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

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.