Knowing what to feed your baby in the early stages is a little easier because she will be on liquid diet of breast milk or formula (preferably breast milk when possible). But what happens when it's time to start introducing soft solid foods? Your pediatrician will help guide you on when to start introducing solids but generally the main diet for babies up to six months should be breast milk or formula.
When you start introducing solid foods it should be foods like soft cereals -- rice, barley or oat -- and pureed or mashed fruits and vegetables. Watch baby to make sure there isn't a reaction to the new foods and note anything you notice. Fruits that are good starters include bananas, applesauce, avocado, peaches, mango and plum to name a few. Vegetables that are good starters include sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots and peas to name a few. The fruit should be mashed and pureed and the vegetables should all be cooked, mashed and pureed.
Many are finding that homemade baby food is cheaper and many feel healthier than commercial baby food. Homemade baby food is fresher and you have complete control of the ingredients so you know exactly what's in the food; there aren't any fillers just nutritious food.
Don't panic, making baby food isn't that difficult. Choose the foods you want to make, cook those foods until they are somewhat soft, let them cool, then put them in food processor or blender and puree. You can also use an immersion blender to puree the foods to make it that much easier. You can use water, breast milk or formula to mix the puree if needed.
Baby feeding with homemade foods can be a lot of fun as you create combinations and start learning your baby's likes and dislikes. It also feels better feeding your baby something you made instead of something that came in a jar. It's easy to freeze and store so you can have food on hand and ready at any time.
Baby feeding is an important part of your baby's first years. After all baby is quickly growing and developing, needing nutrient rich foods to help the little system become it's best. You don't want to feed empty calories. Everything baby eats should have nutritional value.
