Infant and Baby Needs

When your baby is ready to start transitioning to solid foods after rice fruits and vegetables come next. Believe it or not after the milk/formula diet fruits and veggies can seem very strongly flavored to babies. Here are some tips for feeding your growing baby their veggies.

• You should wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly to remove any chemical residue. Organic produce would be best if it is affordable. Don’t use dishsoap to wash fruits and vegetables. Get a vegetable brush and a baby safe veggie wash if you desire.

• Although cooking will lose some of the vitamins in the fruits and vegetables it is necessary to get them to the right consistency for your baby. Gently steam or boil favorite fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables until mushy. Start with fresh fruits and vegetables for the most nutritional value. If that is not available then move on to frozen next. Finally used canned fruits and vegetables as a last option as they have the least amount of vitamins but you will have to cook them less.

• If you are using canned vegetables be sure to use the "No Salt" varieties.  Also do not spice your baby’s fruits or vegetables. Your baby is unused to these flavors and for him or her they are rather strong as is.

• Use a blender or baby food mill to puree the fruits or vegetables very well for smaller infants (use water to thin out).  As your baby grows you can puree the food less and less to encourage chewing. Once you have seen that your baby can tolerate certain fruits and vegetables mix a couple of them up for some variety.

• Once you have pureed or milled the fruits and vegetables spoon it into ice-cube trays and cover with plastic wrap to freeze. Keep the frozen foods in labeled plastic bags for future use.

• At meal time, simply take out a few cubes of food and allow to thaw to room temperature. If you need them to thaw quicker place in small pan with a few drops of water and warm on low heat.

A few suggested fruits to begin with:
Pears
Apples
Bananas
Peaches
Plums

A few suggested vegetables to begin with:
Potatoes (mash with water, formula, or breast milk)
Peas
Sweet Potatoes
Butternut Squash
Carrots