Feeding baby

One of the great things about making baby food is that it allows me to regain an appreciation for the wonderful colors and textures of food. I've always loved the entire experience of food and eating--the color, the smell, the taste, the texture, and the visual appeal of a well-plated food--and now I get to share that with my son. I also get the responsibility for helping him to start and continue healthy eating habits, which will also help me to better plan my family meals to include more fruits and vegetables.

Joseph is now up to 3-4 solid feedings a day, in addition to his 5 breast feedings. This requires me to plan more in regards to what foods I have in the house, since he gets to try one new food every 4-7 days. However, it also means that I have to keep the foods he's already had available to round out his mealtimes. Case in point: over the weekend I roasted two butternut squashes (such a lovely bright orange color!). This made an entire bowlful of squash, which I will be packaging for freezing. However, my husband and I can also eat some of it, since a serving for a baby is 1/4 to 1/2 cup. I don't normally eat squash, especially in the summer, so it's good for me to add some more color to my veggie mix!

One thing I am a little nervous about starting is meats. I know my little guy will need more protein as he grows, but I am not looking forward to seeing the changes in digestion (most specifically, the smells). We bought a free-range chicken at the Public Market last weekend so I'm trying to decide if I save some of that for him to try or get some lamb or turkey per the recommendations in one of my baby cookbooks. However, something I found interesting was that I didn't totally enjoy the chicken, even though I know it's supposedly better for me. It tastes fine once it's got Dinosaur barbeque sauce on it (what doesn't?), but the texture was totally different than any chicken I've had before (more gamey/rubbery). Not bad, but different.

Making baby... food

You thought I was going to title this something else, didn't you?

As a new mom, I didn't know anything about feeding babies. Thankfully the What to Expect the First Year book was given to me so I could learn the basics. I also received four different baby cookbooks that give some information, but a lot of it is contradictory to the other books. Asking other mothers and the doctor for insight (mostly) resulted in replies like "oh, you know, just start them with a little and see what happens." AAAGH. My nerd-like instincts to read everything available aren't very helpful when the information is vague.

However, the cookbooks have been helpful because baby food is rather pricey (especially if you are buying organic) and Joseph rapidly progressed from 1 solid 'feeding' a day to 3. (He'd like to advance to more, but we are holding steady for now since I'm trying to make sure the breast feeding stays steady too!) I started making my own baby food and think it's super easy! If you're interested, read on for the basics of how to do it yourself.

To make baby food, you don't need very much. My recommended tools are:

1. Steamer basket - this is the one I bought: Progressive International 11 Inch Stainless Steel Steamer Basket
2. Baby food containers - I like Fresh Baby So Easy Baby Food and Breast Milk Trays and Annabel Karmel Stackable Food Pots (or just use glass jars!)
3. Food processor - we were given one for Christmas a year ago, whoo hoo!

Place the steamer basket in a pot with enough water at the bottom to avoid burning the pot (which I did once and had to toss the carrots as they tasted metallic... yikes!). Bring to a boil and let steam (covered) for 6-12 minutes, depending on the type of food you're cooking. Dump the results (carefully... don't get burned!) in the processor along with some or all of the water from the pot (based on your preference). Puree to desired consistency, cool, place in containers, and freeze! It'll keep for up to 3 months.

Types of foods to try: sweet potatoes, carrots, sweet peas, green beans, butternut squash, pumpkin, pears, apples. Most of these need to be peeled and cut up before steaming. (Also, it might be easier to do squash and pumpkin in the oven and scrape the ooey goodness into the processor after.)

In summary, pretty much anything you can get at the store in a jar you can make yourself! I have yet to try meats but they will be coming up on the menu soon! :)

Also, for the lazy moms out there (can I get a what what?) ripe bananas and avocados are super easy-- just mash them up, add some breast milk for texture--and they have been a big hit with the little guy!

And, on a side note, I've stopped giving Joseph rice cereal. It just seemed like it was constipating him (which also has happened with bananas and carrots too) and I think he is getting enough iron from the milk without needing more. Anyone else have any thoughts on that?