Making Homemade Baby Food

Making your own baby food gives you the distinct advantage of controlling what goes into your baby’s sensitive tummy. You determine how much, if any, sugar and spices your baby consumes. Homemade baby food is also the most inexpensive way to go instead of buying ready-made baby food in jars.

Making baby food is very simple; with a few simple tools such as a blender or food processor and if you do not have these then pound it in a kinu (mortar and pestle).

You will also need a small sufuria and a fork. Also, a fridge really helps. Then the last and most important thing would be a few minutes of your time. Begin slowly by introducing only one new fruit per week then introduce vegetables two months or so later. Make sure the fruit is very ripe and watch for any signs of an allergic reaction. Start with the least acidic of the fruits as the list suggests below.

To make your own baby food, follow these basic tips.
Fruits and Vegetables

o Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly to remove any chemical residue,
o Steam or boil your baby’s favourite fresh fruits and vegetables until mushy.
o Use fresh fruits and veggies for the most nutritional value.
o Do not add salt and sugar to the food until the baby is older.
o Puree the fruits or vegetables very well for smaller babies, and leave them a bit coarser for older ones,
o For variety, mix two fruits together,
o Spoon pureed food into ice-cube trays and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze. At meal time, simply pop out a few cubes of food and allow to thaw to room temperature or defrost in the microwave for a few seconds. You can make weeks worth of meals at a time.

A few suggested fruits and veggies to begin with
o Pawpaw
o Banana
o Avocado
o Mango
o Melon
o Sweet potato
o Peas
o Carrots
o Green banana
o Pumpkin

Desserts/Treats
o Make your own uji and add in some fruit or vegetable to it. Be creative! However, only use fruits which baby has already tried and shown no allergic reaction towards.
o For older babies, mix some flavoured yoghurt with their favourite fruits.
o Freeze baby’s favourite juice in ice cube trays. Mush up and let baby eat with a spoon for a frozen treat! This one is great for those terrible teething days.

Meals
As baby gets older, you can also puree dishes that you fix for the rest of the family such as macaroni and cheese, rice with minced meat sauce, ugali and terere—basically anything the family is eating. Remember to watch out for salt, sugar, spices and too much fat.
Be sure when thawing meat dishes that you allow them to thaw in the refrigerator or defrost in the microwave to prevent the risk of E-coli bacteria forming.

END: BL25/12