Did you start baby on solid food yet? If you have, then expect this to be an exciting chapter for you and baby, especially if you’re a new mom or first-time parent.
You can expect some challenges as well and this Baby Care article is here to help you out!
Preparing a baby’s first solid food can take time. You’ll need to ensure the baby’s first solid food has all the right nutrition and that baby can swallow it easily. If you’re a busy parent, this can be tough!
Lucky for you, we have some smart hacks up our sleeves! Follow these tips to easily prepare a baby’s first solid food.
Get your tools ready
You will need the right set of tools if you want to ace this new chapter in your life as a first-time parent.
These don’t necessarily mean expensive baby food makers.
Here are some of the things you should add to your feeding time arsenal, many of these are fairly common household items but they can do wonders to upgrade your baby food-making game:
- Safe and Environmentally Friendly Food Containers
Food containers will be your best friend at this time especially if you plan to make baby food at home and by batch.
Pick containers that are safe for babies and made of non-toxic materials. Also, if you plan to freeze baby’s food, make sure you get freezer-friendly jars.
- Ice Trays
Ice trays will help you make the perfect cube-sized food. Plus you can use it to portion control what the baby eats.
- Plastic Wrap
You’ll need plastic wraps if you use ice cube trays to prepare the baby’s food. Plastic wraps will help you safely cover ice cube trays to prevent contamination from other items in your fridge.
Also, these are better than tin foil as tin foil rips easily and could mix into baby’s food.
- Freezer Bags
An alternate option for storing baby’s food is to use plastic wraps. These are less bulky than food containers and glass jars.
- Labels and permanent markers
You’ll also need labeling materials to appropriately mark baby’s food containers. When storing multiple homemade babies make a label indicating the contents of the jar and date you prepared it.
- Silicone Spoon
It’s important to make feeding time comfortable for baby especially because he or she is still adjusting to this new routine plus the unfamiliar taste and texture of solid food.
Opt for silicone spoons as these are better for baby’s soft and sensitive gums compared to silver utensils.
- Waterproof Bibs
Feeding baby solid food can be messy especially in the first few months so make sure to get waterproof bibs.
These are much more durable than the usual cloth bibs and so much easier to clean.
Unless you want to wash dirty cloth bibs all the time, you should get waterproof bibs that are dishwasher safe and made of sturdy material like silicone.
Prepare food by batch
You’ll probably enjoy picking and preparing the menu carefully in the first few days of introducing baby to solid food.
But you’ll realize soon that you’re spending a lot of time preparing single meals and this time could be spent on other parenting duties. Prepare homemade baby food by batch instead of individually every day to save time, effort, and money.
Freeze leftover baby food
If you make baby’s food by batch, you can store them in safe food containers or freeze them. Don’t freeze homemade baby food in containers that are not “safe to freeze.”
An alternate option is to freeze the food in ice cube trays and then transfer the frozen food in freezer bags. This option is better if you want to save space in your fridge or don’t want to buy bulky glass jars.
Follow these steps if you want to freeze leftover baby food:
Step 1:
Transfer the pureed baby food carefully into your ice cube tray. Do this carefully as if you were filling the tray with water. Each cube is about 1 ounce in volume.
Step 2:
Cover the ice cube tray with plastic wrap. This will prevent the baby’s food from getting contaminated by other items in the fridge. Plastic wrap is also better than tin foil as it does not rip easily.
Step 3:
Leave the baby food puree in the freezer until it is frozen.
Step 4:
When the puree has frozen and set, carefully scoop them out and transfer into your freezer bags.
Step 5:
Label the freezer bags with the type of food and the date you prepared it. This will help you monitor the baby’s food supply and make sure you consume the food that you made first.
Step 6:
Store bags in the freezer. When it’s feeding time, take out the number of cubes you need, thaw, and feed the baby.
Let baby munch on no-cook purees
To help baby get used to the taste and texture of solid food, incorporate healthy snacks into baby’s day. Instead of processed food, feed baby with fresh fruit. Cut cucumbers, melons, and mango into fry-sized pieces and let baby munch on them. You can also mash bananas and avocados with a fork for baby enjoy.
Safety first!
- Make sure your tools, kitchen, and hands are clean when preparing baby’s food.
- Make it a habit to wash your hands thoroughly when handling anything in the kitchen.
- Make sure clothes, sponges and dish towels are clean and replace regularly.
- Regularly check if the baby’s food supply and ingredients are not expired. Throw away expired items right away.
- Make sure raw meat, fish, and chicken are stored separately in the fridge as these can contaminate baby’s food or the ingredient you use for making baby’s food.
What stories and tips do you have for preparing homemade food for baby? Share them in the comments section!
