Help with Solids... Clueless Mom Here!

I just wanted to say that you can use a microwave but be careful. 2 things... 1- watch for "hot zones" food can get hotter than you think and sometimes only in certain spots 2- I warmed my daughter's baby food all the time and when we went somewhere to eat (like a restuarant) I couldn't get her to eat it if it wasn't warm. With my son I usually fed him more of a variety of temps., but usually room temp, and I didn't have as much of a problem getting him to eat when we were not at home.

Except for cereal we never used baby food...it doesn't taste like real food and then they become picky eaters. I just mashed up whatever we were eating. I got a little grinder at the dollar store. This was handy when we travelled, too. To this day she eats all veggies but brussel sprouts, and is very easy to feed. Taste a jar of baby food. If you got used to that, would you like the regular stuff? Also, microwaving is ok, but you need to still vigorously due to hot zones. Ice cube trays make for good portable portions. Pop the extra food into the tray, freeze, and then put into a ziplock bag. Good when you have a babysitter and go out.

At this age (5 months), the only solids your baby boy should be experiencing is rice cereal. THat's it! Everyone keeps introducing food way too early to their babies. At 6 months, your baby will start to develop more enzymes to help digest foods. At 6 months, start with 1 Tbsp two times per day of pureed carrots, sweet potato, peas, apple, & pears (organic only please! YOu don't want to introduce pesticides, herbicides to your baby!!!!) As far as seasoning, PLEASE, PLEASE NO SALT!!!! Their kidneys can not handle it! It'll disrupt their hydration status!!!!! I would wait on any seasoning until he is closer to 12 months. Then you can do some mild seasonings like dill (great for digestion), oregano (antimicrobial). Please start out slow when introducing foods. It can take the body up to 3-4 days to mount a reaction to foods- diaper rash, runny nose, rash anywhere on body, irritability, hyperactivity, constipation, diarrhea could be signs of sensitivity to foods.
I specialize in Natural Family Medicine & I can help with a specific food introduction schedule that will reduce his chances of developing allergic reactions. Call my office at ###-###-####. Plus I can give you certain homeopathics for any reactions he might develop from food. Homeopathy if very safe & effective if you know what you are doing. Hope this helps you!
Dr.A.

There are lots of websites about making your own baby food... and if you own a food processor, the fix is EASY!

I also recommend buying large jars of Applesauce rather than the baby food because its WAY cheaper and its the same stuff!

Also, i buy fresh pears, boil them for 2 minutes, and then you can cut it up in little pieces, or smash it (because its soft) for your baby to eat!

I am just getting started too with our 6 month old. She's been eating Earths Best Oatmeal cereal and likes it. I mix it with breastmilk. I have realized, through much gagging etc, that Baby likes things VERY pureed, the same consistancy as in the babyfood jars...so I make sure I do that now and she likes sweet potatoes whereas before she didn't. I use Earths Best jars when I am on the go but make stuuf at home. Yesterday, for the first time, I baked an acorn squash and then scooped a little out and she loved it! I froze some in a little dish. I have to do teh ice cube tray thing I think, because I make too much to go through in 3 days (have to chuck out leftovers in fridge after three days). Its a journey for me too. I bought the book, Super Baby Food and it is very informative. You'd probably get a lot out of it too.
Good Luck!!
and nope, NO season for baby...they have the best start...eating things from scratch..wholesome and Fresh!!

E.

Hi A.!

The ice cube system is simply taking whatever you have made for baby (after pureeing it and what not) and dividing it up into the ice cube trays. That way you have good size portions that you can just pop out one at a time! I have never used baby food either (except cereals). I bought a little portable grinder that could easily be taken wherever. Whatever we were eating, I would put some in the grinder and it would mush it up perfect for baby! My personal opinion is that if you don't let them have seasonings and spices, then they become very picky eaters. I have always given my kids seasoned food and I very rarely struggle with pickiness! I have five kids who are good eaters!! Hope this helps!

God Bless,
T. H

There are lots of books available to help you! Check out books on amazon related to organic baby foods and organic first foods for baby. There are lots to choose from and will really help you.
You don't season babyfoods. Not at all. Just fresh fruit or veggies, steamed and then pureed either in your blender or food processor. It's actually pretty easy. But you should make a bunch at a time and scoop it into an ice cube tray, freeze it, and then place the cubes into a freezer-safe container. Then each day you can pull out what you need and defrost. Personally I don't use a microwave for anything for baby. I place a pirex measuring cup inside a small sauce pan of water on the stove and warm/melt the cubes that way. Then I mix the puree with rice cereal or baby oatmeal and formula or breast milk.
hope this helps!

I was clueless about the transition, too. The book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron helped me a ton!

Please be sure to check with your pediatrician before seasoning your baby's food. Some herbs that we as adults readily use can actually be harmful to baby. I read somewhere, although I can't remember anymore-it might have been the What to Expect Toddler years- that babies should never have salt. It's either the kidney or liver cannot process it until a certain age and you can do damage. Be sure to look into that just to double check me. Good luck!

I started to feed my son some solids a few weeks ago, but we had some diarrhea so we are stopping for now. I picked up a book called First Meals by Annabel Karmel, and it tells you how to prepare meals and gives you valuable recipes as your child grows. It does tell you it is ok to reheat with the microwave, but microwaving baby food looses its nutritional value. It also tells you how long you should freeze the food and which are not suitable for freezing. I too am against Gerber products since they use plastic #7 to contain their baby food. I did pick up some of the Earth's Best jarred food and I am going to try the cereal soon. You can find it at Target, BRU, and Woodman's.

I hope this helps, and good luck!

I have always followed the advice in the book "Super Baby Food." It is really intense with a lot of information, but I just skimmed it and marked a few pages that I refer to quite often! It has a great guide on when and how to introduce foods and how to prepare homemade baby food in a practical way. Good luck!

Do not season his food.
Pick a day...puree a ton of different veggies and fruits, and then store them in breast milk bags in your freezer (be sure to label what they are)!
Then when it is mealtime, just defrost the baby food like you would for frozen breast milk (I typical did it in a container of hot water) and you are good to go!

Hope this helps!

I didn;t make my own foods but you have to start very basic. Cereal is usually the first food because babies have no idea how to eat. At first they usually push most of it out. Cereal is also a very basic texture. I bought Earth's Best organic cereal at Target because it has added vitamins and DHA and it was cheaper than Gerber. Usually Rice is the first one. The ice cube method is pureeing the food and then freezing in ice cube trays. An ice cube is the perfect size to feed a first time eater and less waste. You should not use a microwave to heat up the food because you can end up with hot pockets, however I do use it occasionally and make sure I completely stir to eliminate these. There are some foods that they say loses vitamin value but not sure about that. I am sure you'll get fantastic advice from moms that make their own food.

I made all of my son's baby food and really enjoyed it! I bought all fresh fruits and vegetables for his food. He is such a great eater now and I really think some of that is due to the fact that he was eating "real" foods early on. You will want to follow a schedule for introducing food to your son. Most doctors recommend introducing green vegetables then yellow vegetables, and fruits last. I would start making the foods now so that you will have them on hand for when he is ready to eat them. One example: I would bake 4 sweet potatoes in the oven and let them cool. Once cooled, I cut them up and put them in the food processor and pureed them until very smooth. You can add a few tablespoons of water until you get the consistency you want. When the potatoes are all pureed, use a spoon to put the mixture in ice-cube trays. Let them freeze overnight and then pop the cubes into a freezer ziploc. Label the bag with the date. Each morning, plan out your child's meals and take out the appropriate cubes and leave them in a dish in the fridge. I have a cookbook that really helped me with wonderful recipes: Home Cooking for A Healthy Baby and Toddler. The following website is also a wonderful resource: www.wholesomebabyfood.com

Good luck and have fun!! Email me if you have any questions:)

I second www.wholesomebabyfood.com Tons of great info there. I always make my own baby food - it is super easy and after doing it with my son (he is 2 now) - he LOVES all fruits and vegetables! He eats his fruits and veggies first at every meal - and I think it is like the previous person said. They get used to what the food actually tastes like instead of the jarred version. As they said, no seasoning at all. And freezing works out great - I do micro the cubes and it works out fine. Good luck!!!

Didn't read the other responses, so sorry if I overlap. It's really so much simpler than you think. Start out introducing cereals. Mix a Tbs with your breast milk or formula. Serve it very runny. Add more Tbs. Try many different grains, one at a time, over a couple weeks. Eventually, feed mixed grain.
Then, you can introduce veggies. I recommend this because if you feed bananas first, the baby may reject veggies. Bananas are much yummier. ;-) Sweet potato is a good start. Peel it, cut into cubes, cover with water and boil for 30-45 minutes until very soft. Remove the chunks, and don't discard the hot water. Scrape it through a strainer at first and add the water for consistency. If baby does well, you can just put through blender and watch for chunks.
Then try carrot, potato, green beans, etc. Finally, you can start mixing them...like veggie soup.
In a couple months, add a chunk of meat to you soup, and grind it up just the same.
I found this guide at Gerber a good reference for quantities. Good luck, and have fun. If you've boiled potatoes, you can make baby food!
http://www.gerber.com/Nutrition_Feeding/SHSH_Nutrition_Gu...

P.S. I do use ice cube trays to freeze the food. Each well is about a Tbs. I keep a big bag of baby food cubes in the freezer.
I use Mastrad Orka ice cube trays. It's easy to pop the food out and comes with lids.
http://www.orkamastrad.com/products.html

You should really wait until he is 6 months. There is no need to start solids early, especially if you are nursing. If you are nursing you are substituting an superior food for an inferior food. Up until age one it is just practice so there is no need to start early.
Skip the salt and make your own there are some great websites out there you can try.

Another method and the one I tried with my daughter is to just place a few bits of very well cooked vegetable or fruit in front of her and let her try to pick it up and eat it. She mostly just stared at it and didnt try to eat it which told me to wait a few more weeks. A few weeks later she was trying to pick up the pieces and would get frustrated so I would help her a stick a few in her mouth to chew. Then she started feeding herself all on her own. She now eats very well at one and hardly makes a mess. she uses a plate and is trying to use a spoo. She knows how to chew her food and spits out what she cant chew. She has never learned to swallow runny food without first chewing it. which can be dangerous. Unless your 5 month old is sitting up well and screaming at you to eat your food he isnt ready and there is no reason to jump the gun. Enjoy these sweet days, he will grow far faster than you want him too!

Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron wis the BEST BOOK on the subject. I give that book to all my mommy friends. It tells you everything you need to know.

We decided to go all organic. Here are a few links to learn more if you're interested. Not everything has to be organic so save your money on items like bananas. Others should always be organic. Below is a Consumer Report article to explain more.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/health-fitness/exercis...

Hi A.!
Check out www.wholesomebabyfood.com
I lived by it (and still do!) when making my own baby food. Good luck!!

The book, Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron is great, I used it like my bible for a few month. It's very overwhelming but I just took what worked for my family. It has a great chart each month on what your child can have and add into their diet. Also, I used the Beaba Baby Cook with my last child and it was a huge time saver and the easiest way I've made my kids' food (I made my own for all 3). You can buy them at William Sonoma. They're about $150 but it pays for itself in 2 or 3 months cause of the money you would have spent on jars. I used the ice-cube freezing method. Just put whatever you puree in the cubes. Once frozen, put into freezer ziploc baggies and label and take out as needed. Each cube is a serving and you just increase as your child grows. I wouldn't season any food, they don't need salt. Start with simple foods like avacado, carrots, bananas, apple, etc. Later on down the road, once you've introduced more food, you can experiment and cook different foods together. Once you get started, it is easier, but I know it's very overwhelming at first. Let me know if you need anything else, I'm happy to help.

You may have found a solution by now, as I am finally getting to emails. Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend the book

Super Baby Foods By: Ruth Yaron.

It provides recipes, how to, when to introduce foods, etc. It is my babyfood bible! Good Luck!
J.

We made a lot of our own foods too. We used fresh fruit and veggies (steaming the veggies) and then pureeing them in a food processor. We did very small batches and just refrigerated them for up to 3 days. There is no need to add salt. The earlier you add it, the more they develop a taste for it, and then eventually they want more and more salt. I always used the microwave. Just make sure you stir it really well and check it yourself before you give it to him. Slightly warm is fine, it doesn't need to be hot. Also, my doctor gave me a really great way to introduce the foods.
Breakfast: rice cereal for 3 days until they get used to it. Then, add dinner: barley cereal for 3 days until they get used to it. Then, add lunch: oatmeal for 3 days until they are used to it. Always give the solids first, then the formula or breast milk. Then, after about 2 weeks or so, start adding a green vegetable at dinner. Few days later, add green vegetables to lunch also, then few days later add fruit to breakfast. Always introduce one new food at a time and wait for a few days to see if there are any allergies or intolerances. Then eventually, add a fruit to lunch also. My son always preferred the veggies to the fruits (Lucky me!), I think the fruit was too tart for him, except for the bananas. He really did love the plums though. Sometimes I would mix plums with apples and other fruits so he would eat them. Make sure the plums are REALLY ripe when you use them, or they will be too tart also. I hope this helps! :)

My son is 8 months old and I've been making his food since he was 5 months old. I don't make the cereal (although you can if you want) because the boxed kind is just easier and it contains extra iron. I make a bunch of fruit and veggies on one day and freeze most of it. I steam all fruits and most veggies and bake potatoes/squash, etc. As much as possible, don't boil anything - you lose nutrients. You don't need to add salt, but I am going to start adding herbs to his food now so he starts getting used to flavorings as we eat them. Look up online which ones are safe for baby. Wholesomebabyfoods.com is a great website! One more thing - I serve all of his food cold. He is used to it and it makes eating out much easier (no need to heat it). If you do heat it, make sure you are using microwave safe bowls. BPA free is even better!
It may seem overwhelming now, but once you get into a system with making baby's food, it's actually kind of fun and very rewarding! Good luck!