Nitrate Poisoning from Homemade Carrot Puree?

I personally never made my own baby food, but one of my close friends did and NEVER had a problem. Good luck!

I don't know about carrots, but I did see on the news a few months ago that the tap water in some parts of Columbus had high nitrate levels that should not be given to infants. Here's an article, I don't know if this is still in effect:
http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=187687

I've never heard that.

With all three of mine, we went right to table foods (around 4-6 months), no jars/baby foods/cereals, and no dietary restrictions (we have no allergies, so fish, eggs, peanut butter, etc. is okay). None of my peds ever told me that ANYTHING was off limits for any of my kids.

i know you resolved this problem several months ago but i saw it and wanted to say that i actually have heard about the nitrate problem with homemade carrot baby food. it was actually in one of the baby books i had. i had been homemaking all of my daughters babyfood (actually never bought a jar of it during her whole babyhood) and was shocked to have read this. i asked her doctor and she had not heard of it. so even though i have no doubt it is a real thing, if it was THAT dangerous it would be more known and we would have heard numerous horror stories about nitrate poisoning. my daughter loved carrot puree and still munches carrots everyday.

N.,
Here is a link that explains it:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/nitratearticle.htm

I think most commercial carrots are produced in California, and I have never heard of any grown in the Northeast (gee, heavy clay, rocky soil, no wonder) anyway.

Best wishes!
K.

HI N.

OMG another report how shocking,,give me a break
i had my kids on veggies since they were 3 to 3 and half months old. Their older now more like almost all grown look dont listen to everything you read ok you do what you feel is right. For goodness sake i had my kids taste ice cream at 2 months old ok, i so believe a child should just be on milk for a year.Just dont go over bye cooking him a five course meal ( LOL ). Enjoy him as much as you can he will be growing up faster then you think.
Have fun
F.

Hi N.,
This is a serious condition but I really wouldn't worry to much about it. check with your ped. It is dangerous in infants/up to 6 months. It messes with the oxygen, heart and the baby' skin would be noticably a blueish brown.

It is an overdose of nitrate % of your child getting it is low. Check with your Ped to be sure. Good Luck. B.

I have never heard of this (OMG - I hope I am not a bad mommy now! :-) ) I did puree a lot of my son's food when he was going toward solids. We did this for about a month. I would wash them, puree and put some in the fridge and the other in the freezer.

He didn't act like any of that bothered him. I was not restricted from my doctor for him not to take anything. We don't have many food allergies in our familys (except for nuts in a distant relative) so I knew he would be ok w/ that.

It is cheaper to make the food - just not as convenient as the already prepared kind! :-) You do pay for the convenience. :-) Good Luck!!
K.
Bradley - 16 months
Miamisburg, OH

He can have carrots, but as the other reader said, just not a ton everyday. The equivalent to a jar's worth every day at most should be fine. I have a daughter that just turned one, and our pediatrician never said anything bad about carrots, and I asked repeatedly what she could and couldn't eat.

Where did the article come from, and what stats or facts did they base on this finding? I am not a doctor, but I have practilly been a mother since age 9 ( i am from a family of ten and am 3rd oldest) and have not ever heard of this. Of course one week eggs are bad and the next they are good for you.. according to the media. Talk again with your doctor ask his opinion, but man there are surely a lot of different brands of baby food STILL SELLING CARROTS FOR BABIES YA KNOW....

I've never heard of such a thing, but I know that I've been feeding my son carrots for 6 months (I made them at home, with my ped's ok) and he's never had any problems. I also get the frozen peas and carrots medley and give him that - he'll be a year old Nov. 2nd and has never had any problems with carrots.

I have never heard of such a thing. All of my children loved carrots as well. I would try speaking with the doctor again to clam your concerns regarding the matter.

I had heard about this somewhere?? I can't remember where but the jist I got from it is that it is the nitrate is found in higher concentrations in different parts of the country and that you should avoid carrots ...etc.. that are grown in the Northeast part of the country. ITs not necessarily found in all carrots. I also made my own veggies and stuff at home and never had any problem with anything. Good luck!!

I have never heard of this. My son loved and still loves carrots. We never had any problems. I would say though that if your doctor said it was ok then it should be ok. Doctors are not going to tell you to do anything to harm your baby. But that doesn't mean you should feed him carrots at every meal...if you are leary maybe limits carrots to once a week as a treat for child since they like carrots so well. Good luck

Here's a great information page about this.

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/nitratearticle.htm

What are the odds that my baby will get Blue Baby Syndrome? It is important to note that the odds of your baby getting "Blue Baby Syndrome" nitrate poisoning from Carrots or other veggies is about 0%.

Yes, while nitrates are an important issue, they are highly unlikely to poison your baby from the carrots that you make! Many pediatricians will tell you to not make homemade carrots while many other pediatricians will shrug off Nitrates and tell you there is no issue.

Nitrate poisoning is very rare and when it does occur, it is typically traced back to ground water contamination – specifically from contaminated private wells.2

"Around the age of three months, an increase in the amount of hydrochloric acid in a baby's stomach kills most of the bacteria that convert nitrate to nitrite. By the time a baby is six months old, its digestive system is fully developed, and none of the nitrate-converting bacteria remain. In older children and adults, nitrate is absorbed and excreted, and Methemoglobinemia is no longer a concern." http://ohioline.osu.edu/b744/b744_2.html

N.,
Just how much carrot puree would your baby have to eat to get nitrate poisoning??? I don't think you're going to give your 4 month old a cup of it every day, are you? What about formula and baby cereal? That's the good stuff! lol

If your doctor said it was okay, I think he/she would know.

This same question came up on an aol message board just last week, and it made me laugh. The likelihood of nitrate poisoning in babies, from these foods is next to nil. I did some research on the web, and I could find no evidence that this is something that happens on a regular basis or poses a real risk. A few websites did suggest waiting until the baby is 8 months old, to start carrots and those certain leafy veggies that contain higher amounts of nitrates. And don't think jarred baby food is any different, than your homemade. The only thing different is that baby food companies are able (do so) to test the levels of nitrates in their products. They aren't able to remove it though. And as another poster said, you would have to feed your baby gobs of the stuff, to have any ill effects. So don't worry about it! And I have to say, I'm appalled at the amount of parents who seem to not understand the sensitivity of a baby's digestive system, and goes straight to feeding them table foods. I have been running into this more and more lately, and it absolutely baffles me. And as for allergies, just because there's no history, doesn't mean a child can't develop them. So keep that in mind, too, as we all begin to make choices for our babies, as to what foods go in their mouths. Okay ::::steps off soap box:::: my apologies if I stepped on any toes.

I've never heard that...I did the same thing for both of my boys. They are fine.

Did they explain how nitrates would get into carrots? I've never heard of that and I probably wouldn't stop feeding him carrots.