Anyone who visited our house when Zoe was under a year heard all about my homemade baby food and probably was forced to try a taste or two. I have been so looking forward to this phase again with John Patrick!
We got the go ahead from our pediatrician at his four month well baby visit because of his size (18 pounds) and I still waited a couple of weeks so that Yiayia could be the first to feed him.
Now back at home, I've dug out all my old equipment and I'm so happy to be making baby food again. We're only on Stage One foods, so I'm not incorporating spice or interesting combinations yet (I found an old label that read "Pear and Tofu"). But soon. Yay!
It's a little bit odd that I embrace this because I am not a instinctual cook. For some reason, I get such joy out of the vast difference between homemade and store bought baby foods- the colors, flavors and variety, not to mention price - that I really feel like the very best thing I can do for my babes.
Sure, you can easily buy organic baby food (and I do for backup). And all but the worst baby food companies have stopped adding salt or sugar or preservatives. But, you see, when they mass produce the food they boil all the health and vitamins and life out of vegetables and fruit so it's nothing but a yucky flavored paste. I steam everything or mash it up raw. You should try my "Apricots and Apple Spice" - it is so delicious you'll want to spread it on toast.
So far John Patrick is totally taking to this new world of brightly colored food. We started with rice cereal to test his readiness. He could not get enough and screamed at Yiayia to feed him faster.
Since then we've added mashed bananas (for breakfast he'll eat an entire banana), pears, sweet potatoes, and some apples which he thought were a little on the sour side. And, lastly, my favorite, peas!
And this is peas. Which took a little bit of getting used to.
Beyond the added nutrition and health, making baby food is suppose to introduce your baby to a wider variety of tastes and flavors that will make them more adventurous eaters. However, Zoe who used to lap up my Super Baby Food porridge and whipped tofu creations, would now happily live on french fries and ketchup if given the opportunity.
Oh well, at least I can have my fun while it lasts.
4 comments:
Like I said on Invision, if I had started this when KayTar was a baby, it would have been a wise investment. She's still eating stage 2's daily!
Go Super Mom!! I totally expect a recipe book when I'm about to be a mom! I'd be lucky to be half the mom you are!! Love you!
so fun!! I love peas too but unfortunately, Gabby is not quite as fond as I am. Oh well.
Does your local grocery store sell fresh prunes? I can't find them anywhere!
I so enjoyed making Drew's purees. And my main goal was to have a child that would eat healthier foods as he got older. He was doing soooo well when he was on an all-puree diet and now that he eats real food he's just as picky as Adam. I wish you better luck!
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