The choice in favor of homemade puree requires careful parental control – from the choice of products to the storage of ready meals. In order for complementary foods to bring only benefits, consider a few points.
Choosing vegetables and fruits
The preparation of complementary foods provides real freedom in the choice of products, however, you must take responsibility for their origin. If you use fruits and vegetables from your own garden plot, where pests have not been repelled with chemical agents, then it can be argued that they are safe and complementary foods will not harm the child.
Food from a store or market may be poisoned with pesticides and nitrates, which, at best, will cause allergies. What to do? Pay attention to the sellers of the market and the kind of what they offer. A tanned salesman with buckets of small apples is more preferable than one with boxes of glossy large fruits. Also, you can contact your friends, perhaps they have their own summer house or friends with their own plot.
How to prepare complementary foods – food processing
During processing, the preservation of valuable nutrients should be taken into account. To do this, cook foods should be steamed or in the oven, after cutting them into small pieces. Thus, they cook faster and retain more vitamins.
Harvesting vegetables and fruits, processing, storage – hygiene is important at all stages. Always rinse food under running water to remove dirt and unwanted substances. Before cooking, wash them again, wash your hands and containers without soapy products under warm water.
It is better to cook complementary foods without spices – salt damages the baby’s weak kidneys, and dry herbs and nuts change the taste of the finished dish. Rest assured, your child will enjoy the food without special additives. In addition, he should feel a real variety of tastes without unnecessary flavors (albeit natural ones).
Puree consistency
How to prepare mashed potatoes for complementary foods so that the child is satisfied? It probably doesn’t have many teeth, so it’s important that the food has the right consistency. At the beginning of acquaintance with complementary foods, the consistency should resemble thick sour cream, when the child gets used to it (learns to chew and eat without spitting), you can add small pieces.
Tip: if the porridge seems too thick for you, add a little non-carbonated mineral water for baby food to it, thanks to it, not only the structure will change, but the composition will also be enriched with useful minerals.
Try to cook for one day, so the food will always be fresh, tasty and healthy. Intimidated by the thought of daily cooking? Cook for a few days and then freeze in small portions. Compliance with the rules at all stages of cooking will help to avoid poisoning and beriberi, which are so undesirable in the first year of a child’s life.