Your Bundle of Joy Deserves Healthy Baby Food;
Here's How to Start Your Baby Off Right
When you gave birth to your first baby, you doubtless experienced the unique joy that only a baby can bring. You can't take your eyes off of this new, precious little human being. Your baby is special, the cutest, most cuddly and lovable little person you've ever seen. For the first few months, breastfeeding or formula is all your baby's brand new body can handle, supplying all the nutrition that's required for good health.
Then, along the third or fourth month of life, your baby's ready for some solid food. You've got to work into this slowly, beginning with easily digestible and nutritious foods. It's soon apparent that you're faced with an awesome task: providing healthy baby food for this most precious human being. You want to give your child the best start in life. Your pediatrician will recommend particular foods, but perhaps not endorse a particular brand.
You've now become familiar with all of the baby foods and products at your local supermarket. It's a bewildering and huge selection, ranging from store brands to pricey organic baby foods. Through friends and websites, you may have heard that the ordinary store brands might contain food grown with pesticides, additives and preservatives. You cannot accept such foods as healthy baby food for your baby! How can you assure yourself of just what's in that little jar of baby food?
For one thing, read the labels! By law, all ingredients must be shown on the label. If you see a list of names you cannot pronounce, that baby food is not the healthiest you can provide.
There are several brands of baby food which contain only foods grown organically, with no pesticides, hormones or undesirable additives. These may safely be considered healthy baby food. The down side is that they are usually quite expensive. There's no question that your baby deserves the best, but you've got to pay the bills and keep a roof over that cute little head too. What's the answer?
Many Moms these days are opting for homemade baby food as a healthy baby food alternative to purchased baby foods. All you need is a blender to transform organically grown fruit into a healthy dish for your little one. This way, you know that what your baby's eating is good, nutritious food. To prepare the fruit, wash it thoroughly and then blanch it for just a minute in a bowl of boiling water, to remove the skin. When your baby's a little older, leave the skin on, as fiber and valuable nutrients in the skin add to the nutritional value.
If you've got a home garden and you don't use pesticides, this makes ideal fare for baby. At about the age of six months, babies can begin to eat a wide selection of foods, but always consult your pediatrician before introducing new foods.
When your baby's old enough to eat what the family eats, you can simply take a portion of what's on tonight's menu and grind it up, using a blender or food processor. When your own meals are nutritious and well balanced, you know your baby's getting a good start to life. All foods may not be met with enthusiasm, but it is a good way to get baby to try new foods.
Serving healthy baby food isn't as hard as you might think and you can't do better than organic, homemade baby food!
