The Complete Guide to Baby Food

THE COMPLETE GUIDE To Baby Food Feeding a newborn baby is easy... There are two choices: Breast milk or formula! As all new parents know, those little guys grow fast. Before you know it, it's time to start feeding them a more varied diet. And here's where things get confusing. Homemade? Store-bought? Organic? Let's examine all the options for tot's first table. FIRST CHOICE Make or Buy? Your first inclination may be to prepare baby's purees yourself. here's a rundown of the pros and cons of mashin on your own: Pros YOU CAN SAVE MONEY. There are many price comparisons online weighing the By using inexpensive "seconds" cost benefits of from the grocery store (fruits and veggies with pureeing versus blemishes or spots), you can save even more. Just pre-packaged foods. cut off the bruised areas and puree the rest! Since homemade food should either be eaten right away or frozen, you can also use produce that's marked down due to approaching sell-by dates. You'll know exactly what you are feeding Junior. THIS IS ESPECIALLY HELPFUL FOR CHILDREN WITH FOOD SENSITIVITIES. Equipment doesn't have to cost a ton, either. You don't need a special Be careful, You can feed your baby though.some foods, like eggs and honey, are food mill (blender is fine) and you can freeze the same foods you're individual servings in feeding the rest of the not recommended ice-cube trays. family-just in puree form under the age of 1. * You can even add breast milk or formula to your MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW purees for extra nutrition! SAFE FOOD HANDLING PRACTICES YOU'D EMPLOY * Looking for healthy and FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY. nutritious recipes? Momtastic " has a complete guide, from first purees to incorporating table foods. Once you've got the basics down, try Weelicious 21 for some creative recipes You can introduce a wider variety of flavors and tastes unavailable in packaged form. A great example? AVOCADO! incorporating unique flavors and blends. It'll definitely keep baby interested! CONS The obvious: MAKING FOOD TAKES LOTS MORE TIME! Storage can be an issue. Time-saving tip: Stick to simple! Unlike store-bought foods, homemade isn't shelf-stable, and can take up a lot of room in your freezer or fridge if you make in bulk amounts. "mushable" foods like bananas and avocados. Grab a fork, mash away, and feed immediately. No cooking needed. WITHIN You'll need to be cautious BABY FOOD NEEDS TO BE 48h about spoilage. Just like the EATEN WITHIN 48 HOURS OR food you yourself eat, FROZEN FOR LATER USE. Not feeling up to chef duties? No worries. Babies take up a lot of time and energy! Here's what you'll want to know about baby food bought at the store. If you've got a lot on your Pros plate, putting these on We'll say it again: CONVENIEÑCE. your baby's plate will spare you a lot of time. It's generally cheaper to make your own food, but you can actually SAVE QUITE A BIT on ready-made purees by being smart about coupons. COUPON Sign up for all the big-brand company mailings to assure you'll get coupons and discount codes. Scour Ebay for coupon bundles, as Save proofs of purchase-some brands offer further coupon savings for these! well. 1-3 days Store-bought purees are shelf-stable STORAGE IS A BREEZE: No until opened, BUT you'll want to make sure your baby consumes them within cluttering up the fridge or freezer. You can stock up in bulk when 1-3 days once you open them. they're on sale. Cons Some studies state that store-bought purees and meals aren't as nutritious as what you You'll need to keep an eye out for things such as high sugar content", as well as ingredients that your baby can make yourself. may be sensitive to. NUTRITIOUS 07.05 If you open it up, label it. Just like (In fact, one study in the UK found some top brands to be only half as nutritious overall as homemade). homemade food, jarred/packaged foods will go bad rapidly. ANOTHER DECISION- Organic vs. Non-Organic DECIDED TO PURCHASE YOUR BABY'S FOOD? ALL GOOD! BUT HERE'S A NEW CHOICE TO CONSIDER-SHOULD YOU INVEST IN ORGANIC FOODS? ARE THEY WORTH IT? ALL THE INFORMATION OUT THERE CAN BE CONFUSING. Here's what you'll want to know about organic baby food. In order for any food to have the coveted "organic" label, it MUST NOT COME FROM SOURCES TREATED WITH CHEMICAL PESTICIDES, ANTIBIOTICS, OR GROWTH HORMONES. Pros It also cannot And, organic foods are Some experts think that it's best to contain artificial better for the environment limit babies' exposure to chemicals at flavors, colors, or overall, if you're taking a a time when their bodies and brains preservatives. global approach. are in a crucial development period. Cons $$ You already know IS IT WORTH IT? There's controversy here. A 2012 study 5 found no strong evidence that organic food in general is more nutritious. this: Organic food often comes with a higher price tag. SOME EXPERTS SUGGEST THAT KEEP- ING AN EYE ON THE VARIETY OF Furthermore, an earlier study com- FOOD FED TO KIDS OVER THEIR pared baby food samples of both organic and non-organic variety, and did NOT FIND DETECTABLE PESTICIDE DEVELOPING YEARS IS MORE IMPOR- TANT THAN ANY PARTICULAR CHOICE MADE IN ONE STAGE OF LIFE. RESIDUE IN ANY OF THE SAMPLES. Now that you have some information to work with, be sure to keep an eye on your wallet. Prepared baby foods, as well as the produce/meats you'll need to make your own, can be purchased at great discounts with coupons, careful shopping, and planning. Bon appetit. babY! SOURCES: [1] http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/ [2] http://weelicious.com/tag/wholesome-baby-food/ [3] http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/sep/10/baby-food-nutrition-weaning-breastmilk [4] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100628124653.htm (5] http://media.dssimon.com/taperequest/acp75_study.pdf [6] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814600001679 • http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/baby-food-nutrition-9/making-baby-food • http://www.momadvice.com/food/cheap baby_food • http://www.parentdish.com/2010/09/21/homemade-baby-food/ • http:/life.familyeducation.com/baby/foods/39378.html • http://www.livestrong.com/article/142602-organic-vs-non-organic-baby-food/ • http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/organic-baby-food-its-more-expensive-but-it-may-not-be-more- nutritious/2013/03/18/b24191d6-656a-11e2-b84d-21c7b65985ee_story.html • http://www.mayoclinic.org/organic-baby-food/expert-answers/FAQ-20058008 GroceryCoupon Network) www.GroceryCouponNetwork.com