Creating your own baby food may take time to make, but reaps the rewards in the end. Most mothers prefer to make their own baby food so their baby can have a healthy, fresh and balanced diet with diversity of flavour according to the latest research by The Leading Edge. And why wouldn’t you? When it can save you money, choose your own fresh ingredients, and often it’s healthier and tastier than store bought baby food. There’s a master chef in everyone! So what are you waiting for?

For most babies, soft and easily digested food, are good first foods. These foods can differ between country and culture. And whilst there is no established order of introduction of foods, common foods include:
-   Cooked vegetables
-   Cooked fruit or ripe banana and avocado
-    Well-cooked rice or iron enriched rice cereal

Foods on offer to your baby should be nutrient rich, without added salt, sugar or flavourings, with the exception of herbs and mild spices. There is currently no official serving guide for babies therefore a parent is best to use their baby’s hunger, age, and development as a guide. Recommendations for feeding babies include:

-    4-7 months, mashed or pureed and mixed with breast or formula milk or water, until a silky smooth texture. This makes it easier to digest and swallow. Offer approximately 1-2 teaspoons, once a day for first tastes then slowly increase to twice a day increasing the quantity when your baby is ready.
-    7-9 months, lumpy bumpy or mashed texture. Your baby has developed a swallowing reflex for courser food. Offer approximately ½ -1 cup per meal, working up to three a day.
-    9-12 months, chop raw or cooked food into finger food, avoiding foods that pose a risk of choking i.e. raw carrot, celery, whole grapes, apple and nuts, and popcorn. Finger foods encourage children to feed themselves as they have better hand coordination, and encourages chewing and development of muscles in the mouth. TIP don’t let fear of choking restrict advancement of finger food introduction. Babies at this age have a very good GAG reflex and should be encouraged to eat finger foods. Offer approximately ¾ – 2 cups per meal, three to five times a day (i.e. 3 solid meals with 1-2 snacks).
-    12 months onwards, your baby should be eating foods similar/same to the rest of the family. Offer food as per their demand. 3 meals plus 2-3 snacks per day is an approximate guide.

Recipe for silky smooth texture

Baby’s lamb, sweet potato and cinnamon puree

This recipe is ideal for a 6 -7 month old, once first tastes are well established. High in essential iron, zinc and betacarotene, this is a low GI tasty meal that your baby will enjoy.

100g lamb tenderloin
½ tsp olive oil
1 cup sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 2-3 cm chunks
¼ cup boiling water
Pinch of cinnamon

1.    Heat a medium saucepan ¼ filled with water and bring to boil. Place sweet potato in a steamer and place on the pot over the boiling water. Steam for approximately 4 minutes until sweet potato is cooked through. Then place in a small food processor along with ¼ cup of boiling water from the pot.
2.    Heat a non-stick frypan. Rub meat with oil. Cook over medium-high heat for 4 minutes on each side until cooked through. The meat should feel springy. Rest for a few minutes so the juices remain in the meat.
3.    Slice meat and add to the small food processor with the cinnamon. Blend until silky smooth. TIP no need to add salt or pepper as babies and kids don’t need it. Makes 1 cup. Refrigerate for 3 days or freeze into ice cubes for up to 1 month.

Recipe for a lumpy bumpy texture

Sweet pear, quinoa and yoghurt
Quinoa is a nutritious low allergenic wheat free grain that is easily digested. High in protein, as well as vitamins and minerals, it’s excellent in a baby’s diet. Cooked quinoa is the right consistency for a lumpy texture.

½ cup quinoa
1 cup water
½ small ripe juicy pear
1 tsp full cream natural yoghurt
Pinch of cinnamon

1.    Rinse quinoa in a small strainer and tip into a small saucepan with 1 cup of water. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce heat to low cooking for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
2.    Fluff with a fork, measure out ½ cup of cooked quinoa and place in a serving bowl.  Refrigerate or freeze the rest of the cooked quinoa for later use (enough for another 2 meals).  TIP always cook more quinoa than you need for one meal. This saves time in preparing another meal. Cooked quinoa refrigerates for up to 3 days and freezes for up to 3 months.
3.    Peel, core and finely grate the pear. Add to the cooked quinoa along with the yoghurt and cinnamon and stir through. Serve immediately.

Recipe for finger food – toddlers from 1 year on

Toddlers Cheese and Vegetable Muffins
Wholesome energy food for busy bees. Packed with fibre, protein and calcium. A good snack at any time of the day, especially if out and about.

Ingredients:
½ cup white self-raising flour
½ cup wholemeal self-raising flour
½ medium zucchini, finely grated
½ medium carrot, finely grated
½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
¼ cup butter, melted
150ml natural yoghurt
1 egg

1.    Preheat oven to 200C. Line two 12-hole mini muffin tins with paper cases.
2.    In a bowl, sift flour then mix in zucchini, carrot and cheese. Stir with fork to combine.
3.    In another bowl, whisk the melted butter, natural yoghurt and egg. Pour this mixture into the centre of the flour mixture and stir with fork until just combined. Mixture should still be lumpy so don’t over mix.
4.    Spoon mixture into muffin tins and bake for approx. 20-25 minutes, until muffins are slightly golden and skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Cool in tin for a couple of minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm or cold. Makes 24 mini or 12 regular. Freeze muffins for up to one month. No need to reheat. Just thaw and serve.

Other considerations for babies and young children

Avoid foods that are:
-   High in sugar because it increases the risk of tooth decay and offers no nutrition. Instead it sets up a food preference for sweet foods.
-   High in salt. Babies and children don’t need added salt. Too much salt puts a load on their kidneys.
-   A choking hazard i.e. raw carrot, celery, whole grapes, apple, nuts and popcorn.
-   Reduced fat, which are not recommended for children under two years’ as full fat is required for healthy growth.

And in addition, avoid honey in the first 12 months due to bacteria that can cause severe illness, as well as eggs due to allergy risk.

source from: essentialbaby

Using a food processor, grind the brown rice into a powder.
Then, peel the peach, remove the pit and cut the flesh into little cubes.
Bring the water to the boil in a small saucepan.
Stir in the rice powder, lower the heat and continue to stir.
Add the peach cubes, then – stirring often – simmer gently for 10 mins.
If the texture is too thick for your baby at the end of the cooking time, thin it with a little breast milk or formula. Breakfast is ready!

Well, the answer to both of these questions is a big YES! Brown rice is not just the healthiest choice for your baby – it’s good for the whole family and is packed with important nutrients.
Please note: You should always discuss the introduction of new foods to your baby with his doctor. Remember that all new foods should be introduced separately, at least four days apart, to help you identify possible food allergies and digestive problems.

Why is brown rice better for baby than white?

A grain of rice is composed of several different layers. Only the outside layer, the ‘hull’, is removed during the production of brown rice and very little goodness is lost by the grain in the process.

But during the production of white rice, the grains are milled to remove more layers – the bran and almost all of the germ. This process strips the grains of the majority of their nutrients.

In the final part of the process, another layer called ‘aleurone’ is removed and the grains are polished. But aleurone is a good source of essential fats, which play such an important role in your baby’s diet.

So what are you left with?

White rice – a refined starch that offers your little one very little in the way of nutrition.

Why is brown rice such a healthy choice for baby?

Just look at what it contains!

• vitamins B1, B3 and B6
• manganese (essential for healthy bones, manganese also reduces the symptoms of asthma and is a powerful, energy-providing antioxidant)
• iron
• phosphorus
• selenium
• Essential Fatty Acids
• fibre

Other important benefits gained from eating brown rice include a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and lower levels of cholesterol.

Yet a very large percentage of these valuable nutrients are lost during the production of white rice.

By law, white rice in some countries must be ‘enriched’ and certain nutrients must be added back in. So it should be just as good for you as brown rice, right?

Wrong – because the nutrients are not in their original form, they are far less beneficial to health. In fact, enriched white rice is STILL lacking 11 valuable nutrients that are NEVER replaced (see The World’s Healthiest Foods for more information).

Brown rice is full of flavour

Some people say that brown rice does not taste as good as white. But these people have often grown up ONLY eating white rice, which actually has very little flavour (unsurprising, when you consider how much is removed from the grain to produce it!). Brown rice does taste VERY different to white! Its flavour is almost nutty and – conversely – people who regularly eat brown rice find white rice very bland and unappetizing.

That’s why it’s a good idea to get your baby accustomed to the full flavour of nutritious brown rice from an early age – you’ll probably find that he turns his nose up at starchy old white rice in the future!

Storing brown rice

Uncooked rice

Carefully check the ‘best by’ date on any packets of brown rice that you buy for your family.

Once you get it home, store it in the refrigerator. This is because, unlike white rice, the oily germ of brown rice is intact. There is the possibility that this could turn rancid if the rice is not stored at a sufficiently cool temperature.

Cooked rice

You have to be very careful when storing cooked rice, as bacteria can multiply very quickly. Many sources say that you can store it for up to 4 days in the refrigerator – but we prefer to err on the side of caution and suggest that you only cook rice for your baby on the day that you plan to serve it to him… and throw any leftovers away!

Alternatively, you can make up a batch of brown rice and freeze it. Because the bacteria in rice multiply so rapidly, it is important to cool cooked rice very quickly if you plan to freeze it. The best way to do this is to spread it out in a shallow container – but never leave rice sitting for more than one hour at room temperature. Once the rice has cooled, freeze it in individual freezer bags, so you have handy portions available for your baby’s next meal. You can store frozen rice for up to 6 months.

Is it dangerous to reheat rice?

Learn more about how to freeze baby food

Is brown rice safe for babies?

Brown rice is rarely responsible for allergic reactions

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But studies have revealed that traces of arsenic may be present in non-organic brown rice. Although these traces are too small to cause serious short term illness, in the long term they can have negative effects on the body.

You should, therefore, only offer organically grown brown rice to your baby.

Cooking brown rice for your baby

The easiest way to prepare brown rice for very young babies is to first rinse it, then grind it in a food processor that’s built for the job! The Cuisinart Mini-Prep® Processor (US only) is ideal and is great for making purees, too!

Here’s a simple recipe for baby cereal that you can try.

If your baby is older, try using short grain brown rice in dishes that you cook for him. Because it’s fairly soft, it sticks together in ‘clumps’ and is perfect for creamy dishes like rice pudding.

Brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice…

Around twice as long, in fact. But you can get around this by measuring out the amount of water you will need to cook it, then soaking it overnight – it really speeds up the cooking time! Remember… don’t drain the water you soaked it in, use it to cook the rice instead. This means you don’t lose any of its precious nutrients.

Ideas for your baby using brown rice

Brown rice can easily be substituted for white in any recipe calling for rice – but do bear in mind that it will take longer to cook unless you have pre-soaked it. Here are some other suggestions…

• Combine cooked brown rice with warm breast milk or formula, then add a little touch of cinnamon or nutmeg.
• Mix cooked brown rice (either ground or regular) with a dollop of unflavoured natural yogurt and a fruit puree of your baby’s choice!
• Combine cooked brown rice with steamed vegetables – you can either puree them before mixing, or just chop them if your little one is happy to chew!
• Cook brown rice for your baby in homemade chicken, beef or vegetable stock/broth for a rich, interesting flavour.
• Cook a little batch of short grain brown rice, clump it together with your fingers and serve it to your baby as a very healthy finger food.

Wholesome Rice Cereal

2 oz brown rice powder
8 fl oz water
a little formula/breastmilk

To make the rice powder, grind brown rice in a blender or food processor. This is best achieved by grinding in small quantities – but to make the powder REALLY fine, we recommend trying a Coffee/Spice Grinder.

You can use white rice if you prefer, but this page explains why brown rice is more nutritious.

Bring the water to a boil.

Add the rice powder, stirring constantly with a wire whisk.

Simmer for about 10 minutes (don’t forget to keep stirring, or the rice will stick).

Then stir in enough formula or breastmilk to give the consistency that’s best for your baby.

Once baby has been introduced to fruit, you could always add a little of his favourite puree.

Some babies want food other than milk due to different baby. There is not food pyramid for infants. When the child has teeth, he/she begins to eat solid food.

Doctors are suggested to parents that offers a baby food at the age of six months. Traditionally, it is common that give solid food after around four years old. During the first year of baby’s life, breast milk is necessary to provide all the nutrition which baby needs. Parents should always consult pediatrician to starting any type of new baby food for infant. When mother is making homemade baby food, she must use clean hands, clean preparation surfaces, clean cooking utensils such as pans or pots.

All children are different and never tolerate the same type of foods daily. Therefore, parents should offer different types of food to their baby. Later they can give a combination of fresh vegetables and fruits.

When to offer solid foods to baby?

At the age between 4 to 6 months, Cereals is good for baby. In 7 th months, parents can start give fresh vegetables to their babies. Next month, they can introduce fresh fruits and juice of fruits. After 10 th month, cheese, egg yolks and yogurt will be provided to child.

Baby food safety

• Always clean your hands and feeding equipment while preparing baby food.
• Parents must be taken special care when making baby foods.
• Do not let baby food more than two hours at room.
• Freeze or refrigerate baby food immediately.

How to make baby food?

• Firstly, wash dirty hands and utensils for making baby food.
• Prepare fresh vegetables and fruits by peeling, removing seeds or pits and scrubbing.
• Always cook food in a small quantity of water. Always baby food may be baked or steamed.
• Do not add honey, sugar or any form of sweetener.
• Do not add salt or seasonings in baby food.
• Mash or puree cooked baby food.

How to store baby food?

There are many types of storage the baby food. Parents can store fresh fruit or vegetables within three days for babies. Baby food can be stored in the refrigerator.