Proper and healthy nutrition is the guarantee of the health and good mood of any child, which is why you need to carefully choose the foods for your baby’s diet. This is especially true for baby purees, as this is the first dish that a child tries after breastfeeding or artificial feeding. Puree should be prepared only from quality and fresh products, be hypoallergenic and contain no artificial additives. A wide selection of vegetable can be found on the shelves of stores nowadays, fruit and meat purees for every taste and wallet are presented. However, puree for baby can be cooked at home with a blender.
There are certain advantages in cooking children’s puree by your own. Firstly, you will be sure that only the freshest and most useful products are in the puree, especially if there are fruits and vegetables grown in your own summer cottage. Secondly, homemade purees can cost you much cheaper than purchased ones. So, how to cook tasty, healthy and nutritious purees that your baby will like? We offer you a few simple and useful recipes for single- and multi component vegetable, fruit and meat baby purees.
How to introduce complementary foods correctly
You can start introduce mashed potatoes from 4-6 months, but you need to do this gradually, half the spoon for feeding. During this period, the baby needs more calories, vitamins, dietary fiber, which is not enough in breast milk. To start feeding, vegetable mashed potatoes are the most suitable – they are easier to digest and do not contain fructose, which can have a bad effect on the pancreas and kidneys of the baby. In addition, after trying sweet for the first time, the baby can refuse to try vegetable dishes, considering them not so tasty. All this must be taken into account before acquainting the child with mashed potatoes. More information on the rules of complementary foods you can find in the consumer guide for fruit and vegetable puree.
Vegetable puree
It is best to start lure vegetable mashed potatoes from a vegetable marrow and cauliflower. These vegetables are very easy to digest and rarely cause allergies. A little later, you can introduce a pumpkin, potatoes, green peas and turnips into the baby’s diet. Remember that when you first introduce it to your child, you should not add butter, sugar, salt and any other additives in mashed potatoes: this can be done when the child is 1 year old.
Cooking a vegetable pumpkin puree
Pumpkin puree has a pleasant sweetish taste, so, as a rule, babies eat it with pleasure. In addition, the pumpkin is a storehouse of vitamins: it has iron, carotene, pectin, vitamins B, C, E, D, PP and even T – a rare vitamin that is responsible for metabolism in the body.
To make a puree you have to choose a small pumpkin weighing up to 3-5 kg (small pumpkins are usually juicier and more pleasant to taste and are much easier to clean than “adult” pumpkins). First, carefully wash the pumpkin and divide into two parts. Next, cut it in slices – as much as your baby will eat, peel it and cut into small cubes. After this, boil the pumpkin in a double boiler or saucepan: drop it into boiling water and cook for 20 minutes until the vegetable is completely softened. After the pumpkin is cooked, whisk it in a blender until smooth. If the puree is too thick, then you can add a bit of breast milk, infant formula or water. Cool the mash to 30 degrees and feed the baby.
Cooking a puree of turkey with carrots
Meat of turkey is rich in vitamins B2, B6, B12 and PP, contains phosphorus, iron, magnesium and selenium, necessary for the health and growth of the baby. It is also worth noting that the turkey has a very low cholesterol content.
Take turkey fillets. The turkey needs to be cook for 30 minutes, then change the water and cook for another 40 minutes. A couple of turkey fillets are prepared for 40 minutes. Cut boiled meat into small pieces and mix it in a blender, in the process, adding a little water. Separately boil one small carrot (for 20-30 minutes), then wipe it through a sieve or grind it in a blender. Combine the puree from turkey and carrots and mix thoroughly. If the puree turned dry, you can add a little olive oil – about 0.5 tablespoon per 100 grams.
It is up to you to decide which purees are better: cooked ones or bought in the shop. Homemade purees are convenient because they can be cooked to suit the taste preferences of your child. In addition, by preparing the puree at home, you can be sure of the quality and freshness of the products. Be healthy!