The first step in producing tasty, nutritious food for your baby is to select fresh, good quality produce.  Buy organic if possible, and make sure fruits and vegetables are ripe and blemish-free. Try to use or cook all foods within 2 or 3 days after purchase. Choose items like apples, pears, peaches and sweet potatoes to try first.  Avoid foods that may be stringy or hard for baby to swallow, such as green beans or peas with shells, unless you pass them through a fine strainer after they have been cooked and blended. The next step is to prepare the food for cooking or serving -- this involves cleaning the food and removing any parts  that the baby cannot chew or digest -- such as skins, pips, nuts, seeds and fat.  Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly. Peel foods with skins and core items with seeds. Dice vegetables into similar sized cubes so they will cook evenly. In terms of quantity, 2 lbs. (900 g) of clean, diced produce will make around 2 cups (300 g) of homemade baby food. You can prepare meat and poultry by washing, removing the skin and trimming any fat before cooking. Grains like quinoa and millet should be prepared according to the instructions on the package. If you're preparing a ripe fruit -- like a soft pear or avocado -- you can simply mash it up with a fork and serve immediately. Vegetables, meat and grains on the other hand, will need to be cooked first. You have several options when it comes to cooking methods:  Steaming is the best option when it comes to cooking vegetables, as it preserves the most nutrients. Use a steamer basket, or simply place a colander over a boiling saucepan of water. Steam produce until it is tender, usually about 10 to 15 minutes. Boiling can be used to cook grains, vegetables and certain animal produce. You can boil the food in a broth to add more flavor, if you wish. Baking is a good option for things like sweet potatoes, cruciferous veggies, meat and poultry. You can add a little flavor to these items by adding herbs and mild spices during baking (don't be afraid to give your baby flavor!) This ensures that the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Also keep in mind that some foods will require the addition of a little liquid in order to achieve the correct consistency -- this liquid could be water, breast milk, formula or a little of the preserved cooking water (if the food was boiled). Once the food is thoroughly cooked, set it aside and allow it cool fully. Make sure that meat and poultry products have no traces of pink left, as babies are more susceptible to food poisoning.  Choose a processing method. Small babies will need their food pureed into a creamy texture before eating, whereas older babies can handle chunkier foods. The method you choose to process your baby food will depend on the age of the baby and your own personal preferences. Some parents choose to invest in fancy all-in-one baby food makers, which can cook, puree, defrost and reheat fruit, vegetables and meat. These are a little on the pricey side, but make making your own baby food a breeze! Alternatively, you can use your regular kitchen blender, food processor or hand-held blender to process food into a smooth puree. These are fast and easy to use (and eliminate the need to buy another gadget) but may be a pain to assemble, clean and dismantle if you're only working with small quantities of food. You could also try using a try using a hand-turned food mill or a baby food grinder. Both of these gadget are non-electric and portable. These work well and are relatively inexpensive, but are slower require more physical effort to operate. Lastly, for very soft produce like ripe bananas, avocados and baked sweet potatoes, you can simply use a good old-fashioned fork to mash the food into the desired consistency. Once your homemade baby food is cooked, cooled and pureed, you can serve some of it immediately, then store the rest for later use. It's very important to store homemade baby food correctly, so it doesn't spoil or develop bacteria that will make your baby ill.  Spoon the baby food into food safe glass jars or plastic containers with airtight lids  and place in the refrigerator. Label the container with the date the food was made, so you can keep track of freshness and dispose of any foods that are more than 3 days old. Alternatively, you can spoon the food into covered ice cube trays and freeze. Once the cubes have frozen fully, remove them from the tray and place in a sealable plastic bag. Each cube of baby food will be enough for one portion, so defrost accordingly. You can thaw frozen baby food by placing it in the refrigerator overnight, or by setting the container or bag containing the food in a pan of warm water (not over direct heat) for approximately 20 minutes Frozen pureed fruit and vegetables will keep for 6 to 8 months, while frozen meat and poultry will stay fresh for between one and two months.  As making your own baby food can be pretty labor-intensive, a good strategy is to make large quantities of baby food on a single day, then freeze it for later use.
اختر الخضروات أو الفواكه ذات الجودة العالية. نظّف وحضّر الطعام. اطبخ الطعام بطريقة حمام البخار أو السلق أو التحميص. عند تحضير طعام الرضيع، حاول أن تطبخ بكميات صغيرة. اترك الطعام ليبرد ثم اهرسه. قدّم أو خزّن الأكل.