Helpful hints when making homemade baby food: |
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· Purée
fresh foods such as organic carrots, peas, squash and peaches. Canned
vegetables and fruits usually contain too many additives.
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· Refrain from adding
salt, sugar, or strong spices to homemade baby foods. If you are
feeding your baby from the family meal, remove the baby's
portion before seasoning your meal for the rest of the family.
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· It's a good idea to
introduce new foods slowly in order to identify any food allergies.
About one new food per week is adequate.
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· Ensure that your child
has accepted most fruits and vegetables before introducing meats.
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· Throw away unfinished
meats because bacteria forms quickly.
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· Children under 12
should not be fed nuts, raisins, popcorn, raw vegetables, unpeeled
fruit, or peanut butter.
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· Avoid feeding honey to
children under the age of one. It's an unsafe food that can cause
infant botulism.
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· Spinach, beets, turnip
greens, and broccoli should also be avoided until around age one due
to high concentrations of nitrates which can reduce the baby's
hemoglobin.
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· Cookies are not
recommended as a pacifier for babies.
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· Acidic fruits such as
oranges, tangerines and pineapples are harsh on an immature digestive
system, and are not recommended until after
one year. As well, avoid feeding egg whites to children under one year
due to potential allergic reaction, although cooked egg yolks are
acceptable.
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· Let your baby guide you
as you begin to feed your child solid foods. Start with one or two
spoonfuls, but don't force feed your child. |
