Oh, Beaba! - Continued

Now that you’ve decided to make your own baby food here are a few helpful tips:

Choose fruits or vegetables that are in-season. Your little one will enjoy eating foods at their prime.  If you can’t find a fruit or vegetable in season, check the frozen food section.

Also check out the Dirty Dozen list. If you aren’t familiar with it, the Dirty Dozen list identifies the top twelve fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide content. If possible, try to choose organic for those items.

Introduce one new food every 3-5 days and look for signs of allergic reactions.  At a routine checkup, discuss with your pediatrician appropriate foods to introduce to baby and when it is safe to do so.

Food safety is important. The general rule of thumb is that freshly made baby food can stay in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours or frozen for 30 days. To thaw frozen baby food, place it in the refrigerator and allow it to thaw overnight. Do NOT put it in the microwave (even in BPA free containers).On the topic of BPA. All plastic utensils, bowls, sippy cups, and storage containers for babies should be BPA free. MomMe loves OXO Tot Baby Blocks. They are BPA free and available in 2 and 4 ounces. These nifty trays stack easily are spill-proof.

After you’ve spent your precious time making baby’s food, you want to make sure it’s clearly labeled.  MomMe loves Post-it® Super Sticky Removable Label Pads. They’re bright and just large enough to fit on the OXO Tot Baby Blocks to identify what the food is and when it was made.

As always, MomMe knows best. HOWEVER, consult with your pediatrician to decide when it is the right time to introduce solids to little ones. When it is, enjoy the process and whip out the camera. This is a great photo op for MomMe!