Fruit & Vegetable Baby Foods

I’d like to make my own baby purees. Do I need to cook the fruit first?

If your baby is less than eight months old, cooking fruit before making the puree is recommended. Cooking breaks down the fruit fibres making digestion much easier. The skin should also be peeled away. Bananas and avocado are an exception to this rule. If however you have been feeding your baby raw fruit purees without any troubles it is probably fine to continue. If you have found that your baby has some digestion trouble the raw fruit may explain it.

Do I have to use fresh fruit and vegetables or are canned and frozen products suitable too?

Fresh fruit and vegetables should be used wherever possible and frozen produce is better than canned.

Canned vegetables contain a lot of additives and preservatives to increase their shelf life. They can also be high in sugar and salt and this is not good for

How do I introduce vegetables into my baby’s diet?

Good first fruits and vegetables include avocado and bananas. “Yellow vegetables are suitable to progress to as they do not have skins and are easy for baby to digest. Green vegetables and peas and beans should be introduced later as they have more fibrous skins.

 Will my baby benefit from organic food?

Organic food is healthier than conventionally grown food. This is due to the lack of pesticides and chemicals in the growing process. However, this comes and at price and organic food is also more expensive. However, using organic food whenever possible will have a great health advantage for your baby.

How should I cook vegetables and fruits for puree?

Steaming or boiling in a small amount of water is the best way to allow the vegetables to become soft while maintaining the nutrients. Use the leftover water to puree for optimal nutrient preservation.

I’ve been freezing my baby purees and when I thaw them they seem too watery!

Baby cereal or baby rice can be used to thicken frozen purees. Other alternatives include adding yoghurt, banana or potato to the mixture. If this is still not satisfactory, add less liquid to your pre-frozen puree to compensate for the additional liquid gain during the freezing process.

 Some of my puree ingredients are turning brown. Can I prevent this happening?

Add a little lemon juice.