Baby Food - Prepare, Freeze and Serve [help]

trixie888

I have a baby boy who is 8 months. I never had any plans on how to prepare my baby's food. I was a member of the BabyCenter forum and read and follow whatever the mom's there are preparing. I get to know Annabel Karmel and I get to learn that I can freeze some of my baby's food.

When he was starting to eat, I freeze all veggies and fruits. Some as suggested by the book to mix and match.

STAGE 1 - steam or boil (i prefer steam)

• apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, cantaloupe, blueberries,
• carrots, squash, sweet potatoe, brocolli, cauliflower, potato
• beets and swede - (baby J's least favorite but I can get away by mixing them with smooth food that he likes)
• avocado and banana (serve fresh)

STAGE 2 - introduced meat, fish, pasta and rice

• salmon
• chicken (with soup)
• pork (this I am finding it hard to cook for baby food)
• beef (with pork mostly for bolognese)

For Stage 2, I find it really hard because some says you can only freeze baby food for 3 days. I can't feed my baby for 3 consecutive meals or 3 consecutive days.

I may need your help and suggestion what kind of cooking I can prepare for my baby and how long can I keep them at the freezer.


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meritaten

only freeze for three days?????? That is rubbish! I used to prepare and freeze at least a weeks worth of meals for my grandkids! The keep just fine in the freezer for the usual three months or longer. (but, with babies I wouldn't recommend using if over three months frozen)
at 8 months they can try some of your dinner - as long as you go lightly on the salt you can freeze leftovers or cook slightly more to bag and freeze!
You will save a lot of money this way - My DILs were ever so grateful to me - they never bought any baby jars and the only things they bought was baby rusks and cereal.
you will also have the satisfaction of knowing you are feeding your baby nutritious wholesome food and he will also be familiar with the taste of your cooking (helps stop 'faddy' eaters!)
best wishes and don't be afraid to include strong flavours - one of my present grandsons favourites was curry and rice! and that was when he was about 7 or 8 months.

Anne_Marie_2

Did you maybe get confused with keeping baby food in the fridge for 3 days, rather than the freezer? Freezing will be fine for a longer period of time.
http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/FreezePage.htm

trixie888

I think I got confused. thanks for the link..:D

gayleygoo

Yes you can freeze HM babyfood for at least a few months, it wouldn't be worth it just for 3 days! As meritaten says, your baby can be eating family food now, you don't need to pur!e it, just cut up in small chunks that your little one can eat with his hands. I did this my my son when he was weaning and it saves so much on washing up a blender and having to bulk cook separate "baby" meals!

Do you have a slow-cooker? Pork does very well in it, it goes very tender and you can use the cheapest cuts like shoulder or belly. Do it simply with some chopped up veg and a little stock, or with barbeque or brown sugar sauce. It can be served with pretty much anything or made into a sandwich.

Pork (or beef/lamb) mince can be made into mini meatballs - add some fresh breadcrumbs, herbs and grated carrot/other shredded vegetables. maybe add a little egg to bind but I don't usually need it, then bake in the oven until cooked. These would be ideal fingerfood for your baby and can be frozen too, also good in a pasta sauce.

At 8 months your baby can have almost any food, except honey and raw/soft boiled eggs. If your family has a history of allergies then you may want to avoid nuts, peanut butter etc until he's one year old. Don't worry too much about getting "3 meals plus snacks" a day, as many weaning books suggest - milk will be the main source of nutrition up to a year old and until then food is mostly a learning experience. Have fun!

trixie888

Hi gayleygoo

Thanks for the share. Unfortunately, I have allergies and looks like my little one has allergic reaction with some foods. I still could not pinpoint one..:(

I have been feeding him with some of the foods that we are having but ofcourse there are some which is not good for him. So, I am planning to prepare batches for him.