Tips on cooking for baby

When cooking for baby there are three things to keep in mind: 1) whether your child has any allergies, 2) if the food is soft enough to digest, and 3) if the food is the right temperature, not too hot or too cold, for your baby.

• When freezing puréed foods, use an ice cube tray; you can then store the food cubes in a plastic bag in the freezer.
• Feed your child a variety of foods, introducing new foods regularly. Keep an eye out for any allergic symptoms.
• Accustom your child to many kinds of fruits and vegetables before giving them meat. To retain more nutrients, steam the fruits and vegetables in lieu of boiling them.
• Good thinners include yogurt, water left over from steaming, formula, breast or cow milk, broth, and apple juice.
• Good thickeners include whole-grain cereal, wheat germ, yogurt, cottage cheese, and mashed potatoes.
• Avoid feeding your child popcorn, nuts (and peanut butter), raw vegetables, and dried or unpeeled fruit until he is at least two years of age. Also avoid honey, beets, spinach, collard, turnip greens, oranges, tangerines, pineapples, egg whites, if he is under one year.
• If your baby doesn't finish a meal, discard the rest to avoid bacteria forming.
• When making your own food, don't add salt, sugar, or strong spices; also avoid canned foods that often have high concentrations of sodium.
• Test the temperature of heated foods each time before giving it to your child.