making homemade baby food.

[wannabeloved4320]

hello everyone i need some help with making homemade banana puree for first stage. last night i took some bananas and peeled them and put them in my blender then liquefied them for a minute or two then after i did that they changed color they turned a brownish color. they do not look like the ones in the baby food jars at the store. was i soppost to put water in it or something? also after i make them can i put them in a ice cube tray and cover them then freeze them and take a couple out at a time when i need them and deforest them? also after they freeze in the ice cube trays i plan on putting them in a ziplock and write the date and time when i made them. what fruits and veg's can you not cook and freeze. i know nothing about making my own baby food i am just starting but any advice you guys have will greatly help me. thank you

[carolyn]

Bananas don't freeze very well. They turn dark and look yucky.  My experience was that it was easy to just use ripe, soft bananas and mash them with a fork.  I would only mash as much as I needed for 1 meal and then eat the rest.   

There are a couple of books that are really helpful.  Try to find "First MEals" by Anna Karmel, "The Baby Cookbook", an d"Super Baby Food".  "Super Baby Food" has some really great information on choosing, storing, and cooking veggies and fruits.  It has a section on each veggie.  It also has more info than you will probably use (like making your own cereal).  But it is a great resource.

[taygensmom]

When I make baby food I put it in the freezer in the ice cube trays and then when frozen tranfer to zip lock bags. As far as the pureed bananas, they naturally will turn brown when homemade. Some people add a bit of lemon juice to the puree to prevent this, but your LO should be about 8 months or so before doing this.

[hawkeye1315]

I've also had the same experience freezing bananas (i.e. they turn brown).  My LO did not like the taste of lemon juice on the bananas.  Instead, I opted to buy jarred banana puree or would mash a fresh banana and serve immediately. 

[midnightspace]

hi i just mash the banana with a fork i havnt tried freezing yet though.. my little girl likes pureed pear , peach and apricot . you dont say how old your baby is but from 5 months  as well as the above plum , papya, mango and melon can be used .In the veg line potato , swede , parsnip , turnip and carrot  ( i recommend only mash the potatoe though not pureeing )  . I dont know what country you are in but i found  lorraine kellys baby and toddler eating plan  book very simple and easy to use!  

[Liam's Mama]

We froze them once and although they didn't turn solid brown they did turn a little more brown. Even still I tended to mash one up as I was feeding my lo. Also we did the same thing, we froze everything then transfered over to ziplock freezer bags with the date they were made printed on them. I made everything he ate so we had all kinds of different fruits and veggies, then when we moved on I did meats as well. Getting a book can help out a lot and be a great resource! The books listed above are great, I recently found the book 'First Meals' by Anna Karmel and really liked it - I saw it at costco.

Devon

[Lockie & Sam's Mummy]

i normally use up a banana over a period of 3 or 4 days. i cut the amount i need & mash it up with his yoghurt or cereal, and put the rest in the fridge. next time i need banana, i cut the exposed end off (usually turns brownish & dries up) & the inside bit is just fine, still yellow i did try freezing the banana but found it waters out a bit, turns that yucky brown colour, and it can get a funny taste (don't know if that's just psychological on my part, though, because of the brown-ness )

[wannabeloved4320]

sorry guys i did forget to tell you guys how young my little one is he is only 3 1/2 months but he weighs over 20lbs. so WIC the women infant and children program norturion told me that i can go ahead and start him on solids now. he has been on rice cereal since he was 1 1/2 months cause of his acid reflux we always out it in his bottle until just recent when his morning feedings we feed it to him from a spoon. and so he don't gain a lot more weight when i am feeding him the solids for that meal i am not going to put rice cereal in his bottle cause i believe the solid will keep down the formula. so he is only 3 1/2 months weighing over 20lbs already teething and trying his best to sit up. when giving him a bath in his baby bath tub he will grab the sides of it and try his best to sit up. so he is learning very fast. also i live in Ohio which is in the U.S.A. So what foods can he eat? i know that he has to be on that certain food for 3 to 5 days before giving him something else to make sure he does not have a bad reaction to it. and how many times a day should he be eating solids? can you guys give me a feeding plan please he eats every 3 hours but i would like him to start eating every 4 hours though. thank you guys for all of your help and i will make sure i only make the bananas as need not before hand so it wont be so brown and yuck looking. also is there any other food that i should make only as needed?

[Liam's Mama]

I'm sorry I don't know, I didn't start my LO on solids until just after 6 months  Also I would get a book or something on nutrition, I'm not positive but I am pretty sure that banana's are hard to digest so maybe something else would be better to start with 

Devon

[willowonyx]

I agree that you should check with your ped before starting solid that early.

But another way is to remove the skin from the banana, then freeze the whole banana or parts of it, and then thaw and mash/puree the amount you need.  This can also help with teething.

[Penut's Mom]

is your lo breastfed?

[wannabeloved4320]

he is not breastfed he is formula feed and eating at least 42oz a day. i am going to the library to check out some books about nurtion and feeding.

[binxyboo]

I would seriously seriously consider holding off on solids for now. Here is a link that explains all the reasons why http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html

[Dree]

Hi W,

Sofia started to eat baby cereal at 4.5mths old. This was her Ped. suggestion. I started very slowly with her. She did not start veggies and fruits until she was about 6mths old.

They say that once a baby is able to hold up their head is the best time to introduce solids. It sounds to me that your LO is still a bit young to be eating solids so soon. But then again I am not a doctor.

I do agree with the pp that you should get a formula for hungrier babies. 42oz's sounds like alot. My dd was eating about 32 oz's max per day at that age.

As for the banana problem. I use fresh ripe bananas and mash it with a fork. I give her some and I eat the rest. LoL !!!!

Good Luck
Dree

[Penut's Mom]

I agree that is a lot of formula. I am not an expert by any means but from the research I have done that is lots for your los age.

What is your routine like ... is there any chance you are feeding too frequently. I know that I did that with my lo before I was able to establish a routine.

What kind of activities are you doing with your lo. Is he able to hold his head up yet? A jolly jumper is great exercise. As is swimming.

I know it can be frustrating to get information from so many sources and all you want to do is provide the best for your babe. Are there any dietitian clinics where you are? Or a suggestion would be to create another post in nutrition and see if there are other moms who are facing similar challenges... or perhaps one of these wonderful Mods could bump this to that area?

Good luck