How to Make Baby Food

If you want to be in complete control of what your baby eats, making baby food instead of buying it is an excellent choice. Food that comes in a jar or pouch is often highly processed and combined with sodium and sugars—plus it's more expensive. When you make baby food at home, you can choose your baby's favorite fruits, vegetables and meats, steam and puree them using a food processor, and freeze them in convenient portions. If nothing but the most nutritious, delicious food will do for your baby, nothing beats making it yourself.

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   Use fresh produce at peak ripeness. Produce is at its most nutritious and flavorful when it's perfectly ripe. Since you won't be adding sugar and salt to the food, it's important to choose ripe produce - otherwise, it will taste bland. Look for produce that is brightly colored and ripe without being too soft or bruised.^[1] Follow individual guides for each type of fruit and vegetable to determine when specific items are ripe.
   

   • Farmer's markets are great places to find fresh produce at its peak, since they tend to stock only fruits and vegetables that are in season.
   • You can use frozen or canned fruits and vegetables, but it's better to use fresh whenever possible. Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables often have additives to help preserve them. Read the label carefully if you decide to buy frozen or canned vegetables.

   2 Choose organic produce when possible. Many fresh fruits and vegetables are treated with pesticides and other chemicals before they are harvested. If possible, shop in the organic section of your supermarket so you can be sure the food you make for your baby is chemical-freSome fruits and vegetables are more apt to become contaminated by fruits and vegetables than others. For example, apples are treated with more pesticides than any other produce, so you may want to go out of your way to buy organic apples.^[2] Avocados, on the other hand, aren't treated with as many pesticides.
   

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