Ever wonder why you bother?

This week my 17 month old son has been sick. Nothing too serious - just "the runs" on a major scale - but as a result he has no appetite whatsoever.

So as I diligently prepare cooked purees for him - only to have them not so politely refused or promptly spat out, I started thinking about the safety of reheating baby food.

It seems such a waste to throw out perfectly good food day after day, but because babies' immune systems are less developed than adults' and their tummies are particularly susceptible to bugs and infections so you have to be careful.

I found a lot of information on the site babycenter.com so I thought I would share this with you - just in case you are also having the same dilemmas.

* Baby food prepared in advance should be cooled quickly then stored in the fridge.

* Freeze anything that won't be used within 24 hours.

* When reheating baby food, make sure it is piping hot throughout (you should be able to see steam coming out) and then let it cool down before you give it to your baby.

* Don't reheat baby food more than once.

* You can use a microwave to reheat baby food, but be careful for hot spots

* If your baby leaves any food in his bowl after a meal, always throw it away. Food that has been in contact with saliva (from your baby's mouth or a feeding spoon) will contain bacteria that will multiply if kept.

* Check the temperature of your fridge; it should be between 0 degrees C and 5 degrees C (32 - 41 degrees F).

* Change kitchen cloths and tea towels frequently. (Hot tip - Placing your dishwashing sponge in the microwave on high for two minutes kills up to 90% of germs)

* If food is frozen, defrost it thoroughly before you cook it, unless the food label says otherwise.

I hope this helps

I better run..... There is sure to be a lovely nappy waiting for me - and it's not going to change itself :-(



Jennifer xx

Introducing Solids to your baby

Just a really quick blog tonight. The latest issue of My Child Magazine has an article by leading infant nutritionist Leanne Cooper on introducing solids. I have just read it and I think it is a really excellent and concise guide so you may want to check it out. I hope I am not too late to tell you this and it is still on the shelves

Jennifer x

Foods that are good for your babies teeth!

Hi everyone.

If your baby has started to get their first teeth - you might want to think about foods that are rich in calcium and Vitamin D because both these things are very good for keeping your babies teeth healthy. Of course there are all the other rules for caring for babies teeth - and you can find lots of information about that by following the attached link. http://www.babycenter.com.au/toddler/caringfor/teeth/

The Natural Academy of Sciences recommend that a 1 year old should have 5mcg Vitamin D and 500mg calcium a day. Some great natural sources of calcium are yogurt and green leafy vegetables; and of vitamin D is fatty fish such as herring (highest) salmon (middle) and tuna (lowest) according to the websites that I have read. Vitamin D is absorbed through the skin via sunlight - and so it is during the winter months that it is important to make sure it is part of your diet.

Here is my suggested "teeth strengthening" recipe

1 x small fillet of Australian Herring (Tommy Rough) with the skin removed - be careful as it does smell very very fishy and so will stink up your kitchen

1 x good sized piece of broccoli (just flowers as stalks take longer to cook)

1 x good sized piece of cauliflower or squash

Add 200lms water to the Bébédelice

Cook as per instructions

Allow food to cool and then add a nice sized dollop of natural yoghurt just prior to blending.

How healthy does that sound??

I have some other recipes in mind so promise to write again very soon

Jennifer x

Sweet Potato - The Perfect First Baby Food

May, June and July are the perfect months to buy sweet potato in Australia. For maximum goodness - chose ones with orange flesh because they are very rich in beta carotene and other carotenoids, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Folate (one of the B complex vitamins). Sweet potato can be introduced as one of the first foods for babies and can be prepared in lots of different ways.

Because you may only use small amounts at a time in your recipes - I thought it might be worth mentioning that you should store your sweet potato in a cool, dark place with good ventilation and use it within 2 weeks. It's best not to store it in the refrigerator.

Here are some ideas for using sweet potato in your baby purees

"Super Yummy" Veggie Puree

1 or 2 slices of sweet potato - peeled and chopped

1 carrot - peeled and chopped

1 handful of baby spinach leaves (adding spinach with sweet potato is a perfect way to introduce the taste to your baby)

1 small knob butter or a drip of olive oil *(optional)

300ml water

Place chopped veggies in Bébédelice steaming basket
Pour water into heating chamber
Turn knob to ‘steaming’ position & press ‘on’ button
Tip steamed veggies with a small knob of *butter or a *drip of olive oil into blender compartment and blend for 10 seconds or until smooth. If smoother consistency required tip some of the captured cooking liquid in with the vegetables. Spoon a little into your baby’s bowl and serve lukewarm.

* I was always told by my nurse that babies need some fat in their diet to help with the development of their brains. But - I have left this as optional because you can leave it out. I will do some more research on this and will write a blog on "fats" for babies soon.

When your babies is ready to start eating meat (around 8 months) then some lean beef is a great addition to the above puree. You could also add tofu as an alternative to meat. Remember Leanne Cooper's tip that an easy guide for how much protein your bub may need is to offer an amount that is about the same width and thickness as their palm!

There are lots of other veggies you can add with sweet potato such as zucchini, leek, peas, cauliflower, broccoli etc, etc. Some people also cook sweet potato with cinnamon as a puree for babies. I haven't tried this because I think sweet potato has enough flavor on its own - but you might like to try it.

Best go and get cooking. I think I will make lamb and sweet potato for our dinner tonight. mmmmmmm

Jennifer x

Our new Facebook Page

Hi friends!

We have just started a new page on facebook called Rose and Lily Australia.

If you would like a fast and easy way to follow our freshbabyfood blog - then please become a fan of our facebook page and we will send updates to you that way.

And best of all - we are running a competition where you could be one of 10 people to win a Babymoov Shirt Bib (valued at $20.00) if you become a fan of our page.

Cool eh?

Jennifer

Will my baby eat avocado?

Avocado makes a great first food for baby due to its texture and creaminess as well as its high nutrient content.

Avocados are often called one of nature's perfect foods because they are said to contain everything a person needs to survive.

They also are a great source of "good fat" food for baby's brain and physical development.

You can start to feed your baby avocado from the start - and there is no need to cook it. Just mash a ripe avocado with a fork and mix it with some pureed apple, banana, pears or yoghurt.

To store avocado, make sure that you keep the stone inside as this will stop it from turning brown. I have also read that you can freeze avocado - but I have to confess that I have never done this myself. They never last long enough to freeze around our house!!!

Because Avocado makes purees so creamy - you can mix it into almost any puree for some added fat and nutrition.

When your baby over 12 months, you can make a great "baby" Guacamole by mixing some avocado with a small amount of lemon juice, cream cheese, finely chopped spring onion and tomato. Let them dip some steamed carrot fingers into it and suck off the Guacamole dip.

Yes - it will be very messy - but it will be loads of fun!! And think of all the goodness they are getting..............


Jennifer x

Winter Fruit Smoothie

I think that smoothies are a brilliant way to feed fruits and/or berries to babies, because if they are runny enough they will go through a sippy cup and if they are a bit thicker you can feed them through a straw. And at the risk of sounding like the world's worst mum- there are just some days that I don't have time to sit down and spoon feed mashed fruit to my baby and so a smoothie is a very quick and easy way to get those "2 magic pieces a day" into him!

Of course, you can make a smoothie out of lots of different fruits, but I chose pears and frozen berries today - because they are very healthy and are easy to find in winter. Pears are filled with fibre and berries are packed with vitamins and antioxidants

You can make your smoothie in the blender section of the Bébédelice, or you can just use a plastic container and hand held blender. Which ever is easiest and creates the least dishes has got to be the best I think.
Just take a ripe pear (peeled and quartered), a hand full of frozen berries and blend it together with some whole milk and a little honey (only after 12 months for some reason) for sweetness. Instead of adding honey, I sometimes use flavoured yoghurt which gives plenty of taste and makes it nice and creamy.

If you are confident that your baby does not have an allergy to nuts - it is excellent to add a tablespoon of almond meal to the smoothie as this will give him/her some important proteins. You can buy almond meal at the supermarket or health food shop

Smoothies are a great way to get your toddler eating fruit as well - so I always make a double serving and feed both of them at the same time.

If only I could find an easy way to get them to eat Brussel Sprouts :-) Any ideas??

Jennifer xx