Durakovic - Baby Gourmet Cookbook: Recipes for delicious homemade baby food

BABY GOURME T Cookbook

Recipes for delicious homemade baby food

Amra Durakovic

Copyright 2015 - Amra Durakovic

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at the address below.

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Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above.

Disclaimer:

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

This book is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

Credits:

Cover Photograph Copyright 2015 Amra Durakovic

Cover design & Book design by Amra Durakovic

All photographs Copyright 2015 Amra Durakovic

Durakovic, Amra

Baby Gourmet Cookbook : Recipes for delicious homemade baby food / Amra Durakovic

ISBN:

978-0-9938785-2-7

First Edition

Content

Stage 1

Stage 2

Note:

All portions yielded in the recipes is at 90 ml or 3 oz each.

Congratulations! Going from only breast milk or formula to eating solids with a spoon is another huge step for your baby. It is a rewarding period that will probably be frustrating at times and a little messy at the beginning. Just like for any other new thing your baby learns or experiences, you will need a lot of patience, a little sense of humour and more than anything else, something I am sure you already have plenty of, your love. Enjoy these precious moments with your baby as much as you can. Now, it is time to get cooking!

You can start slowly introducing solids to your baby around 6 months of age, when your baby is ready and after consulting your paediatrician. Not before, as their digestive system is not yet developed enough to digest other food but breast milk or formula. How to tell your baby is ready? All babies are different but there are a few signs that you should look for before you start:

Your baby needs to be able to sit well and support his or her head and neck in a steady upright position.

Be able to keep food in his or her mouth and then slowly swallow instead of pushing it out immediately.

Has a growing appetite even though he or she has had enough feedings of breast milk or formula.

Your baby is curious about what you eat and sometimes even tries to grab your food as you try to put it in your mouth.

Stage 1 or often called first foods, is for babies that just started solids, which commonly includes single grain cereals, and single fruit and vegetable purees that are nutritious, easy to digest and less likely to cause allergies. Which one you introduce first does not really matter as long as you try to offer a variety to your baby from the beginning. The time it takes to accept and get used to first foods is different for every baby, for some it will take only a few weeks but for others it might take longer.

Once your baby has passed the Stage 1, he or she is ready to venture to Stage 2. This is yet another very important step, as Stage 2 will introduce your baby to meat, legumes, fish and other foods that are very rich in some essential nutrients for baby's proper development, like iron and protein. Also, Stage 2 baby food has a broad variety with flavourful combinations that are thicker and chunkier in texture. Recommendations for when you start with each stage or any food, are just general guidelines and should be discussed with your paediatrician.

To help you succeed us much as possible when offering your baby something else than breast milk or formula for the first time, here are some tips and tricks from one mom to another:

Don't try to feed your baby when he or she is full, otherwise they will not be interested.

It is best to offer your baby food that is warm or even room temperature.

If your baby does not open his or her mouth when they see the spoon approaching, place a tiny amount of food on their lower lip and let them taste what is coming.

First foods should be thin and smooth in texture so they can be swallowed easily.

Don't try to introduce new food when your baby is tired, cranky or sick.

To encourage your baby, try to feed him or her at the same time as the rest of the family eats their meals.

Don't worry if your baby rejects the new food, try again later. Babies don't necessarily hate the food just need more time to get used to it.

Four day rule, is a way to check for any allergic reactions, digestive issues,etc. in your baby after introducing any new food, especially if your family has a history of food allergies. So if you have offered your baby a particular food for the first time, wait four days before introducing another one. This rule is a good thing to follow in the early stages, when your baby is just starting on solids. It is also a way to easily identify exactly when and which food caused an issue to your baby.

When starting with solids, you have to keep in mind that it is a trying period at the beginning, and during this time your baby will take some or none at all. So make sure your baby still gets proper amounts of breast milk or formula during the early stages, as solids do not provide enough nutrition just yet. But with time your baby will get used to eating an extended variety of foods, and will eventually have full meals and snacks in between. Every baby has his or her own appetite. Since the development of your baby will be followed by a pediatrician, he or she will be able to answer any questions regarding this or anything else that might be worrying you.

Do not think that you need tons of tools and gadgets to make delicious and healthy homemade baby food. You probably have most of the things you need in your kitchen already. To begin, you will need a good food processor or a blender, even an immersion blender will puree most foods very well. For steaming fruit and vegetables, a steaming basket will suffice. All the recipes in this book have been made using these two simple tools. But if you wish to purchase a blender or a steamer especially made for baby food, like with everything else, there are plenty to choose from. Some of them are quite good, and can steam and puree with a press of a button. In the end, I find all of them give the same results, so my advice is: pick the tool that works the best for you.

In a perfect world we would just have to walk out of our homes into a garden and pick fruits and vegetables we need: fresh and free of any chemicals and pesticides. But the reality is different and we can only do our best to try and keep our babies relatively free of all the harmful chemicals out there. With that in mind, if you are able to obtain and afford, certified organic produce would be the healthiest choice. But using non organic is perfectly acceptable and sometimes inevitable, depending on location, cost and other factors. So even though you do not use organic, it is still worth using the freshest produce available when making homemade baby food as it has not only more nutritional benefits when compared to commercial baby food, but also develops healthy eating habits right from the start.