The best food you can give your children is the one you cook at home, this is a statement that you have surely heard many times. If you are still not convinced, in this link you will find all the advantages of homemade food for children. Complementary feeding can be a challenge for many parents, since taking care of the children and other tasks can greatly complicate the task.
Although today it is possible to find high quality prepared baby food, it can never surpass food prepared at home. It is the best way to control food quality, eliminate unnecessary seasonings and prevent your baby from ingesting unhealthy substances. By following a few tricks, you can organize your baby's food in a really efficient way.
How to organize baby meals
Whether you have chosen the food based on shreds, or if you have chosen the BLW method (Baby Led Weaning), It is important that your baby's food is varied and balanced. If you do not have enough time to cook each day, it is necessary to organize the menu each week so that you can leave it prepared and packaged in portions. Frozen food is perfectly healthy for children, and allows you to always have the menu ready.
The day you go shopping, prepare a list with your baby's weekly menu. So you can buy all the products you will need for your food. In addition, having the list handy will help you when cooking and preparing the child's food.
Tips for efficient cooking
As your baby tries food, you can grind the same food that you all eat at home. While this moment arrives, the purées or the child's food will have to be exclusive to do not add salt or other unnecessary seasonings. With these tricks you can save a lot of time when preparing your baby's food:
- Chop several pieces of vegetablesFor example, zucchini, carrots, leek, pumpkin, potato, and green beans. Use zip-lock bags for the freezer, and separate by quantities for purees or to cook and offer it whole to the baby. This way you will only have to remove the vegetables in portions and cook in a few minutes.
- Use suitable containers for freezing, must be airtight and of the right size for the portion. Use a marker to write down the date of preparation and what the contents of the container are.
- Choose a day a week in which you can dedicate at least an hour to cook, in one go you can prepare different varieties of puree.
- Use a mandolin To cut vegetables, it is much faster than doing it by hand and will allow you to obtain a large quantity in a few minutes.
- Don't just cook food, you can use various cooking methods and thus prepare different dishes at the same time. For example, vegetables can be roasted in the oven, cook them in the microwave, cook them in a pot or steam them in a steamer. Your baby will get used to eating foods with different textures and you will favorably educate his palate.
Some extra tips
Extreme cleanliness is very important when cooking, especially if you prepare several dishes at the same time. Every time you use a knife, cutting board, or any kitchen tool, you should clean it with detergent, just like your hands. In vegetables and raw animal foods, many bacteria that can cause significant damage to the health of your baby.
When it comes to preserving food, freezing is a totally reliable method that keeps food in perfect condition. To defrost the product, it is best to remove the container the night before and let it defrost in the refrigerator. But if one day you do not remember or need to defrost it faster, the most suitable method is to place the container in another with cold water.
Involve the whole family in the meal
If you have older children at home, don't hesitate to ask them to help you with food. Children love to collaborate in the kitchen and this means a great learning method for them. Collaborating on tasks is essential for their development and autonomy. Children should perform chores at home appropriate for their age, and helping in the kitchen is one of their favorites.