Food Preparation

Now that your baby's diet includes a range of foods, you need to take sensible precautions to protect him from the effects of harmful bacteria - salmonella and listeria poisoning, for example - so you should be well informed about safe storage and preparation.

Buying and Storing

The most important thing to look for when buying food is freshness. Shop often, and use food as quickly as possible. Bruised or damaged fruit and vegetables deteriorate quickly, so don't buy them. Always wash fruit if the skin is to be eaten, as there may be a residue of insecticides or other chemicals. Most packaged foods now carry a "sell by" or "best before" date, so check this and make sure that there are no signs of damage to packages, cans, or jars.

Food stored in the refrigerator should be in clean, covered containers. Store cooked and raw foods on separate shelves, and put raw meat and fish on a plate so the juices don't drip onto food on the shelf below. Check the packaging to see if food is suitable for freezing, and never freeze foods for longer than the time recommended by the manufacturer. Always defrost frozen foods thoroughly in the refrigerator before using, and never refreeze food once it has been defrosted.

Cooking and Reheating

Always cook your baby's food thoroughly; this applies especially to meat, poultry, and eggs. Never give raw or soft-cooked eggs to your baby, nor should you give soft cheeses or nut products. If you're preparing food in bulk quantities, don't allow it to cool before putting it into the refrigerator, as this will just give the bacteria a chance to multIply; put it in a cold dish, cover it, and put it straight into the refrigerator or freezer. To avoid E. coli and other bacteria, cook hamburger thoroughly, to an internal temperature of at least 160°F (71°C). Make sure hamburger meat that you eat in restaurants is served well done, with no trace of pinkness or blood.

Preparation

At first you'll have to puree all your baby's food, but this stage won't last very long, so if you don't have a blender or food processor it's probably best just to get a cheap hand-operated food mill. At first a sieve will be perfectly adequate. As your baby gets older you can feed him coarser foods. By the time he is six months old he will be able to take a thicker puree, and at nine months he will enjoy a mash with chunks of meat or vegetables in it.

You can use a variety of liquids to thin home-prepared foods: the water you've used to steam fruit or vegetables is ideal. To thicken foods, you can use ground, whole-grain cereals like wheat germ, cottage cheese, yogurt, or mashed potato. If you feel you need to sweeten food, use naturally sweet fruit juice, not refined sugar. In general, however, young babies don't have a developed taste for sweets, so try foods unsweetened first, adding sweetener only if your baby absolutely refuses everything without it.