Why, oh why, would you buy all those those tiny jars of veggie mush? I think maybe parents do it because they are afraid to feed their precious one the wrong thing. Or perhaps they don’t realize how incredibly simple it is to make your own food. I’m no Julia Childs in the kitchen but I have tell you that Norah loved my creations! Here is an example of one such complicated and elaborate recipe:
- Place a sweet potato on an oven tray
- Bake it for about 45 minutes
- Let it cool, peel away the skin, and mash with a fork.
Are you taking notes? Did I go too fast? The best part? One sweet potato made 6-8 servings! I could pack it in an ice cube tray to freeze it or store in the fridge. I could add some cinnamon (which is a positive taste-shaper according to Dr. Sears) for extra exotic.
The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood. Aside from motivating me to rid my home of High Fructose Corn Syrup, this book encouraged me to use specific tools to shape her tastes right from the start for healthy eating.
I mostly followed the rules about adding foods slowly to monitor for allergies, etc. But soon, I gained confidence and wanted to explore flavors and textures. It was so much fun to find new veggies and fruits and spices to introduce. We gave her salmon, edamame, and avocado. We weren’t afraid of using turmeric or garlic. I didn’t cook extra meals; I simply mashed some of what we were eating. And you know what? We began eating healthier as a result.
My favorite resource was a book from the library
Here are some other resources (and I’m hoping my friend Jenn will comment with additional tips!):
Dr. Sears on Shaping Young Tastes
First Recipes (for those of you who are Julia Childs and like to combine foods into creative concoctions!) This website includes an easy recipe for homemade rice cereal–your baby probably won’t eat rice cereal for very long (have you tasted that bland stuff??) and you’ll end up with a big ole box of it. By making your own, you control the portions and the ingredients.
Cost Comparison: in case you need more convincing.
Remember that your baby is not ready for solids until at least 4 months old–most babies won’t be ready until 6 months old or older. Don’t rush it!
Inexplicable Ways 
