Pediatricians advise introducing vegetable and fruit purees into the child's diet as the first complementary foods at the moment when it becomes completely obvious that the baby is no longer enough mother's milk. After the first dose, you need to carefully observe the baby's reaction to a new dish and continue complementary foods only if no negative symptoms are found.

Recipes for baby purees up to a year

Purees prepared according to recipes for children under 1 year old are distinguished by a delicate structure and do not cause difficulties for babies when swallowing. In addition, they contain the vitamins, minerals and trace elements necessary for the child, have a beneficial effect on the digestive processes and contribute to the full development of the body.

Ripe carrot puree is considered one of the healthiest. It contains many trace elements and natural substances necessary for the harmonious development and growth of the baby. In order for carrot carotene to be better absorbed by the children's stomach, it is recommended to add a small amount of fat to the dish.

Ingredients:

• carrots - 100 g
• olive oil - 1/3 tsp
• artificial milk formula or natural breast milk - 25 ml

How to cook:

1. Wash the carrots very well, peel the outer skin and cut into medium-sized, thin rings.
2. Put in an enamel pan, pour in half a glass of hot water and boil over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
3. Rub hot carrots through the finest sieve, add olive oil and warmed milk. Mix well until smooth and give to the baby. Start with 1 teaspoon and then increase daily by 50%.

Carrot puree for kids

For making pear puree, it is better to choose sweet and juicy varieties such as Conference, Williams or Duchess. They give the dessert a magnificent, unsweetened taste and a pleasant, soft texture.

Ingredients:

• medium-sized pear - 1 pc.
• water - 70 ml

How to cook:

1. Wash the pear, peel, divide into quarters, free from the core and seeds, and then finely chop.
2. In a small container, bring water to a boil, pour pear slices into it, cover with a lid and boil for 8-10 minutes over low heat.
3. Cool the finished fruit slightly and beat in a blender for 1 minute.
4. Transfer the puree to a glass container, close with a plastic lid and put in the refrigerator. In this form, it can be stored for two days.

pear puree

Advice: It is not recommended to add spices, salt, sugar and spices to baby purees. The stomach of a child may not perceive these ingredients well and react negatively to their presence in dishes. Vegetables and fruits used for cooking must be fresh and unspoiled. They must first be thoroughly washed and be sure to remove the skin or skin.

Puree from fresh apples is ideally absorbed by the child's body, contains a huge amount of vitamins and improves the overall process of digestion. Kids of all ages eat it with great pleasure. To give a brighter taste and rich aroma, cinnamon, cloves or lemon juice are put in the dish. However, if you want to prepare applesauce for a baby or a child up to a year old, it is better to refrain from spicy additives, as well as from granulated sugar.

Ingredients:

• juicy sweet apples - ½ kg
• sugar - 1 tbsp
• freshly squeezed lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• cinnamon - ½ tsp

How to cook:

1. Rinse apples under running water, dry on a kitchen towel, peel, remove the insides and cut into large pieces.
2. Put the fruit in an enamel pan and pour cool water so that it completely covers them.
3. Boil on low heat for 15-20 minutes. As a result, the apples should become soft.
4. Remove from water, pat dry and blend very well in a food processor or blender. The finished fruit mass should be completely homogeneous.
5. Combine the puree with sugar and lemon juice, transfer to a saucepan and boil over medium heat for at least 5 minutes. Stir constantly so that the apples do not burn and do not stick to the bottom.
6. Cool, arrange in jars and cork with nylon lids. Keep refrigerated.

Advice: If the consistency of the puree is not too homogeneous, you can additionally rub it through a fine kitchen sieve.

Baby vegetable purees

Vegetable purees are a fundamental part of a complete baby food. They are made from carrots, pumpkins, zucchini and other gifts of the fields, previously boiled or baked in the oven, and then chopped in a blender.

For baby pumpkin puree, you should choose small fruits weighing from 3 to 5 kg. There is much more juice and sweetness in their pulp than in very large ones, and there is practically no fiber content. The dish prepared according to this recipe is suitable for babies aged 4-12 months. It tastes delicate and has a very delicate, unobtrusive aroma.

Ingredients:

• pumpkin pulp - 100 g
• dill - a pinch (without stems)
• mother's milk or artificial milk formula

How to cook:

1. Cut the pumpkin into small cubes and bake in the oven until tender.
2. Cool slightly, put in a blender, add dill, a little mother's milk (or milk mixture) and beat into a fluffy mass.
3. To begin with, introduce 1 teaspoon into the diet, gradually increasing the volume.

Zucchini puree can be introduced into the daily menu of both infants and children older than a year. For the smallest, pediatricians advise preparing a dish without salt and sugar, so as not to put an unnecessary burden on the delicate body of the baby.

Ingredients:

• zucchini - 1 pc.

How to cook:

1. Wash the zucchini very well and remove the skin. Cut into large pieces and place in cool boiled water for 20 minutes so that all the harmful substances that enter the fruit during fertilizer come out.
2. Place the vegetable in a small saucepan and fill with clean water so that it completely covers the pieces.
3. Boil for about 20 minutes over medium heat until fully cooked, cool slightly and grind very thoroughly with a blender.
4. Start giving the baby with 1 teaspoon, daily increasing the volume by 2 times.

Video recipe for baby apricot puree

From 5 months.

You will need: 2 potatoes, 4 tablespoons of milk (breast or mixture), 1 teaspoon of butter.

Wash the potatoes well. Peel it off. Wash again. Steam the potatoes or bake in the oven until soft. Strain the still hot potatoes through a sieve or puree in a blender. While whisking the potatoes, gradually pour in the hot milk. Put the resulting puree on fire and boil for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter. Cool down.

Cauliflower and zucchini puree

From 6 months.

You will need: 50 g of cauliflower, 60 g of zucchini, 2 tablespoons of milk (breast or mixture), half a teaspoon of vegetable oil.

Rinse vegetables well under running water. Clean the cabbage. Divide it into small inflorescences. Cut the zucchini into small pieces. Put the vegetables in an enamel pot. Pour boiling water over everything so that the water completely covers the vegetables. Close the lid and cook until fully cooked. Rub the still hot vegetables with the broth through a sieve until a homogeneous mass is obtained. You can use a blender. Add hot milk to puree. Boil for 1-2 more minutes. Add vegetable oil to the finished puree and mix.

Carrot and potato puree

From 7 months.

You will need: 2 potatoes, 1 carrot, 4 tablespoons of milk (breast or mixture), 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil.

Wash carrots and potatoes well. Clean and wash again. Cut vegetables into cubes. Put them in an enamel pot. Pour boiling water over so that the water covers the vegetables. Simmer the vegetables over low heat, covered, until tender. Pass hot vegetables through a sieve until smooth. You can use a blender. Add milk, salt, vegetable oil to the puree. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and set aside.

carrot puree

From 7 months.

You will need: 1 medium carrot, hot water, 2 tablespoons of milk (breast or mixture), ¼ teaspoon of butter.

Wash the carrots well, peel them, wash them again. Cut the washed carrot into cubes, transfer it to an enamel pan, pour boiling water over it so that the water covers the carrots. Steam or simmer the carrots, covered, until the carrots are soft and the water is boiled away. Rub hot carrots through a sieve until smooth. You can grind carrots in a blender. Add butter, hot milk and mix everything. Boil for another 2-3 minutes. Refrigerate before serving.

Zucchini and chicken puree

From 9 months.

You will need: 150 - 200 g of zucchini pulp, 50 g of boiled white meat of chicken or turkey, ¼ cup of milk, 1 tablespoon of butter.

Wash the zucchini well. Remove the skin from it and cut into small pieces. Steam until fully cooked. Hot, grind the zucchini through a sieve until smooth. Mix with chopped poultry meat until smooth. Pour in hot milk, salt and boil for another 2-3 minutes. Add butter to the puree.

Cauliflower puree with milk

From 6 months.

You will need: 100 g of cauliflower, 2 tablespoons of milk (breast or mixture), half a teaspoon of vegetable oil.

Wash the cauliflower well. Cut it into florets. Remove green leaves. Put the small cauliflower florets in an enamel pot. Pour boiling water over it so that the cabbage is completely in the water. Close the lid and simmer until the cabbage is cooked and the water has completely evaporated. Rub the hot cabbage through a sieve until smooth. You can use a blender. Add hot milk to the puree and boil for another 1-2 minutes. Add vegetable oil to the finished hot puree.

Apple-pumpkin puree

From 6 months.

You will need: 100 g of pumpkin pulp, 1 apple, 1 teaspoon of butter.

Rinse the pumpkin and apple well. Peel off the skin, remove the seeds. Cut the fruit into pieces. Fill the pumpkin with water and cook over low heat under a lid until the pulp. Add an apple. Boil for 10 more minutes. Grate the still hot fruits on a fine grater together with the broth until smooth. You can use a blender. Boil puree for another 102 minutes. Cool, add butter and serve.

Puree from potatoes, carrots, cabbage, beets and pumpkin

From 8 months.

You will need: 1/5 potatoes, 30 g of carrots, pumpkins, beets, white cabbage, 2 tablespoons of milk (breast or mixture), half a teaspoon of vegetable oil.

Wash vegetables thoroughly. Peel them, cut into small pieces. Put the chopped vegetables in an enamel pan, add water, close the lid and simmer over low heat. Complete evaporation of water must not be allowed. When the vegetables are soft, rub them hot through a sieve until smooth. You can use a blender. Add hot milk to puree and bring everything to a boil. Add vegetable oil.

Vegetable puree with kohlrabi, spinach and potatoes

From 8 months.

You will need: half a head of kohlrabi, 100 g of spinach, 1/3 of a potato, the yolk of one boiled egg, 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of butter.

Rinse vegetables thoroughly. Chop the kohlrabi. Set aside some of the green tops of the kohlrabi. Peel the potatoes, rinse them again. Cut it into slices. Place the potatoes and kohlrabi in an enamel pot, add butter, close the lid and simmer for about 15 minutes. Grind the reserved kohlrabi greens and spinach and add to the stewed vegetables. Simmer still 5 0 10 minutes. Pass hot vegetables through a sieve until smooth. You can use a blender. Add egg yolk, stir.

For the first six months of his life, a small child eats only breast milk, which contains all the substances and calories necessary for the development of the body. But after six months, this food becomes scarce and the mother needs to gradually accustom the child to complementary foods. It is best if the first "adult" food is vegetable puree for babies. Cooking it is very easy, but in the process you need to follow some rules. Good recipes for these dishes can be found online.

Puree of vegetables is well suited to diversify the diet of a grown-up baby. Proper nutrition at the beginning of the first or second year will have a beneficial effect on the health of the child in the future. Homemade, according to simple recipes, top dressing is preferable to a purchased ready-made mixture.

When and how to start feeding the baby with vegetables?

The approximate start time for a partial change in diet depends on the type of feeding: if the baby is breastfed, then the first complementary foods are given at the age of six months. If the child eats artificial food, the introduction of grated vegetables is already acceptable for a four-month-old baby.

It is believed that a child is ready to start eating vegetables when he is gaining weight normally, has learned to sit and tries to make chewing movements with his jaws during feeding. At this time, he needs to prepare and offer to try new food - no more than one spoon a day before the start of milk feeding. If he accepts the novelty and eats it without whims, the portions are gradually increased. If the baby refuses mashed potatoes, it is worth waiting for some time (a day or two) and offering him a new dish again.

It must be remembered that up to a year you should not deprive a child of breast milk - only reduce its proportion in food. Even if he is no longer breastfeeding, milk can be added to the mixture.

First, the baby is offered to taste a small amount of one-component puree, each time checking his reaction to the product. To make it easier to do, it is worth experimenting in the morning. With normal assimilation, allergic manifestations, digestive problems and other symptoms should not be present. It is forbidden to give several completely new “tastes” at once.

A couple of months after the successful start of complementary foods, you can try mix recipes by mixing several types of puree from already proven and harmless vegetables. After some time, they begin to introduce fruit into the diet, and then meat and fish options, in that order.

Rules for cooking vegetable dishes

A good start to complementary foods will be mashed green vegetables - zucchini, broccoli, green peas, cauliflower, squash, as well as carrots and pumpkins. These plants are low allergenic and perfectly digestible.

Carrot. An excellent vegetable for the very first complementary foods. It does not cause allergies, is remarkably well tolerated and goes well with other foods. In addition, carrots are very easy to cook.

Potatoes should be given very carefully and not immediately. This product is difficult for the baby's digestion, so even in a puree mixture, only 20-50% is required.

Cabbage. Some types of this vegetable - broccoli, colored - are ideal for the very first purees. But a separate product from the white version should not be given.

The first purees, while the baby is a little over six months old, should be monocomponent (from only one vegetable ingredient). It is better to use fresh vegetables, ideally, purchase them from a direct manufacturer. But if the start date of complementary foods was in the winter, fresh-frozen options are also suitable.

Each type has its own recipes. Common to all vegetables is their thorough peeling (if possible) and soaking in water for several hours. It is better to cook them for a couple, and bake pumpkin in the oven. After the products have become soft, they are crushed with a blender or ground through a sieve and immediately “served on the table”.

Recipes for the very first meal should not include salt and sugar, only a few drops of vegetable oil are allowed. At this age, spices are harmful to the baby. In addition, when he eats, he must recognize the natural taste of vegetables.

It is advisable to feed a child up to a year with a freshly prepared product. But, if the puree is cooked too much, it can be frozen in molds for people or in silicone molds for baking. Only in this case, the mixture should be on water, without oil and milk. To feed the baby with it, you need to defrost and warm it up well, and then cool it to the desired temperature.

Complementary foods are best prepared at home, but if this is not possible, ready-made baby food in jars is also suitable, usually every child eats them well. But when choosing them, you should pay attention to several important points:

1. The mixture is bought according to the age of the baby.
2. Information about the manufacturer, his contact details, and the expiration date of the contents should be clearly visible on the packaging.
3. The full composition is indicated, in which there should be a minimum of thickeners, preservatives and similar additives. Ideally, the product can only consist of puree and water.
4. Evaluate the integrity of the package, the condition of the lid (you need it to fit snugly on the jar) and the appearance of the food itself if the container is transparent.

From seven to eight months and up to a year, a child can eat more complex mixtures - such an introduction is made from only a few proven vegetables. Now you can expand the list of source foods to include potatoes, corn, spinach, bell peppers. Mashed potatoes should not be given separately from other vegetables, as it is heavy on the baby's digestive system.

Vegetable puree in the diet of children of different ages

4-5 months

This is the time to start feeding. Now the baby is learning to eat in a new way, gradually getting used to the new food. In the first days, he is given a spoon or two of mashed potatoes, and by the end of the five-month age, he normally eats at least 120 grams of the product, in addition to breast milk.

You should not start complementary foods if the child feels unwell: he got sick, got vaccinated, or something similar happened. But if the baby is healthy and does not eat mashed potatoes, you need to be persistent - offer him a dish for several days, smiling, persuading him and praising the new food.

In order for the child to perceive the novelty more positively, it is worth protecting him from stress and distractions during meals. Let him focus only on a spoonful of puree and his mother's joyful face. You can think of feeding as a game.

6 months

The volume of food of a six-month-old child is already quite diverse. In vegetable puree, you can already include a little oil. If the baby is accustomed to such food, eats it with appetite and responds well, mixtures are made from two or three products. At this age, the child already eats 150 grams of puree, among other things.

Some of the best recipes are vegetable mixes, for example, from cauliflower and carrots (150/100 g). It is good to prepare a complex dish of zucchini, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli (50/50/50/50), diluted with milk and vegetable oil. After six months, unsweetened yogurt, decoctions of rice or pasta can be added to food.

7 months

At the age of seven months, children begin to teeth, and this gives impetus to a qualitative expansion of the list of possible food products. The baby can already be given crackers and pieces of cheese - their introduction into the diet will not only diversify it, but also alleviate the discomfort from the growth of the first teeth. In addition to vegetable puree mixes, the child eats cereals, well-cooked and finely chopped low-fat meat and poultry, eggs, grated cottage cheese and cheese. The menu becomes what it should be in the first two years of his life.

All recipes with new products need to be tested empirically for their child's tolerance. Each supplement is allowed to taste in small quantities monitoring the condition of the baby.

8 months

Having acquired the first set of teeth, the baby can already cope with pieces of boiled vegetables, soups with herbs, and meat and fish ingredients, oil and salt are added to complex vegetable purees. Moreover, the volume of mixes should reach 200 grams per day. Vegetables contain fiber necessary for digestion, so these purees should be eaten in sufficient quantities.

9 months to a year

The baby is already so accustomed to "adult" food that he can be given breast milk only at night and in the morning, when he usually eats, and there is no freshly prepared product at hand. In the diet, the main categories of products are approximately equally distributed, including vegetable purees. And from the new "tastes" the child can be introduced to fish. The amount of feeding decreases, but the portions increase.

As you can see, vegetable puree is a necessary food product in the second half of a baby's life. It performs both a nutritious and educational function, accustoming the baby to a new variety of food and facilitating weaning.

Pay attention to the video, which tells in an understandable and accessible way how to prepare vegetable puree soup for your baby.

When the timing of the introduction of complementary foods to your beloved baby approaches, it would seem that there are no problems with this. After all, today it is not a problem to buy the necessary products for complementary foods. But I want to feed the baby with something special, useful and, most importantly, those products that I am sure of.

Thus, when preparing complementary foods, mommy is given the opportunity to show her not only culinary skills, but also creative ones, because it is important not only to cook a delicious dish, but also to serve it in an interesting way for the baby.

In complementary foods, some parents are guided by the information that is indicated on the jars of baby food, but after the baby reaches six months with a problem of cooking. There are a number of simple rules that will help make life easier for moms regarding complementary foods.

About products

Today, for some mothers, there is no difficulty in preparing meals, since various foods intended for children can be purchased at the store. But most mothers still tend to think that the child needs to cook for himself.

To prepare such dishes, it is advisable to take products that have been grown in the garden, but it is not always possible to find such products. The main thing to remember when purchasing products is most likely that the vegetables bought at the market from grandmothers were grown with the help of numerous chemical fertilizers.

cooking

The consistency of the first courses should be homogeneous and liquid-like in consistency, this will help to ensure that the baby does not provoke the urge to vomit. Any vegetables, subsequently meat, must first be stewed, possibly steamed, and then mixed with a small amount of broth in which they were cooked, you can use milk for this.

It is not advisable to boil vegetables in a large amount of liquid, since all the vitamins from the product go into the broth. You can grind the dish with a blender, this will help give it a certain homogenized consistency.

Necessary equipment in the kitchen

To prepare food for the baby, use a separate saucepan, preferably with a thick bottom, enameled cast iron, with a volume of about half a liter. It will not be superfluous to have a separate inventory, such as a cutting board, spoon, knife, but preference should be given to a wooden board, the spoon should not be aluminum.

At first, while the eye is being developed, it is desirable to have a kitchen scale. A kitchen timer can also be a great helper, it will notify you when the stove is turned off.

How should frozen foods be stored and prepared?

An important point is not only the proper preparation of products, but also their storage. Many caring mothers prepare various dishes just before eating it, this is absolutely correct, but sometimes, taking into account the mode of walking, sleep time, this is not always possible. You need to know that yesterday's portion of food stored in a clean container in the refrigerator is not a particularly dangerous product. In some exceptions, such a product can be given to a baby.

But so that such moments do not become frequent, you can use a convenient option - cut meat, vegetables into small pieces and freeze them. This will help preserve all the valuable properties available in the product.

To know how to cook this or that dish correctly and quickly, we offer you a food preparation table:

Product	How should you cook and freeze?	Note
Pumpkin, zucchini	Simmer for five to ten minutes. To freeze the pulp, you need to cut it into cubes no more than 2 cm.	They can be combined with other vegetables, it is also permissible to add oatmeal, chopped cereals at the end of the stew.
	You need to cook for five to seven minutes. Before freezing, it must be disassembled into inflorescences.	Pairs well with a variety of vegetables.
Carrot, , turnip	Before freezing, grate with straws or a coarse grater. Simmer or boil for ten minutes.	Can be combined with various other vegetables.
	This product should be soaked in water, this will help reduce the amount of starch, then cut and pour water.	So that the mashed potatoes are not very thick, it should be diluted with the water in which the food was cooked.
Kashi: buckwheat, rice	It is necessary to cook in water for fifteen to twenty minutes, then chop with a blender and add butter.
Cereals	Boiled in water, milk-water mixture or filled with hot water.	Can be added to vegetable puree.
Rabbit meat	The carcass must be boiled, cleaned of bones, and then chopped with a blender or passed through a meat grinder, for consistency, you can add the broth where the rabbit was cooked.	A meat dish that can be an excellent addition to vegetable dishes, cereals.
Meat: beef, veal, turkey fillet, chicken	We turn it twice in a meat grinder and form meatballs or minced meat sticks.	Meatballs or sticks of minced meat.

Such homemade semi-finished products will help to make the cooking process as easy as possible. Thus, the mother saves herself from routine processes, besides, creativity and proper organization will help prepare the baby healthy food that will bring him the maximum benefit.

Technology of preparation of vegetable dishes used as complementary foods

At the beginning of the baby's acquaintance with mashed vegetables, you should take only one product, then you should expand the diet by adding new, but already familiar foods that are well tolerated by the body.

Be sure to wash all the vegetables, but you can’t leave them cut, except for potatoes, because then a loss of a large number of vitamins is possible.

Steaming is the best way to cook food, because then all useful vitamins and elements are preserved in vegetables. "Steaming" is a feature found in many kitchen appliances.

If there are no such devices, then you can stew vegetables, for this you need to pour chopped vegetables with water and cover with a lid, the products will be cooked for twenty minutes.

Potatoes take longer to cook than other vegetables, so you need to put them in first, and then add other vegetables. Frozen vegetables do not need to be thawed before cooking. They must be immersed in a small amount of boiling water and cooked under a lid over low heat.

It is necessary to grind vegetables while hot, a blender will be an excellent helper in this, it will help you get a homogeneous puree without lumps, this will contribute to good digestion, as well as the assimilation of food in children.

For older children who already have several teeth, vegetables can be softened with a fork. Serve the first vegetable dishes in their pure form, seasoned with vegetable broth, two weeks later, before eating, you can add any vegetable oil. Also, vegetables are allowed to fill with mother's expressed milk or its substitute.

Video recipe for cooking zucchini puree for feeding:

Proper preparation of cereals

It is advisable to start acquaintance with cereals with cereals that do not contain gluten - rice, corn. Before cooking, porridge can be ground in a coffee grinder to get cereal flour. You can also grind with a blender ready-made. These cereals must be soaked in water for a while, then drained and rinsed thoroughly.

When preparing baby cereals, it is important to adhere to the correct ratio of water and cereals. Water should be approximately twice as much as cereals. Porridges are poured into boiling water, boiled over low heat for fifteen to twenty minutes. To make porridge crumbly, you do not need to stir it during cooking.

The first dishes of cereals for babies should be liquid, they are cooked at the rate of one teaspoon of cereal per 100 milliliters of water. Over time, when the baby grows up, taking into account the maturation of the baby's chewing apparatus, the porridge already needs to be cooked more thickly and two teaspoons of cereal flour should be boiled in 100 milliliters of water.

For babies up to one year old, porridge is cooked in water, with the further addition of formula milk or breast milk just before eating. Until the baby reaches one year, in order to avoid the appearance of allergies in the diet, it is better not to use.

Not earlier than two weeks after the start of feeding with cereals, you can add butter. At first, its norm should be at the tip of the knife, then bring it to the amount corresponding to age.

cooking meat

A product such as meat is the main source of not only iron, but also animal proteins. Therefore, after the introduction of vegetables, cereals, it is recommended to start introducing meat. Preference in meat complementary foods should be given to one type of meat that stands out for its hypoallergenicity - turkey, rabbit, chicken, horse meat.

If the baby tolerates these foods well, then closer to the age of one, you can switch to beef, chicken and veal. Before cooking the meat, it is necessary to rinse it well, however, it is not advisable to leave it in a container with water, since this is fraught with the fact that all useful substances from the product will pass into the water.

An excellent way to heat-treat meat is to steam it. In a double boiler, you can cook meat in a piece, as well as in the form of minced meat. In the case of cooking meat, it must be lowered into water that is already boiling, thereby helping to preserve the maximum amount of useful substances in the product.

By dividing the meat into small pieces, you can arrange it in bags, and then freeze it. Thus, it will facilitate further cooking, because a small piece will defrost faster. To quickly defrost the meat, it must be lowered into a container of cold water, but not hot.

In order for all non-useful extractive substances to come out of the meat during the cooking process, the broth must be drained twice. The duration of cooking meat depends directly on the product itself, so, for example, chicken, turkey and lean pork are boiled faster for half an hour, unlike rabbit meat, beef and veal, which are cooked for about an hour.

With the help of a blender, a meat grinder, you can chop the meat. In the case when the puree turns out to be somewhat dry, then you can add vegetable broth or just boiled water.

The preparation of meatballs can be done as follows - they will prepare small balls from the minced meat, then they need to be laid out on a cutting board, and then frozen in the freezer. When the products are already frozen, they should be divided into portions into bags to be stored in the freezer. When children reach the age of one, they should receive food that is not crushed, and they should be given puree containing small pieces of food.

How to cook fruit dishes?

Today, children's dietetics does not include fruits among the first foods that should be introduced with complementary foods. It is recommended to introduce them after vegetables, cereals and meat. Familiarity with fruits should begin with fruits that are distinguished by their hypoallergenicity, such as pears and green varieties of apples.

After that, bananas, apricots, peaches can be gradually introduced into the diet. Fruits are offered to children fresh in a puree form, they are washed, then pitted, peeled and chopped with a blender.

Green garden varieties are saturated with vitamin C, pectin, they have a certain sourness, they can be removed by baking. To do this, you need a peeled fruit can be left whole or cut into slices. In the container where the apple will be cooked, add a small amount of water, cover with foil, then bake in the oven for fifteen to twenty minutes at a temperature of 180-200 ° C.

The same dish can be cooked in the microwave. To do this, you need a cling film in which you need to wrap apples, holes are made in it, and after five to seven minutes the dish will be ready. There is no need to add sugar when making fruit puree.

About dairy products

If a caring mother decides to feed the baby with everything that she cooks herself, then special starter cultures and appropriate kitchen utensils, for example, a yogurt maker, can help her with this. The correct preparation of fermented milk products (, and other products) is written on a box of starter cultures.

When preparing meals for your baby, remember that by doing so you convey your energy and positive attitude to him.

In the first months of their life, babies drink only mother's milk or formula milk, so introducing new foods to food is a big step in a child's life.

When introducing complementary foods, it is important to offer your child plenty of vegetables in order to obtain beneficial vitamins and micronutrients. This is also necessary in order for the baby to develop a habit of new tastes.

Early introduction of complementary foods will prevent further excessive selectivity of the child in food and will enable parents to observe food allergies.

It is better to introduce vegetables first. They contain most of the beneficial minerals and vitamins that a growing body needs. Only when the child's body gets used to vegetables, you can offer the baby fruit. Vegetables have a neutral taste, they do not affect metabolism, do not have a destructive effect on tooth enamel.

When can you give your baby vegetable puree?

Experts recommend starting to introduce baby vegetable purees into the daily diet of a child at the age of six months. By this time, the children's digestive tract is able to effectively absorb the ingredients of the puree without the occurrence of diarrhea and flatulence.

Before introducing the first vegetable food to your child, make sure it is ready. The young digestive system needs time to develop before it can digest adult food.

• your baby should be able to hold his head on his own, open his mouth for a spoon, chew food in his mouth and then swallow it;
• Another indicator that the baby is ready for the first complementary foods is a doubling of the body weight that was at birth.

Carefully monitor the baby's stool after taking a new food. Refrain from introducing complementary foods if you notice watery stools. Perhaps the digestive tract is not ripe enough for vegetable purees.

If the baby does not want to try an unfamiliar product, postpone its introduction for later. Try again after a few weeks.

The initial portion of the administered product should be no more than a teaspoon. If the baby does not have problems with digestion, the dose of complementary foods should be increased every day by a teaspoon until the portion is equal to the age norm.

For children 4 - 6 months old, monocomponent purees from hypoallergenic steamed vegetables are suitable.

First, give your child a small amount of puree from a soft spoon. Do this for several weeks. Start with small meals, half a teaspoon each. Puree for babies should be given after breastfeeding.

Don't worry if your baby doesn't swallow all of the food. Babies often refuse food or spit it out. Remember, every child develops at their own pace. Some will learn to eat from a spoon quickly, others will have little interest. Don't give up, try again.

Pediatricians usually advise starting with green vegetables because they are less sweet than yellow vegetables.

Instead of buying mashed potatoes for children in the store, you can make mashed vegetables for your child at home using complementary food recipes. If you do this, you will know exactly what is in the baby's food. In addition, you can save money this way, since store-bought baby vegetable puree for a child is usually more expensive than home-made.

The best vegetable purees for the first feeding

Zucchini puree for the first feeding is the best choice. It is perfect for babies from 4 months old. It has a mild and delicate flavor due to the fiber and high pectin content. This vegetable has a lot of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, which are of decisive importance for the metabolism of a growing child.

Zucchini is one of the few vegetables that is hypoallergenic. Folic acid, iron, copper, contained in zucchini in large quantities, play a significant role in hematopoiesis.

Squash puree

Very nutritious puree for babies. Squash is rich in calcium, fiber and vitamins, it can be given to children from 4 to 6 months. This is another sweet tasting food, very soft and easy to swallow.

pumpkin puree

Rich in ascorbic acid, iron and many nutrients. Pumpkin is a great addition to a child's diet, the perfect companion for less sweet vegetables like squash and green beans. It also goes well with fruits and meats. In addition, pumpkin is high in fiber, low in fat, and very low in calories.

Cauliflower puree

From about six months, you can give the baby cauliflower. It is a vegetable rich in vitamins C and K.

Green bean puree

If you think your baby is ready to try green vegetables, baby green bean purees are a good option for a 4-5 month old baby's first solids.

Beans are rich in vitamins A and K, which contributes to the formation of the baby's immunity. Using it as the first green vegetable in complementary foods will help your baby get used to green vegetables.

Pea mash

Even if the parents don't like peas, the child is more likely to eat them. Peas are another favorite among young children because they have a sweetish taste. This food is high in protein, contains a lot of fiber and improves digestion. Peas are also rich in vitamins A and C.

Broccoli puree

Broccoli is one of the most advanced green vegetables. It is usually administered within 8 to 10 months. This vegetable contains a lot of fiber and ascorbic acid. Useful for constipation.

Potato puree

This is one of the best first purees for babies. Potatoes are very soft and pleasant to taste. It contains a lot of beta-carotene and ascorbic acid, which helps to strengthen the child's immune system. Due to the high content of coarse fiber, this vegetable will help with digestion.

Carrots are another favorite vegetable for babies. This is because carrots also have a sweet taste. Rich in beta-carotene, carrots are a nutritious addition to a child's diet.

The high content of vitamin A promotes healthy vision and helps the body resist infection. In addition, carrots are versatile - they can be mixed with various fruits, meats and other vegetables.

Turnip puree

As soon as the baby crosses the 6-8 month mark, try giving him a turnip. It is rich in ascorbic acid and calcium, it has a high content of coarse fiber and protein. Turnip is sweet in taste and easy to digest.

Eggplant puree

Eating eggplant saturates the body with vitamins A, B6 and folic acid. This vegetable also contains minerals such as potassium and calcium. The high fiber content will help the child to adjust the stool with constipation.

Spinach puree

Rich in calcium and loaded with antioxidants, spinach is ideal for older children. This leafy green vegetable contains many nutrients, including vitamin A, selenium, and iron.

Spinach is high in nitrates, so it should be eaten in moderation.

Beet puree

Add variety to your baby's diet with antioxidant-rich beets. As soon as the child has tried various yellow and green vegetables, it is time to taste this wonderful root vegetable. Beetroot contains a lot of calcium, potassium, vitamin A and coarse fiber. This vegetable is nutritious and will please the baby with its colorfulness.

Asparagus puree

Bright and delicious, asparagus is packed with vitamins and nutrients, including iron, calcium, and vitamin A. But like cauliflower and broccoli, this fiber-rich vegetable can be difficult to digest.

Wait until the child is a little older (from 10 months) before offering this puree. Asparagus can be eaten on its own or mixed with other vegetables.

To prepare puree for the first feeding, follow these steps:

1. Choose fresh, ripe vegetables for your first feeding. The most delicious and nutritious vegetable puree for baby food is made from the freshest vegetables that are at their peak of ripeness.

   Choose vegetables with firm flesh and bright colors. Avoid mashed vegetables with stains.

2. Frozen or canned vegetables can be used to make a puree for the first meal, but they will not have the same nutritional value and taste as puree made from fresh vegetables.
3. Any kind of vegetable should be pureed, although green vegetables are more difficult to get a smoother puree. Carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, broccoli, zucchini, and any other vegetables with flesh become softer when cooked.
4. Wash vegetables. By manipulating them under running cold water, make sure that all traces of dirt are removed.

   You can use a vegetable cleanser if you are cleaning vegetables that have been treated with pesticides.

5. If necessary, peel the vegetables. Cut off the top and bottom ends of the vegetables with a knife and remove any bruises.
6. Cut vegetables into thin slices. Cutting vegetables into slices instead of sticks will reduce cooking time, and the baby puree will become more uniform.
7. Boil some water in a deep bowl. You don't need to fill it all the way, you just need some water to steam the vegetables. Two to four glasses of water is enough, it all depends on the size of the dishes used.
8. Steaming vegetables is the best way to preserve nutrients. Boiling vegetables is another option for preparing them, but it has been proven that some beneficial vitamins are destroyed when cooked.
9. Steam vegetables for 15 to 20 minutes. Fill a special basket with vegetable slices and place it in the pot. Cover the pot to start cooking the vegetables.

   Avoid large quantities of vegetables in the cooking container. You may have to do it in batches.

   After 15-20 minutes, the vegetables should be soft enough.

10. If there is no special basket, place the vegetable slices in boiling water. Boil for a quarter of an hour or until soft.
11. Use a blender. Place 1 cup cooked vegetables in a blender, adding a little water if necessary to achieve a smoother texture.
12. Transfer the puree from the blender to a container used for feeding the baby.

The beginning of complementary foods plays a decisive role both in the functioning of the digestive system and for the healthy state of the child as a whole. Parents should be very careful about the nutrition of their babies in order to avoid further problems.