Your baby has already grown a little after birth, and it’s time for him to introduce new dishes and products into his diet. It is recommended to start baby's first complementary feeding with vegetable purees if he is completely healthy and developing correctly, or with cereal porridges if he is underweight. So, how to introduce the first complementary foods in the form of vegetable puree, read in this article.
Vegetables contain a lot of pectin and plant fiber, organic acids and vitamins, and a complex of microelements necessary for a growing body. And even despite the apparent lightness of vegetables, their benefits in a child’s diet are undeniable, but they should also be included in the menu in the right way.
When to start giving vegetable puree to your baby?
First food: vegetable puree. First of all, parents need to understand that they need to introduce vegetables into their baby’s diet from one product, for example, cauliflower or zucchini. After 2-3 types of vegetables have already been tested by the baby, they can be mixed during cooking, in the required proportions.
How to organize a child’s nutrition in the first year of life and beyond, read our article HERE
Broccoli, zucchini and cauliflower are vegetables for first feeding, they are hypoallergenic and as safe as possible for the child. In addition, this type of vegetable contains many vitamins and minerals.
If vegetables are introduced at 4-4.5 months, then parents are advised to give the owl preference for jarred puree; it is very tender and homogenized, that is, very finely pureed. The jar is just enough for 2 complementary foods, which is very convenient for both mother and baby.
After 5 - 6 months, the assortment can be expanded a little and add white cabbage, pumpkin or carrots. At 7 months, mashed potatoes can be introduced little by little.
By 8 months of age, your baby can try green peas and beans. Other vegetables can also be gradually included in the diet, for example, beets, which are difficult to digest.
After a year, you can offer your child to try tomatoes, sweet peppers and eggplants, but only if complementary feeding occurs in the summer months. Winter fruits with nitrates will not bring any benefit to the baby.
Scheme for introducing vegetable complementary foods
First food: vegetable puree. To start the first feeding, broccoli and cauliflower, zucchini and carrots are recommended. Puree in the amount of 1 teaspoon from one vegetable should be given to the baby in the morning. This will help track whether there is an allergic reaction to the introduction of complementary foods. Every 2-3 days you need to increase the amount of puree by 0.5-1 teaspoon, bringing it to a 100 gram serving.
After, for example, cauliflower and zucchini are introduced, they can be combined during the cooking process. The rest of the feeding follows the old scheme, the baby is supplemented with breast milk or formula.
Over the course of about a week, the volume of puree can be increased to 100-150 grams, which will completely replace one feeding, but this portion is intended for a child older than six months. If you introduced complementary foods earlier, you should reduce the portion slightly.
When should a child’s fontanelle close: normal
Is it possible to salt
It is not recommended to add salt and sugar to children's dishes, because vegetables and meat contain sodium, which will be enough to prevent the taste of the product from seeming bland to the child. Namely, sodium (ordinary salt) irritates the mucous membrane in the stomach, thereby leading to the formation of inflammatory processes.
IMPORTANT! And excessive salt consumption can even negatively affect the central nervous system, while the load on the kidneys increases, the load on the cardiovascular system increases, and also slows down the metabolic processes in the body.
Which is better
Puree made from fresh vegetables
The best option for your baby's health is to cook your own vegetables. In this case, you should choose fruits from your garden or farm, which are guaranteed to not contain nitrates and harmful impurities.
It is imperative to pay attention to the appearance of the fruit - there should be no signs of spoilage - mold, dents and scratches, black spots. You need to choose dry vegetables with a matte shine, small in size.
Puree frozen vegetables in winter
If the introduction of vegetables into a child’s diet occurs at a time when they are difficult to obtain fresh, frozen formula is ideal. Vegetables need to be put into portioned bags for one or two cooking steps, so as not to defrost them, because it is with repeated freezing that you can lose most of the vitamins in the composition.
For cooking, it is recommended to purchase a separate steamer or multicooker, but a special stand for a regular pan will also work. You will also need a blender, it will be good if it has a bowl and a separate attachment in the form of a chopper.
Canned puree for first feeding
High-quality canned food is not only sterile, but also uniform in consistency. Mom does not need to once again prepare, in fact, a small portion of food for the baby - just open the jar and heat it to the desired temperature. In addition, the jar is so convenient to take with you on the road or a long walk to refresh yourself with your usual food.
Before giving the puree to the baby, you should warm the jar in a water bath, or transfer it directly to a baby plate and heat it in the microwave to a temperature of no more than 36-37C.
VERY IMPORTANT! You must try the first spoon yourself, this way you can feel a sign of spoilage, for example, a strong taste of the product.
If it is a glass jar, then when opening there must be a characteristic cotton sound, which indicates the tightness of the prepared puree. And it is worth remembering that baby food does not contain salt and sugar, so an adult may not like it, but this does not mean that it is spoiled.
Read also our article: “First complementary foods: fruits”
How to reheat baby food?
Good afternoon, mommies! I would like to discuss this question with you: “How do you heat up baby food?
I almost always heat up baby food in a water bath. It seems to me that this is the simplest and most proven method. I put the jar/box in some bowl and place it under running hot water. But the main thing here with dairy products is not to overdo it, so that they don’t “curdle” if the water is too hot! Or, if I have more time, I pour hot water from the tap into a suitable-sized container, put the food box in it, and from time to time, as it cools, change the water.
I think this is the best option for heating baby food, because... vitamins are not destroyed, all useful substances are preserved. This is of course long and takes some time. It is not always suitable if you need to urgently and quickly feed a child.
I try not to heat it in the microwave, but in emergency cases I have warmed it a couple of times (meat puree). Although many people actively use the microwave to heat up baby food. They gave me an idea - to heat it on a radiator. I’ve never tried this before))) It probably takes a long time and is not very convenient. In any case, after heating, you need to mix the food well, as it may heat unevenly.
Alternatively, if the finished porridge is still hot, you can mix it with meat puree and get the optimal temperature))). But usually I also heated the meat in hot water. Children really love Tema meat purees (beef, turkey, rabbit). There are also special warmers for baby food. But we didn’t have it and don’t have it. We managed without this miracle of technology 
I try to simply take the curds out of the refrigerator a few hours before feeding and they gradually warm up to room temperature. Or I also heat it in a water bath. I give fruit purees and juices at room temperature. I keep it in the closet, I don’t put it in the refrigerator. We don’t have them for a long time, they don’t have time to spoil, children eat such delicious treats well
I described my experience on this issue, it’s interesting to hear your opinion)))
1. Dairy nutrition. How do you heat milk, yogurt, cottage cheese)?
2. My children love Tema fermented milk: “Biocottage cheese + puree”, “Biolakt”, “Bioyogurt”. Do these dairy products have any special features in terms of heating in order to preserve all the benefits?
3. Do you use a microwave to heat up baby food? In principle no? And if so, for which products (vegetables, meat, ...)?
4. Do you heat juices and fruit purees? Or do you give it at room temperature?
Share your experience and your tips.
How to prepare vegetable puree for first feeding
First of all, we remember that for the first complementary feeding, parents must choose one vegetable, let it be cauliflower. Only after 7-10 days have passed and the baby is already eating a significant portion of puree, about 50-100 grams, can you introduce another one into the menu.
Since vegetables are always, as a rule, dirty, you should definitely rinse cauliflower thoroughly in running water and dry it, for example, by wiping it with kitchen paper towels.
Now you need to disassemble the cabbage into small inflorescences and place them in a bowl with a strong saline solution. This will help get rid of parasites inside the inflorescences and also additionally wash away dirt.
ADVICE! With this exception, and except for pre-peeled potatoes, you should not soak vegetables before cooking so as not to lose important vitamins.
First food: vegetable puree. Chopped and washed vegetables are poured with clean water and set to boil or steamed. In this case, vitamins and taste are not “washed out” from the product; the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals is retained in the puree.
It is necessary to puree vegetables while hot, immediately after cooking; when they have cooled down, it will not be easy to do this in order to achieve a uniform consistency, especially if you don’t have a blender and only have a sieve on hand. But you can crush vegetables with a puree masher or a fork when the baby learns to chew confidently.
First feeding: how to prepare vegetable puree (video)
Recipes for preparing vegetable puree for first feeding
First food: vegetable puree. Just a few weeks ago, your baby only ate breast milk or formula from a bottle, but now he can confidently roll over and sit up, and some can boast of their first teeth. It's time to buy your baby's first high chair and offer him vegetable puree as complementary food. But not all mothers know how to cook it correctly, so we will share simple recipes.
You can read about how to cook meat for children under one year old HERE
From potatoes
Wash and dry the potatoes, peel them and rinse again. Cut into cubes and place in a saucepan, add water and let stand for a few minutes.
Now you need to drain the water, pour in clean water and cook over low heat until the root vegetable is ready. Skim off the foam if necessary and after cooking, drain the broth, grind the puree, rub it through a sieve and dilute it to the desired consistency with broth, breast milk or a mixture. For older kids, you can salt the puree with a grain of salt and add butter.
From zucchini
Wash the zucchini thoroughly in running water, dry and peel off the skin, seeds and fibers that hold the seeds. That is, essentially only pure pulp of the fruit remains.
It needs to be cut into small pieces, add water and boil over low heat for about 15 minutes. Drain the water, press the zucchini into the pan with a spoon and squeeze out excess moisture.
Grind with the addition of breast milk or hot mixture, grinding with a blender or mixer knives. It will not be possible to strain this vegetable through a sieve - it is too fibrous for this purpose. All that remains is to cool to the desired temperature and start feeding the baby.
When to introduce nuts into your child’s diet: read our article HERE
From broccoli
Before cooking, the cabbage should be disassembled into florets and soaked in cool, salted water to wash away dirt and possible insects.
After 1-1.5 hours, drain the water, rinse the cabbage well again and add clean water to cook. But you shouldn’t overcook the broccoli; 15-18 minutes over low heat will be enough.
Pour the broth into a clean container; you may need it to bring the puree to a smooth consistency if you do not want to dilute the vegetable with breast milk or formula.
Grind the cabbage in a blender until pureed, add liquid and puree the mixture again. If necessary, you can rub the puree through a fine sieve, cool and you can feed the baby.
From pumpkin
Peel a piece of pumpkin from the peel and seeds, carefully clean the area of the seeds from the fibrous part and cut into cubes.
Pour in cold water, boil until tender, drain the broth, add milk and heat. Now you need to wipe the vegetable or chop it with a mixer, add liquid if necessary and rub it through a sieve. Otherwise, the finished product may contain fibrous lumps that the baby can choke on.
Heat the finished puree to a temperature of 37C and feed the child the amount prescribed according to the scheme.
ADVICE! A frozen product is perfect for making pumpkin puree; you just don’t need to defrost the vegetable cubes - just rinse them with water and let them cook.
From cauliflower
Disassemble the head of cabbage into inflorescences, add water and leave for 1 hour. To get rid of dirt and parasites in the inflorescences that may get there, the water can be salted.
Rinse the vegetable in running water and add a small amount to simmer. After boiling, remove the foam, boil for 15 minutes and drain the broth.
Grind the inflorescences in a blender with the addition of broth or milk, rub through a sieve and, after cooling, offer to the baby as lunch.
Useful or harmful
Microwave ovens have found their way into almost every kitchen, saving their owners time and easing kitchen chores. The operation of a microwave oven is based on the influence of electromagnetic waves. Microwaves are harmful to humans, so there is debate about the healthfulness of food prepared with them. Many scientists assure: food from a microwave oven is completely safe, stories about radiation residues in it are a myth. The power is too low to have any effect on the body.
Users ask whether vitamins are preserved in the microwave. Yes, and there are more of them than in food prepared in the usual way. The reason is the short duration of the process. Dishes are prepared many times faster, and less nutrients are destroyed. Another positive point is that there is no need to add oils and fats, so the food turns out to be dietary, almost like in a double boiler.
About breast milk
Breastfeeding mothers are wondering whether it is possible to heat breast milk in the microwave. Definitely no! Expressed milk cannot be heated using microwave waves. They act on immunoglobulins and other living components, killing them or at least changing their structure. What you will get out of the chamber is not invaluable food, but a low-use liquid comparable to cow's milk.
Heating breast milk in the chamber of a microwave oven is strictly prohibited - it is heated only in warm water, in a water bath.
Is it possible to heat artificial mixtures?
If you need to warm up artificial nutrition, it is better to use the old proven method - hot water. But you can still take advantage of the benefits of a microwave oven: heat water in it and put milk or baby puree in it.
If you need to warm up a bottle of formula in a cafe, ask for a large cup of hot water. Place the bottle in it and heat the mixture.
