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Bringing Taste Back to the Highchair

Annabel Karmel on Homemade Baby Food

By Laura Cone

Karmel says most parents wait too long to introduce meats into their baby's diet. She recommends introducing chicken at 7 months and red meat by 9 or 10 months. "I think that mothers continue to give just fruit and vegetable purees for far too long," she says. "And babies need what I call nutrient-dense foods. They need iron because the iron they inherit from their mother runs out at 6 months. They need essential fatty acids from fish because it's very important for brain development. The brain develops more rapidly in the first year than at any other time. They need cheese because they need calories because they are growing so rapidly."

While fruits and vegetables are important, they contain a lot of fiber, which means they often pass quickly through baby's system.

Texture is an important consideration when preparing homemade baby food. Karmel points out babies are used to milk, which means parents should start with a runny milk-like consistence for the first purees and then graduate to purees with thicker textures. Sweeter is also better in the beginning because breastmilk is sweet. Add fruit to give purees a sweet taste. Also, feel free to flavor your baby's food with herbs such as thyme or vanilla.

"As they get older you want to put texture into your baby purees," Karmel says. "You don't want to keep on giving them purees or they won't chew. If you give them purees too long they get lazy and very difficult about chewing. I think at about 8 months you want to start mashing food, grating foods, adding texture."

Introduce as much variety as possible early on. When your child becomes older, she may become picky and reject food as her growth rate slows. "I think you have a window of opportunity when a baby is between 6 months and 18 months when they are open to new flavors and new tastes," Karmel says. "There is a great opportunity to introduce as much variety as possible."

Want to see more?

• Homemade Baby Food: A Fresh Start to Healthy Eating
• Waiting to Eat: Store Nature's Baby Foods for Your New Arrival
• Sitting Tall: Choosing the Right
  Highchair for Baby
• Read more about Annabel Karmel!
• Talk about it!