Whether you are fork-mashing a banana or steaming and smashing vegetables, making food for your baby can be convenient and safe. Here are some guidelines to follow to ensure you optimize your baby-food-making experience!

• When baby is starting to eat solids, all fruits except bananas should be cooked first to soften them before mashing.



• Don’t add sugar, salt or spices to baby food. Baking soda is also a no-no, as it decreases food’s vitamin and mineral content.



• Don’t cook acidic foods – such as tomatoes – in aluminum cookware, since some of the aluminum could be absorbed into the food.



• Don’t cook baby food in copper pots, since they can reduce the vitamin C content in food.



• Freeze prepared baby food in ice cube trays and then store the cubes in airtight freezer bags. The cubes will then be ready whenever you need a fast individual serving.