How To Thin Baby Food Purees

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This page shows you the best ways to thin baby food purees and helps you achieve the ideal texture for your little one!

IMPORTANT: To pinpoint foods that cause digestive problems and allergic reactions in your baby, it is important to introduce new foods separately, at least four days apart. You should also consult your doctor before introducing ANY new foods to your baby.

Adjusting the consistency of baby's food

Have you ever pureed a meal for your baby, only to find that it has a thick, gluey and unappetizing consistency?

Then here are some ideas for ways in which you can thin baby food purees to the perfect texture AND ensure that they remain healthy and nutritious.

• Make use of the liquid that you cooked the food in! When you cook vegetables, reserve the cooking water as you drain them. This water actually contains small quantities of nutrients that leached from the vegetables as they cooked. When you use this liquid to thin your baby's food, you are returning some of these nutrients to his meal.
• Use breast milk. Using breast milk is a great way to thin baby food purees. BUT - if you plan to freeze the food that you are thinning, do not use previously frozen breast milk. It is unsafe to freeze, thaw and then refreeze breast milk.
• Use formula. Infant formula companies will advise you not to freeze formula because, during the freezing process, the fat separates. But neither its nutritional value or its safety for your baby is affected - so it is safe to thin baby food purees with freshly made formula and then store them in the freezer.
• Use homemade stock or broth. Homemade broths and stocks are a nutritious way to thin your baby's food - we do not recommend using commercial stock cubes for babies because they are often high in salt. If your baby won't eat vegetables, then thinning a veggie puree with a meat stock can add a tasty new element to the dish! It might even convince him that vegetables aren't so bad after all! Why not try our simple recipes for beef stock, chicken stock and vegetable stock.
• Use unsweetened apple juice. It may sound strange, but it pairs up perfectly with vegetables and adds a interesting flavour that many babies love!

Should I thin baby food purees before I freeze them?

Actually, we recommend waiting until you have thawed your baby's puree ready for use before you try thinning it.

Why?

Changes in the cell structures of some foods can take place during the freezing process. This means that a puree can be pleasantly thick when you put it into the freezer - but horribly watery once its thawed!

If you have already discovered this for yourself, then find out how to thicken baby food purees!

Other tips and recipes...

Moving from purees to lumpier textures
Preparing bell peppers for your baby
Sweet potato baby food recipes
Avocado baby food recipes
How to freeze baby food
Should I give my baby water?

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