How to make delicious baby food at home

Home-made baby food is the perfect option for parents who want to know exactly what goes into their

baby’s mouth. Mothers, chefs, dietitians and cookbook authors share baby food recipes and tips on

how to serve wholesome, home-made food to your baby. Sacha van Niekerk reports.

Zelda Ackerman

, registered dietitian and ADSA

spokesperson, explains the

benefits of making your own

baby food:

- It tastes like mom’s food,

the food your child will have

to eat for at least 18 years.

- Home-cooked food boasts

a variety of flavours, colours

and textures.

“Store

bought

food has

a limited

range

that is

available. When you make

your own baby food, it can

be presented separately on

the plate, instead of in one

mixture, so that your child

can learn what each food

looks, feels and tastes like

separately.”

- Home-made baby food

is coarser in texture. Food

that is too smooth can

hamper children’s oral motor

development.

“Textured foods promote

good oral motor development

which is important for your

baby’s speech development.

Babies that are still eating

pureed food after their first

birthday may develop speech

problems.”

- Food can be given as

it actually tastes. “Some

store bought food have

combinations like spinach

and mango which does not

taste like spinach at all. This

hampers children’s ability to

learn to eat the food.”

Overnight Oats

One year+

Ackerman

says: “From one year on we normally don’t talk about infants anymore. Your child can now start eating normal family food.” Ackerman’s recipe helps introduce textures to baby. It is low GI and, due to the chia seeds, high in omega-3 fatty acids needed for babies’ brain development. “No cooking is required which is also easy for busy moms. By adding different fruits, one can serve this a few times a week and it will taste different every time,” said Ackerman.

50ml cup raw oats

150ml cup plain full cream yoghurt

2 tbs chia seeds

½ tsp Moir’s vanilla essence (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together and leave overnight in fridge. Serve the next morning for breakfast mixed with fruit purée, fruit pieces or with fruit on the side.

Sweet potato, oats and apple pancakes

9-12 months

Recipe developer, food stylist and chef on Good Looking and Cooking YouTube channel, Claire Winstanley

whipped up a gluten, dairy and egg-free recipe for your tot to enjoy.

Makes 24 small

1 green apple, peeled & grated

½ cup oats

1 ½ cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cups water

Steam the sweet potato until soft. You can do so by bringing 2 cups of water in a pot to boil. Place the sweet potato into a metal sieve and place the sieve into the pot. Cover with a lid and steam for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the sweet potato pieces. While the sweet potato steams, blend the oats in a food processor until it resembles coarse flour. Add the steamed sweet potato to the food processor and pulse until combined. Remove from the food processor, add the grated apple and mix until combined. Allow the mixture to stand for 10 minutes for the oats to absorb some of the liquid. In a non-stick pan on lowmedium heat, cook small batches of the pancake batter. Note – the mixture will be quite thick. Once lightly golden, flip the pancake and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to cook them for too long or with the heat too high to avoid any hardened edges that your baby might battle to eat. Perfect finger food for breakfast, lunch or dinner.