Hudson Valley Parent

8 Hudson Valley Parent n Spring 2020 it's cheaper than buying prepared food, said Amy Spoto, a pediatric medical doctor with Crystal Run Healthcare in Middletown. "I always encourage parents to make their own baby food if they have the time," she said. "When you make it your- self you know exactly what is in it. It's better to feed your baby fresh produce, especially organic, if you can afford it." Knowing where your baby's food comes from also reduces the chance of your little one ingesting unwanted sug- ars, pesticides, or preservatives that are associated with many processed foods. Another plus is that making purees from the produce you buy for yourself is more cost effective than buying pre- pared baby food in jars. As well, jarred baby foods typically have been procesed and heated at high temperatures to kill dangerous bacteria for a longer shelf life, but that can deplete the food's nutrition- al value, and affect its taste and fresh- ness qualities. By steaming, roasting, or boiling fresh fruits and veggies and then pureeing with a food processor, blender, or food mill, you're not only producing more nutrient-dense foods, but also making a wonderful range of produce accessible for your baby. After all, the Hudson Val- ley offers a great bounty of produce, like kale, beets, sweet corn, chard, heirloom tomatoes, along with plenty of varities of apples. Hyde Park mom Cara Kubert found making homemade baby food for her son not only to be easy, but also a ter- rific success. Since she and her husband eat fresh, local, and organic, she knew during her pregnancy that she'd want her baby to eat the same. "I had tried some jarred baby food before and it just didn't taste right," she said. So, when her son Wyatt started showing signs of readiness for solid food at four-and-a-half months, Kubert began to offer him simple things like banana, avocado, and sweet potato that she mashed with the back of a fork and mixed with breastmilk. An avid eater from the start, Wyatt took to the blends quickly with Kubert readily introducing new foods to him along the way. "He really liked carrots and bananas, so I mixed those with lots of seasonal things," she said. Eventually she began adding simple spices, like cinnamon to the fruits and veggies that she'd steam before putting them through a food mill. Extra servings were stored in a freezer tray. But by the time Wyatt was nine months old, he re- fused purees, instead clamoring for what was on mom and dad's plates. "He loved everything that was sea- soned and spicy," Kubert said, and had palate that seemed to more adventurous than those of other babies his age. "And," she said, "I like that he got a taste for healthy food."

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