Preparing baby food: Stores or Home Cooking?

Feeding your little one is an important part of parenthood, and it's essential to ensure that their meals are both nutritious and safe. Here are some key points to consider when it comes to ready-made baby food and homemade baby meals.

Firstly, it's important to note that ready-made baby food nourishes babies just as well as homemade. However, when selecting baby food jars, parents should pay attention to variety and ensure the products contain a few ingredients. For instance, vegetable-potato-meat baby food should have vegetables, potatoes, rice, pasta, meat, fish, or cereals as the main ingredients. Similarly, for cereal-fruit baby food, whole grain cereals and fruit should be the primary components, and for milk-cereal baby food, whole milk and whole grain cereals should be the main ingredients.

It's crucial to avoid adding salt or sugar to ready-made or homemade baby food. This includes avoiding sugar-laden powdered baby foods that need to be mixed with milk, such as milk-cereal baby foods. Adding salt, sugar, or other sweeteners to baby food is not recommended, as it may lead to a preference for salty and sweet foods.

Moreover, drinking baby foods and fruit purées is not advised, as it increases the risk of overfeeding and "bottle caries". Instead, baby food should always be fed with a spoon.

The development of taste preferences begins in the womb and continues in the first year of life. To encourage a varied and healthy palate, the "Healthy Start into Life" network advises being adventurous with complementary foods and trying unusual combinations to improve the acceptance of family meals later on.

When it comes to the experts behind the recommendations for infant nutrition, the specific experts at the Federal Health Office (Bundesgesundheitsamt) involved in the network "Healthy Start in Life" are not named in the search results provided.

Lastly, it's worth noting that too much salt increases the risk of high blood pressure, and sugar promotes obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. An ideal ingredients list for a baby food product should not be longer than that of a self-cooked baby food recipe with three to five main ingredients.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your baby is getting the nutrients they need while also setting them up for a lifetime of healthy eating habits.