Baby Food Day 5- Apple!

I debated sharing about avocado today, because avocado is amazing.  Guacamole anyone?  But, learning to make baby food can be daunting, so I’ll discuss the glorious green fruit next time.  Plus, you might need something easy to give a sitter!  Unsweetened applesauce is usually less expensive than traditionally marketed baby foods and is just as healthy as homemade, but costs significantly less time.  When you make apple baby food, you need to peel the apples, slice them, boil them until they’re soft, drain them, and then puree them.  If you want to do it that way, please let me know and I’ll do a post on it later.  For now, I suggest going down the less sweaty, kitchen intensive path.  Unsweetened applesauce is all of that same work, done by other people (thank you amazing people).  The only difference is that the apples are preserved with ascorbic acid.  I know that may sound like a big, scary chemical, but fear not.  Ascorbic acid is vitamin C, and vitamin C just happens to be a natural preservative.  Plus, you can buy unsweetened applesauce in little half cup containers, ready to go and perfect for diaper bags.  Much like your trusty banana, cups of unsweetened applesauce just make life easier.  You’ve got to pick unsweetened though.  If it doesn’t say unsweetened, you might have added sugar that isn’t recommended.  If you like applesauce too, you can eat a cup while the baby has one as well.  Like eating the banana I mentioned last time, Baby may trust this drippy goo if you’re eating it too.   Unlike bananas, applesauce will save in the fridge and it won’t turn brown if it needs to sit out on the counter during an unexpected event, like a blowout diaper or the dog counter surfing, a risk that comes when a greyhound calls your house her castle.  If Baby only eats about a half of the cup, which is normal starting out, then you have a meal ready for tomorrow!  If you’re up for a mess, applesauce is excellent for sensory play and first attempts at self-feeding.  Most of the sauce just slides down their fingers, but it’s still fun for them to put their fingers in their mouths and taste the sweetness.  I do recommend unsweetened applesauce for use with a sitter.  Your sitter can peel the lid off, feed Baby, and then set the food to the side if needed.  Or, the sitter can entertain Baby with some very messy food play.  Thank goodness someone invented baby wipes.  Maybe I should do a post on that genius sometime in the future!

Shopping List

2 bananas as backup in case applesauce gets a frowny face

Package of unsweetened applesauce cups

Meal Plan

Breast milk/Formula as usual

About an eighth of a cup of unsweetened applesauce daily 

—-It is ok if Baby wants more!  I mean, it’s what apple pie is made of.  I’d eat more too.