Baby Food Antics: Carrots

Eli has become quite the little eater. If he could eat while cruising around furniture, I think he would be in heaven! Alas, we have to put him in his high chair, and we will usually get this face while he eats:

Contrary to this face, he actually loved carrots! Like most baby food, it didn't require a huge amount of work. Steam, puree, freeze. That's pretty much it! Carrots are a great solid for babies. They are easy to digest and are packed full of nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Calcium, and Beta Carotene. Due to the issue of Nitrates, recommendations for the introduction of carrots varies. Please see this article on Nitrates for more information before preparing carrots for your baby.

When purchasing carrots, look for those with minimal sprouting at the top. In other words, if the carrot has started to grow, it has been sitting around for quite some time. Also look for little "hairs" growing along the carrot. This also indicates the carrot is growing and has probably been sitting around for awhile. When preparing carrots, steaming is the very best method for cooking and preparing them. Steaming carrots allows the beta carotene to be more bio-available and readily used by the body. Carrots should be peeled when making baby food purees as many infants will not be able to digest the skins. (More nutritional information can be found here.)

Carrot Recipe

Fresh Carrots (any amount you want)

Peel carrots and cut into small chunks. Place chunks into a steamer pan with just enough water visible through the steamer basket. Steam until tender. (Do not reserve any left over water to use for thinning out the carrots if baby is under 8 months old as Nitrates may seep into the cooking water. See this article for more information.)

Place into your choice of appliance for pureeing and begin pureeing. Add water as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin consistency.