For those who have never heard of (or forgotten) what the K.I.S.S. method is, it means: Keep It Simple Stupid. Since the day we started feeding “solids” to Mackenzie, it was apparent that she wouldn’t be settling for jarred baby food very long. The only boxed thing she tolerates are some of the cereals…and I usually mix in some pureed fruit with them also to make them more interesting and add real flavors to them. As I’ve mentioned before about baby food, the stuff tastes horrible (aside from the fruits which are acceptable but still don’t taste as good as real, fresh fruit) and completely lacks flavor and appeal. I know, I’m an adult and I have more developed taste buds; but I want Mackenzie to know what food is supposed to taste like as well. She will know where fruits and vegetables come from, how they are grown, how to prepare them – and she’s going to learn it first-hand, not just hear about it on TV or read it in a book.

Baby food companies go to great lengths to hook you on their products, showering you with freebies and literature trying to convince you that their organic, bio-dynamic food is the best for your baby. Unfortunately, recent tests here in Germany have shown that baby foods are not as healthy or organic as they’d have you believe. And although we have yet to have e-coli breakouts here in Europe, I’m sure it’s only a matter or time before something hits the baby food markets in the U.S.

Baby books everywhere encourage parents to try making baby food themselves. You’ll know just what is going into the food, know it doesn’t contain preservatives or flavorings and can be confident that you’re helping your child eat healthy. But what I don’t understand is why they’re only pitching for parents to buy produce (organics or otherwise) instead of mentioning that they could actually grow the stuff in their own back yard!

But I digress. This post is to encourage parents everywhere to stop being scared of making baby food and just let yourself enjoy it. Think about the good you’re doing for your child and remember that you’re helping your little one grow and flourish with every bite. If you already have a food processor, you don’t need to buy anything else. If it has a small 2-3 cup container it works best since you don’t need to make 5-6 cups of baby food at a time (where would you store it all in the freezer??) I make about a cup of food at once which currently gives us about 6 servings. I saved most of the baby food jars from our testing experience and just reuse them for the food I make now. If you don’t have any small Tupperware containers or glass jars, you can also just use an ice cube tray to freeze the food in portions.

A lot sites will tell you to cook once a week for your child or prepare special dishes. To be honest, I’ve just been taking a small bit of what I’ve cooked for our own dinner and pureed it. Before I add chili or lots of pepper, I just reserve a bit of meat for the baby to create her dinner with. If we’re having a dish with rice or pasta, I throw some of that in there for her. If it’s BBQ ribs or chicken (she LOVES BBQ) I cook a potato in the microwave (I know – she’ll probably get radiation poisoning from that or worse), mash it up and add a bit of BBQ sauce with the pureed meat.

For breakfast I make fresh fruit concoctions of whatever we have harvested from our garden or whatever I’ve picked up at the store that is in season. This morning I made her an apple and nectarine puree; yesterday we were eating apples, nectarines & grapes; next week we may be back to raspberries, strawberries & bananas.

Great first fruits for babies: Avocados, Apples, Apricots, Bananas, Melons, Cherries, Papaya, Mango, Kiwi, Grapes, Peaches, Pears, Berries and more. Hold off on citrus until the first year or so because of the high acid content. Some of these fruits even have different dietary effects and could help with your baby’s digestion.

Vegetables for babies to try: Asparagus (did you know it’s high in protein?), Beans, Carrots, Cucumber, Eggplant, Peas, Potatoes, Squash, Sweet Potatoes. Hold off on Broccoli, Cauliflower, Spinach and other high fiber veggies until baby is about 8-10 months old; tomatoes until she is 10-12 months. You can even add cooked mushrooms, onions, peppers, celery or leeks to baby’s meals once he’s reached 8-10 months old.

Introduce foods individually first or with something baby has tried already and not had an allergic reaction to. That way if she does break out in a rash or have other allergic symptoms, you can pinpoint what the problem was.

Every baby is different and sometimes a food that they loved one day will be hated the next. Just keep trying them and don’t give up on introducing a healthy diet to your baby. Don’t let yourself get trapped into cooking a separate meal for every person in your family at dinner just because they aren’t thrilled about what you’ve prepared for the family. The key is to start them young and enjoy the foods yourself. If you steer clear of fruits or reject certain veggies, you can’t expect your little one to fall in love with them either. They look up to you and take a lot of their cues from your actions, so start them off on the right foot.

A fantastic resource on making your own baby food (including recipes for cereals, fruit mixes, veggie suggestions, first combo meals, dairy and more) visit www.wholesomebabyfood.com. I’m in no way affiliated with them but always find myself wandering back into their site for more info. Included are suggested age ranges for starting foods as well.