Carrots For Baby
Today, Sara Cabot of Little Lettice shares tips for introducing carrots to your baby:
"Carrots are a wonderful source of Vitamin A and are abundant at the farmer’s markets right now. Babies obviously need their carrots cooked and mushed up (I recommend steaming over boiling, to retain more vitamins) and once they get their teeth, most young children prefer carrots raw, either plain or dipped in hummus or yogurt based dips.
Carrots & Nitrates
Moms with young babies just starting out on baby food ask me all the time about the nitrate thing with carrots. These moms are referring to “blue baby syndrome,” which can be caused by nitrates being turned into nitrites in the baby’s stomach. I never knew about this when my kids were babies, and so it never stopped me from giving them carrots at 6-7 months. But we are so unsure of our food systems nowadays – spinach scares, tomato scares – that we consumers have to find out the facts for ourselves. See my previous post about nitrates for detailed information about nitrates in a variety of vegetables, then try the below easy carrot recipe with your baby.
Pureed Carrots as a First Baby Food (6 months+)
I always recommend that moms add milk and maybe even baby rice to fruits and veggies for baby; it makes the mix more palatable. It’s hard to get carrots to mush up really smooth on their own, so adding some breast milk or formula is essential to get the right consistency for babies starting out on solids.
Serving veggies warm also makes them more palatable for babies.
Creamy Carrot Puree
1. Place carrots in a steamer basket set over boiling water.
2. Cover and cook for 15-18 minutes or until carrots are really soft.
3. Liquidize carrots in a small blender and add breast milk or formula until you have desired consistency.
Serve warm."
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