Proper storage is a chapter that we
included because it is very important to properly process and store food, any
kind of food, with hygiene in mind, more so when it is food that you are going
to give your baby who is more sensitive to bacteria and contaminants than most
adults are. Most of our recipes are actually meant to be prepared a la minute
or last minute because they’re so easy to prepare and washing, peeling, and
mashing fruit right before feeding time is also the cleaner, easier, and
hassle-free thing to do. But food safety is always of the utmost importance,
especially when you’re feeding infants, which is why this chapter can’t be
neglected and is absolutely necessary.
Normally, in commercial food outlets
like restaurants and hotels, food can be chilled and kept for three days or
frozen and kept for three months (this varies depending on the type of food
being kept). In the case of food for infants though, I would strongly suggest
that you only chill and keep baby food for 24 hours and freeze the food for no
longer than five days. A great idea would be to chill the food in portioned
baggies so that you can take one out and place it in the chiller to thaw
overnight and use for the next day.
The two-hour, four-hour rule doesn’t
really apply to infants either. Under normal circumstances, food that has been
in room temperature below two hours can be consumed or chilled and kept, food out
in room temperature more than two hours but less than four hours should be
immediately consumed, and food more than four hours in room temperature should
be discarded. For food that has been prepared for babies, don’t let it sit out
for longer than two hours. Less than two hours in room temperature should be
consumed; any longer than two hours and the food should be discarded. Keep in
mind that while rotting in food can be detected by taste and smell, food
poisoning bacteria is undetectable until it’s too late.
Finally, if you are using bottles or
plastic containers to hold the food in the fridge, always sterilize them as you
would your baby bottles. That means placing them in boiling water for eight to
ten minutes to make sure that all of the bacteria and not just the physical
contaminants are removed from the containers.
When it comes to handling baby food, you
can never be too careful. If you are in doubt, throw it away. For many reasons,
preparing baby food last minute has a lot of advantages to it, especially when
it comes to food safety. It won’t take forever to mash up a small piece of
banana and it’s just as healthy and wholesome as it is.
Allergies
Allergy tests can be administered very
young, even on infants, and it can save you a lot of anxiety and
guesswork. The worst way to discover
that your child is allergic to one food or another is during an attack. Ask
your physician about having an allergy test or skin test administered so that
you can put your mind at ease while putting together a good diet for your
child.
If your baby hasn’t had an allergy test
yet then it’s best to go with food that are generally hypoallergenic or have
very few allergens if any. Some of the most hypoallergenic food are organic
bananas, apples, pears, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, beets, and
asparagus. On the other end of the scale, the most allergenic food include
peanuts, milk, eggs, soy, and wheat.
Symptoms that can indicate a potential
allergic reaction are loose bowel movement, vomiting, sudden rashes on the skin
or bottom, runny nose, hives, respiratory problems after eating, swelling of
face, or the swelling of lips or tongue.
This is an excerpt from the book: Homemade Healthy Baby Food Recipes and Cookbook
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