A Conversation for Homemade Baby Food
Peer Review: A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor Started conversation Sep 3, 2015
Entry: Homemade Baby Food - A87857563
Author: Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor - U1314679
There seems to be some kind of custom in the recent years, that every new mum on hootoo writes a baby related Entry. This one is mine. I started making puree myself because I find the stuff you get in the supermarket somewhat disgusting. Most of all the uncooled 'yoghurt' and 'spaghetti'. I find it suspicious.
I hope this Entry will inspire others to cook real food for their babies.
A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
Gnomon - time to move on Posted Sep 4, 2015
This is a good entry, Tavaron. Well done!
The sub-editor can clean up the English and make it more readable, but there are a few things you can do to help.
1. The word is 'jar' rather than 'glass'. A glass is an open-topped container for drinking out of. A jar is a thing with a lid.
2. You've used American names for some of the vegetables. It certainly used to be the rule that we use British English here:
zucchini --> courgette
bell pepper --> pepper
tomato paste --> tomato puree
3. The phrase 'industrial baby food' sounds odd. I think it should be 'processed baby food'.
4. I've no idea what you mean by 'pup' in 'grain pup' or 'porridge and other pup'. A pup is a baby dog.
I've no suggestions on the actual food as you seem to have covered everything very well.
A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
You can call me TC Posted Sep 5, 2015
I agree with Gnomon's comments. I am surprised there is no mention of bananas. As far as I remember, that's the first thing that babies are given, certainly in the Anglo-Saxon world.
Although my third baby had a very averse reaction to bananas - whether I had eaten them (he was breast-fed) or once when I tried a little sample of formula on him, which definitely smelt of bananas.
Whilst I agree that foods should not be simply not given to the baby in case they may cause allergies*, it is best for your own and the baby's comfort if you avoid things which will definitely cause wind.
I'll probably be back with a few more thoughts, although I really am so far from this subject nowadays that I'm nearly back in it again through having become a Granny. When my children were babies (about the same time as you were, Tav!), we were all into home-made things, as a rebellion against the increasingly chemicalised and processed food that we had "enjoyed" in the 60s.
*sorry about the multiple negatives in that sentence!
A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
Florida Sailor All is well with the world Posted Sep 5, 2015
A very interesting and informational Entry.
A comment or so to help you improve it
First to Gnomon's comments
>1 - yes the word should be 'jar' later you mention 'containers with tight fitting lids' these are properly 'canning jars', or, at least in the US, 'mason jars' http://www.walmart.com/c/kp/canning-jars
>2 yes the Guide standard is for British spelling, but I would like to see you retain the American words in parenthesis or a foot note so this can be understood by an international audience.
>3 The word 'commercial' could also be used.
In your sentence > Puree in glasses also sometimes has too much sugar... < I would add Commercial purée in jars... to the start of the sentence.
>4 Could 'pup' be meant to be 'pap', or more probably 'pabulum'?
F S
A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor Posted Sep 5, 2015
Thanks to all of you for your comments.
1. jar... yes, thank you, I should have known
2. the vegetable names... well, I'm afraid I always just take what sounds best to me zucchini for instance is the same word in German and I'm always afraid pepper is confused with the spice when I use it in recipes, I think I'll follow FS's advice here
3. I'll change that
4. in the 'pup'question I think FS was also right, I got it from the dictionary. I may have searched for a word which doesn't exist in English maybe.
to TC:
how could I forget bananas
I'll add something about winds
I find it interesting that you say you also cooked baby food. My mum and my husband's mum both say that when we were babies nobodythey knew did it. Everyone just bought jars from the supermarket without giving it a second thought.
I'll go and work on your suggestions
A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
Gnomon - time to move on Posted Sep 5, 2015
We bought jars at the start but quickly changed to cooking the food ourselves.
A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
You can call me TC Posted Sep 6, 2015
The jars are handy right at the beginning
when you only give a spoonful per mealtime,
and if you're travelling
and when you're still very careful about sterilising stuff.
But with a couple of cheap gadgets, it is no problem to make purees yourself as you describe. The electric blender is not absolutely necessary. In the 80s, when the babies were small, every young mother had a "Flotte Lotte".
http://hawato.de/Kuechenprofi-Profi-Passiergeraet-Flotte-Lotte-mit-4-Scheiben-20-cm-Edelstahl
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_mill
I still use this to make mashed potatoes these days, and I have also made food for the cat when I ran out of catfood, by pureeing a mixture of cooked potatoes and fish through it.
My parents had a packet of breadsticks (grissini) in the cupboard and this was an ideal first food for even the most toothless of babies. We would break off about a quarter to a third for them to hold and suck.
It also helped develop coordination and controlling the hand movements to the mouth - getting to know how to work a spoon is an important part of the weaning process!
A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor Posted Sep 8, 2015
Sorry, I'm slow in making changes (back to work for 2 weeks now), but already made a few.
What Iwanted to say: I didn't mean canning jars,I meant something like tupperware but made of glass, not plastic.
Added the Food mill, too. And bread sticks Sound like a good idea.
A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
Gnomon - time to move on Posted Sep 8, 2015
Yes, we used one of those food mills. Ours was a French brand so it was always called the Mouli.
A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor Posted Sep 17, 2015
I think I changed all the courgettes and peppers now.
A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
AlexAshman Posted Oct 4, 2015
This is good and really detailed, though it does contain the odd awkward turn of phrase. I'd like to make a couple of suggestions in particular:
"Puree in jars also smetimes has too much sugar, often disguised as concentrated fruit puree"
-->
"Puree in jars may also contain an excessive amount of sugar, often in the form of concentrated fruit puree"
"If you want to give fish to your baby, do not feed any long lived fish like tuna or swordfish, as they may have absorbed too many harmful substances during their life."
-->
"If you want to give your baby fish, avoid long-lived fish such as tuna and swordfish. These species tend to accumulate toxic compounds of mercury and should be avoided by infants and pregnant women."
A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor Posted Oct 6, 2015
I meant that those who produce the purees write 'concentrated fruit puree' because it sounds all extremely healthy while in fact there's lots of sugar in it. That's why I call ita disguise. I am sorry but I don't think your suggestion reflects this.
Is it really only Mercury? I'm not sure, there's so much stuff in the seas These days...
A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
AlexAshman Posted Oct 6, 2015
How about: "Puree in jars may also contain an excessive amount of sugar, often craftily concealed in the form of 'concentrated fruit puree'."
Mercury is the number one reason and is usually the reason quoted in pregnancy guides etc.
A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor Posted Oct 13, 2015
I made these changes.
Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!
h2g2 auto-messages Posted Oct 30, 2015
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Elektragheorgheni -Please read 'The Post' Posted Oct 30, 2015
Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!
Gnomon - time to move on Posted Oct 30, 2015
Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!
Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor Posted Oct 31, 2015
Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!
AlexAshman Posted Nov 3, 2015
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Peer Review: A87857563 - Homemade Baby Food
- 1: Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor (Sep 3, 2015)
- 2: Gnomon - time to move on (Sep 4, 2015)
- 3: You can call me TC (Sep 5, 2015)
- 4: Florida Sailor All is well with the world (Sep 5, 2015)
- 5: Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor (Sep 5, 2015)
- 6: Gnomon - time to move on (Sep 5, 2015)
- 7: You can call me TC (Sep 6, 2015)
- 8: You can call me TC (Sep 6, 2015)
- 9: Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor (Sep 8, 2015)
- 10: Gnomon - time to move on (Sep 8, 2015)
- 11: Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor (Sep 17, 2015)
- 12: AlexAshman (Oct 4, 2015)
- 13: Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor (Oct 6, 2015)
- 14: AlexAshman (Oct 6, 2015)
- 15: Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor (Oct 13, 2015)
- 16: h2g2 auto-messages (Oct 30, 2015)
- 17: Elektragheorgheni -Please read 'The Post' (Oct 30, 2015)
- 18: Gnomon - time to move on (Oct 30, 2015)
- 19: Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor (Oct 31, 2015)
- 20: AlexAshman (Nov 3, 2015)
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