Four to six months of age is the time to prepare the baby to take solid food, since milk alone would not suffice to offer all the nutrients needed for the growing baby. This is the time to introduce various tastes to the baby in very small quantities, say, one teaspoon each.



Some babies catch up with the new taste but some, refuse to do. For such babies, it is better to blend the solid food with a familiar taste of milk before offering it to the baby. But the most important fact is that the baby is intelligent enough to decide upon the choice and taste of the food and if one taste or type is most repeatedly offered, the baby gets used to only that taste and refuses to take other types of food. So, it is a good advice to introduce all types of food to babies at this stage, namely, carrots, spinach, and a porridge containing vegetables and proteins that would form a healthy solid food.

There cannot be an iota of debate over the quality of food that has to be given to the baby. Needless to say, baby food has to be the best, containing high nutritional value and free of toxins. All these can be combined together, if the baby food is made at home.

More over, the baby food that is prepared at home costs nearly a fraction of the price of that purchased readymade from the grocery. Even the most popular brands of baby food may not be as healthy as the food prepared at home. This is due to the fact that the majority of the baby foods add thickening agents and chemically modified starches and even some steroids that dangerously reduce the nutrient level of the food by more than half.

There is the environmental factor also in preparing a baby food at home. Every baby food is packed in a jar, bottle or package that is harmful to the environment, not to mention the disposable diapers. If such things are avoided, we can create a greener atmosphere.

Since the ingredients in a home made baby food are prepared by the parent personally, it ought to be fresh and clean and there cannot be a compromise on that. In fact, preparing baby food at home is not a strenuous task.

Since the immunity of the baby is in its initial stages, they are easily prone to diseases and hence it is the ultimate duty of the parent to take utmost care in maintaining hygienic and healthy atmosphere to the baby. This includes sterilizing all the things that come into contact with the baby. The taste and food given to the baby at this stage greatly influence their health even at their adult stage, which emphasizes the need for a healthy baby food.