Boiled Apple Puree

Apple is one of the the best first food for your baby. Babies get easily accustomed to tastes that are introduced below 1 year. Try to feed all types of fruits and veggies below 1 year, so that you will have no tough time in future.

As your baby grows, I wish you don’t want to run behind your kid, reciting the adage “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away” . Nilaa’s playschool kids’ parents keep complaining that their children don’t wish to see fruits in their snackbox. When I had a short questionnaire with them, everyone admitted that they have not built the habit of having at the least 1 fruit a day(recommended is 5 including veggies) ! So, when the kids are introduced to fruits just in sake junk is not allowed in the school snackbox, you will have a tough time there!

Building a healthy eating habit should start at very early stage . Just when you start weaning, start with healthy food(avoid biscuits and other junk fillers)  and continue the same till the age of 8 and support it further. Wait to witness a healthy eating habit followed lifelong 🙂

Apple is a very good laxative and supports digesting the first foods introduced to the tiny digestive system. It helps in passing smooth stool. By the way, Apple keeps constipation at bay 😉 Lets take a look into the recipe..

Preparation

1. Cut a piece of apple, peel the skin and further cut into small pieces as shown below.2. In a vessel(I have used BoroSilicate glass vessel), add apple pieces and pour water till immersing level. Let it boil in medium flame until apple is cooked. It might take just 5 minutes.3. Blend the cooked apple in mixie along with few drops of apple cooked water. First, feed it to the baby and if the baby doesn’t eat at all, then you shall add little mother’s milk/formula.. But don’t make it a practice.. Read the notes section.Feed this immediately to baby.

Tips/Tricks

• No need to add sweetener as sweet and salt are not recommended for babies below one year..
• You do not require pumping machine to collect mother’s milk. Just squeeze out the milk using your fingers to a clean bowl. Do not panic that squeezing out milk might lead to insufficiency during next feed! Not at all ! As I have repeatedly mentioned, when the demand(suckling/pumping/squeezing) is more, the supply(milk secretion) will be more 🙂 Refer to my article for Lactation diet & tips.
• Generally, mixing breastmilk with food is not advised as babies have to taste the real flavors of their food. So, add breastmilk only if they reject this puree.. But when you give next time, again try without milk.. This is what I followed with my kid.. The choice is yours!
• If you want to start apple to your baby, first start with apple water(Click here for recipe). Then move to boiled apple puree as per this post. Then, as per baby’s month, you shall start raw apple puree(just omit boiling and follow the other instructions as per this post).
• If the baby is below 6 months, you have to boil apple till the baby turns 6 months.. After 6 months, you can give raw apple puree(you can blend with breastmilk to make milkshake) or just grated apple. For babies who have exclusively breastfed for 6 months, you shall give boiled apple puree just for 1 week and then move to raw apple.
• Use mixie to blend only till 6 months.. Then you shall mash using mathu or potato masher.
• Warning! Mother’s milk is sufficient for babies till 6 months. Think twice and discuss with your Paed before starting other food!