Introducing solids to a baby’s diet

Baby food maker Beaba Babycook has expanded its range to a more comprehensive collection of baby-feeding products.

When it’s time to diversify their diet, babies gradually start to eat a little of everything

The small, compact household appliance functions as a steamer, blender, warmer and defroster to prepare fresh, healthy meals for a baby.

It can steam cook vegetables, fruits, fish and meats in less than 15 minutes, while preserving the nutrients and flavours of food.

It also purees and blends to the desired consistency, helping the introduction of solids to a baby’s diet. The appliance can also be used to quickly reheat or defrost pre-cooked foods.

‘My First Artichoke’ is a recipe for infants who are six months old and over. Cooking time is 25 minutes and all one needs to have is an artichoke, one tablespoon of formula milk and a drizzle olive oil instead of the prepared baby formula for infants aged over eight months.

For babies aged six to eight months: wash the artichoke under running water. Vigorously shake it off, with the head facing down. Peel off the first few leaves and break the stem by hand to pull out all of the artichoke’s hard fibres.

Cut the raw artichoke around the bottom. Remove the choke with a teaspoon and cut the heart into big chunks. Cook the pieces for 15 minutes in the Babycook steamer basket. Throw the cooking juices away.

Transfer the pieces to the blending bowl. Pulse three times, adding a little milk between each pulse to obtain a mixture that is thin enough to be drunk from a bottle; or pulse only twice and add a little milk or water between pulses to obtain a puree that can be eaten with a spoon.

For babies over eight months old: mix by pulsing once without milk or water. Decorate the dish with a little drizzle of olive oil.

Artichokes are extremely rich in minerals. They also contain insulin, which helps the body assimilate these minerals. A varied diet is the best way to guarantee a healthy and fit body, as well as a good way to ensure happy taste buds, so long as parents start early and take the opportunity when their baby is fascinated with new things.

Each new food is another addition to the range of familiar colours, smells and flavours. When it’s time to diversify their diet, babies gradually start to eat a little of everything.

This varied diet introduces them to flavours and textures and stimulates their taste buds while offering them quality ingredients, essential to their nutritional balance and development.