EATING MORE VEGETABLES
Preparing vegetables for baby

Fresh New Zealand vegetables – what a great start in life!
One of the greatest gifts you can give your child is a love of vegetables. Puréed vegetables, along with fruit and baby rice, can be introduced as soon as it’s time to take solids. Vegetables offer many different tastes and textures and come packed with nutrients which give your baby a head start on good health.

How to prepare vegetables for baby
1. Select good quality fresh vegetables. Wash them well.
2. Peel if necessary, and cut into even-sized pieces.
3. Boil or microwave with a small amount of water until soft. Alternatively, steam.
4. Purée or sieve so that the vegetables are free from lumps. Hand held blenders are ideal.
5. Serve warm, not hot.
6. Do not add salt or sugar.

Making it easy for yourself
Freeze any leftovers in ice cube trays. You may even wish to prepare extra. Simply thaw a cube in the microwave or over some boiling water. Mix well. If microwaving, allow to stand 2-3 minutes and test for temperature before feeding to avoid burning your baby’s mouth.

Vegetables for babies at 6 months
When babies reach 6 months, milk alone may no longer satisfy them. This is the time to think about introducing solids.

• Start with a small amount and increase gradually.
  

• Do not add salt or sugar to your baby’s food.
  

• Take it slowly. Introduce one new food at a time every 3-4 days. If rejected, leave for a few days and try again.
  

• Ideal first vegetables are: potato, kumara, pumpkin, carrot, marrow and courgettes.
  

• Some babies like a mix of puréed vegetables with puréed fruit. Try adding a little pear or apple to the vegetables.
  

• If the puréed vegetables are too thick, thin by adding a small amount of either expressed breast or formula milk.

Vegetables for older babies
Now you can mash food with a fork instead of puréeing it. Get babies used to a wide range of vegetables so try introducing other vegetables e.g. cauliflower, broccoli, yams, peas, swede, turnip, mushrooms, puha, taro, silverbeet and spinach. Offer new vegetables one at a time, maybe mixing a new one with a known favourite. If the new food is rejected, try again in a few days.

Finger food for babies and toddlers
Young children generally love the taste and texture of potatoes, kumara, pumpkin and yams. Little bite-sized portions of cooked vegetables make an excellent snack. A microwave is terrific for cooking small quantities.
Try small portions of potato, kumara, carrot, yam or pumpkin. Wash or scrub only. You will only need to peel the pumpkin. However, you may prefer to remove the skin of the potato and kumara. Pieces the size of a small yam will take about 50 seconds to microwave on high power. This is great high chair food and gives you time for getting the rest of the meal organised. Offer raw finger foods such as:

• whole green beans
  

• celery sticks/slice
  

• carrot sticks/slices
  

• cherry tomatoes (some children like them)

If your child is very young and you are concerned about pieces breaking off, tie the food in a piece of muslin and let them chew and suck on the food through the muslin.