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How would you like to save around $30 a week while feeding your baby the highest-quality organic foods? You can make a week's supply of baby food in only 30 minutes with an innovative new kit that contains all of the supplies you need to create fresh cuisine for your pride and joy. Designed for infants 4-6 months old, the So Easy Baby Food Kit preserves foods' natural color, ensures your baby will not be exposed to harmful pesticides or additives (including sugar and salt) and allows great flexibility in choosing seasonal produce.
The kit, which contains a workbook, 22-minute educational video, nutrition reference cards and freezer trays, is one of the best-selling items at Inventive Parent, a Hampton, New Hampshire-based company that offers parenting tips and distinctive products. "New parents appreciate the easy-to-follow instructions, recipes, and simple, reassuring nature," says company founder Sharon Mullen. "This kit takes all of the guesswork out of making your own baby food," she tells OrganicAuthority.com. "It is a popular gift because it is thoughtful and unique. Customers who have been making their own food often purchase additional trays to let them make larger or more batches of food at a time." New moms are deciding to make their own baby food for several reasons, Mullen notes. "They want to know what's in the food they feed their baby," she explains, "and this is the best way to control it. This increased involvement in your child's diet is a natural progression from breastfeeding. It is an act of love to prepare a meal, and when you can combine this love with better nutrition, more convenience and less expense, you have a sure winner! "Too often, the food made for older babies is a combination of several items," she adds. "When you make your own food, you can control what goes on the plate and save these 'casseroles' for later." The do-it-yourself approach is also far less expensive than jarred alternatives, including the organic brands, she says. "It's nice to pull freshly made food out of your freezer, already divided into 1-oz. portions, rather than scooping food from countless bottles," Mullen says. "You have an awful lot less recycling to take out every week!" Important Health Note Be sure to follow the directions enclosed in any baby food kit, as certain vegetables-particularly greens, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, celery, radishes, beets, carrots, cauliflower, French beans, parsnips, peas, potatoes and turnips-should never be used. They contain nitrates, naturally occurring chemicals that can lead to a potentially fatal condition known as "blue baby syndrome"-a type of anemia that causes infants to turn blue (hence, the name). Infants younger than 6 months lack the stomach acids required to digest nitrates, so avoid these vegetables when going the make-it-yourself route. To be safe, physicians recommend waiting until your baby is 8-10 months old before using high-nitrate vegetables in homemade foods. It's perfectly fine to buy jarred organic baby food that contains these vegetables, as the manufacturing process effectively eliminates nitrates. Be advised that some organic-food proponents assert that organically grown produce does not contain nitrates. This is incorrect, as the nitrates come from within the vegetables-not just the soil in which they are grown. The So Easy Baby Food Kit includes a list of safe vegetables, based on infant age, so you can rest easy. With proper education, there's no reason to postpone rolling up your sleeves to puree!
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