Carrots, a most confusing, sometimes fear invoking vegetable when it comes to preparing homemade baby food. This topic will focus on the carrot as a healthy, nutritious food for your baby. Rather than re-writing the Nitrate article here, we would like to point you to our Nitrates article for almost everything you ever wanted to know about Carrots and Nitrates!
Carrots are very high in beta carotene. Beta carotene is a Carotenoids, a set of darkly colored pigments called provitamin A carotenoids that can be converted to Vitamin A. Vitamin A is very important in a developing infant's diet!
Equivalents: 6 or 7 carrots = 1 pound = 3 cups shredded
Age: Must be 6-7 months for cooked carrots, 10 months for finely grated raw carrots.
Season: Carrots are available year round, they are at their peak during summer.
Choosing: Selet carrots that clean and bright orange, indicating large amounts of beta-carotene. They should be firm, not flabby or shriveled, and have no decaying spots or splits. Smaller carrots are sweeter and more tender. Avoid carrots with green spots, for they will taste bitter.
How can I safely prepare Carrots for my baby food recipes?
When preparing Carrots, steaming is the very best method for cooking and preparing them. Steaming Carrots allows the beta carotene to be more bio-available and readily used by the body.
Carrots should be peeled when making baby food purées as many infants will not be able to digest the skins. Unless you are purchasing Organic carrots, you should always peel carrots as chemicals do concentrate in the skin of the carrot. If you do not buy Organic carrots, please cleanse the carrots by using a vegetable brush and lightly scrubbing the carrots under cool running water.
The best way to preserve the flavor, crispness, and beta-carotene content in carrots is to refrigerate them.
Carrots are often one of baby's first food. They are easy to digest and are packed full of nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Calcium. Due to the issue of Nitrates, recommendations for the introduction of carrots varies. We have found that more often than not, the recommendation for introducing carrots is between 7 and 8 months old. Again, please see our Nitrates article for more in-depth information.
CARROTS: (half cup steamed)
VITAMINS:
Vitamin A - 19,152 IU
Vitamin C - 1.8 mg
Niacin - .4 mg
Folate - 11 mcg
Pantothenic Acid - .2 mg
Vitamin B6 - .2 mg
Contains some other vitamins in small amounts
MINERALS
Potassium - 177 mg
Sodium - 51.5 mg
Calcium - 24 mg
Phosphorus - 23.4 mg
Magnesium - 10 mg
Iron - .48 mg
Also contains small amounts of selenium, manganese, copper and zinc.
When can I introduce Carrots to my baby?Carrots may be introduced between 6 and 8 months of age. As always, we recommend that you thoroughly discuss any feeding issues with your pediatrician as generalities may not apply to your child.
Brown Rice
Lentils
Chicken
Beef
Pork
Tofu
~ Cindy
(mama to Reed and Jonas, childbirth junkie, coffee addict, Breastfeeding Peer Counselor and aspiring midwife)
"If you don't know your options, you don't have any." - Diana Korte, A Good Birth, A Safe Birth
Oh my goodness... I made the absolute yummiest carrots today! We went to the organic farm to buy some fruits and veggies. =) I washed them, sliced into chunks (didn't peel them) and baked them in a little bit of water for about an hour and then pureed them in the food processor. I did have to thin them a little but I used filtered water for that. They are so pretty! They are really sweet and taste like I added sugar. ~LOL~ I love our local organic farm!!!
"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." -Desmond Tutu
I wish I could find organics as easy as some toher ppl can. I am lucky to find organic carrots, apples, and bananas in our grocery store. but thats all I can find. I hate living in this teeny tiny town. There is nothing here! There is an all natural grocery store but thas an hour away and gas is outrageous right now.
Quoting ttaylor1998:
Oh my goodness... I made the absolute yummiest carrots today! We went to the organic farm to buy some fruits and veggies. =) I washed them, sliced into chunks (didn't peel them) and baked them in a little bit of water for about an hour and then pureed them in the food processor. I did have to thin them a little but I used filtered water for that. They are so pretty! They are really sweet and taste like I added sugar. ~LOL~ I love our local organic farm!!!
I can never get my carrots smooth enough, any suggestions. Should I just puree them for a very long time, and add water?
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Mine weren't "commercial baby food smooth" by any means. They are about the consistency of applesauce. I did add a little water to thin them out, but Mason does fine with texture. Here is what my batch looked like:
Quoting gsmommy126:
I can never get my carrots smooth enough, any suggestions. Should I just puree them for a very long time, and add water?
"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." -Desmond Tutu
I suggest going to localharvest.org. You can see if any local farmers sell their produce. I found several in my area that sell organic produce!
Quoting MommyMissi21:I wish I could find organics as easy as some toher ppl can. I am lucky to find organic carrots, apples, and bananas in our grocery store. but thats all I can find. I hate living in this teeny tiny town. There is nothing here! There is an all natural grocery store but thas an hour away and gas is outrageous right now.
Quoting ttaylor1998:
Oh my goodness... I made the absolute yummiest carrots today! We went to the organic farm to buy some fruits and veggies. =) I washed them, sliced into chunks (didn't peel them) and baked them in a little bit of water for about an hour and then pureed them in the food processor. I did have to thin them a little but I used filtered water for that. They are so pretty! They are really sweet and taste like I added sugar. ~LOL~ I love our local organic farm!!!
Holly
I'm gonna try your baking method b/c I don't have a steamer. I was wondering about baking them so thanks!
Quoting ttaylor1998:Oh my goodness... I made the absolute yummiest carrots today! We went to the organic farm to buy some fruits and veggies. =) I washed them, sliced into chunks (didn't peel them) and baked them in a little bit of water for about an hour and then pureed them in the food processor. I did have to thin them a little but I used filtered water for that. They are so pretty! They are really sweet and taste like I added sugar. ~LOL~ I love our local organic farm!!!
Holly
yes but baby carrots cost a lot MORE than regular carrots. baby carrots don't need peeling.
Quoting superbrat:
I have never made baby food before so this maybe a stupid question. Can you use baby carrots? If you use baby carrots do you peel them ?
I have been told that baby carrots dont have as much nutrients as the "adult' carrots.
How long would you bake them for?
Quoting cali4niachef:
yes but baby carrots cost a lot MORE than regular carrots. baby carrots don't need peeling.
Quoting superbrat:
I have never made baby food before so this maybe a stupid question. Can you use baby carrots? If you use baby carrots do you peel them ?
- cali4niachef
on Jul. 29, 2008 at 10:18 AM