Is your baby ready to try solid foods? Most babies begin trying solids at around 6 months of age, with some as early as 4 months depending upon pediatrician recommendations. While introduction to foods early on is more about practicing eating and developing a taste for new flavors and textures, the decision of what to feed your baby can be daunting. One important consideration is store-bought or home-made? Home-made baby foods allow you to choose exactly what ingredients your baby is getting, and can also be the more cost effective option. In addition to quality ingredients, you should also consider the water you are using to clean and prepare your baby’s foods. Clean, filtered water can greatly reduce baby’s exposure to unwanted impurities.
The Importance of Safe and Healthy Baby Food
Recent findings have everyone nervous about infant exposure to toxic heavy metals. A 2019 study found that 95% of baby foods found higher than normal amounts of toxic heavy metals despite FDA regulations. This prompted the FDA to create the 2021 Baby Food Safety Act, which asked for better testing equipment, improved labeling, increased transparency to consumers, and product reformulations to reduce levels.
The heavy metals in question included lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic. Lead in particular is known for building up in the body over time, making limited exposure important, and it may lead to learning, attention, and behavior problems. It is worth noting that levels did not change whether food was organic or not, and that home-made baby food also was found to have high levels of heavy metals. However, choosing organic does mean less exposure to pesticides, and home-made baby foods have less added sodium and sugars and tend to encourage more exposure to a variety of textures and flavors that may be missing with store-bought baby foods.
Safe food practices for infants are also particularly important as a baby’s immune system is not fully developed, and their stomachs do not produce the acid necessary to fend off bad bacteria. Babies are also more prone to dehydration during illness.
The Role of Water in Baby Food
Store-bought baby foods may require water to create a thinner consistency, or for preparation of certain cereals, although breastmilk or formula may also be used. Home-made baby foods require water for cleaning fruits and vegetables, for boiling,steaming, or poaching foods, and can be used to create a better consistency along with breastmilk or formula.
Benefits of Using Filtered Water for Baby Food
Choosing to use filtered water in preparation of baby food greatly helps in the reduction of exposure to heavy metals. At the very least, filtered water will have a better taste and odor than unfiltered water. Getting a reduction in certain contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and microplastics commonly found in drinking water depends upon the type of filtration you choose.
How to Choose the Right Water Filter for Your Baby’s Needs
There is a myriad of water filters you can choose from for improving the water in your home, including for baby food preparation. Your choice can be as simple as a pitcher filter, refrigerator filter, other inline filter, or countertop system, or a bigger solution like an undersink filter system or whole house system. You may choose carbon, sediment, reverse osmosis, water softening, or a variety of other specialty filtration media.
For improvement of baby food preparation, carbon filters can be an excellent choice. Filters with carbon media are available in a variety of types, making them a cost-effective choice. They are also relatively easy to maintain, usually requiring replacement of a filter without tools about every 6 months. For the actual contaminant reduction, carbon filters remove common chemicals and impurities through a process called adsorption. They reduce chlorine, bad taste and odor, and other organic contaminants by adsorbing them similar to a sponge. Activated carbon filters take this a step further by reducing heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. Carbon filters will not alter the taste of your water or the baby food, and they also preserve healthy minerals like calcium and magnesium necessary to a healthy diet.
Step-by-Step Guide: Preparing Baby Food with Filtered Water
Step 1: Clean and sanitize countertops and other food preparation surfaces. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap.
Step 2: Select fresh ingredients for your baby, such as organic produce.
Step 3: Wash fruits and vegetables with filtered water. Peel, slice, and remove seeds and pits as necessary. For meats, trim off any fat.
Step 4: For certain produce and meats, use filtered water for boiling, steaming, or poaching. You may also broil or bake certain foods.
Step 5: Puree or blend foods. Use filtered water, breastmilk, or formula to reach the desired consistency.
Step 6: Store baby food in clean, small containers with a tight seal to maintain freshness and hygiene. To freeze, place in an ice cube tray.
Once solid, store in freezer-safe containers. Make sure to label all foods. Home-made baby food can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and in the freezer for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge when ready to use.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
When first starting out, introduce new foods one at a time with a few days in-between to watch for reactions. Watch for rashes, diarrhea, vomiting, couching, difficulty breathing, or stomach pain. Do not give your baby too much food at once. If feeding store-bought from a jar, for example, dish out a small amount into a separate container to feed from. Saliva contaminates food, causing the potential for bacteria growth and illness. Food should also be thrown out after being in the open after 2 hours. Open jars of food can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Allow your baby to get a little messy. As stressful as it may feel, your baby is experiencing not only new flavors, but also new textures. Letting your baby play with the food with all five senses encourages trying new foods and makes eating fun and less of a stressful event for them. Do not serve your baby honey. Babies lack certain enzymes that make them more prone to botulism, so they should not be served honey before 12 months of age.
The Bottom Line
Feeding your baby solids for the first time can be exciting, but also a little stressful as you navigate what to feed them. Having the right tools like filtered water can reduce some of this stress as you know you are doing what you can to help feed your baby the safest options possible. In the end, as you navigate parenthood, trying your best is the absolute greatest thing you can do for your baby.
How often should I change the water filter for baby food preparation?
How often you should change your water filter depends largely on the type of filter media you choose. Sediment filters can require as often as every 3-4 months, carbon every 6 months, and some reverse osmosis filters as long as every 12 months. Make sure to check manufacturer recommendations for changing your filter cartridge.
Can filtered water affect the taste of baby food?
In general, a water filter is most likely going to improve the taste of baby food by reducing impurities like sulfur odor that can negatively impact the taste of water and baby food. Unless you are using a water softener that adds sodium, most likely your water filter will not add any flavors to the baby food.
Is filtered water necessary for all types of baby food?
If you are smashing up a banana or avocado and serving it up as is, you probably will not need water. But any baby food that requires washing of produce; cooking by boiling, steaming, or poaching; or if you add water to thin out consistency, filtered water should be used.
What are the risks of using unfiltered water in baby food?
Unfiltered water, even municipally treated water, contains contaminants. Common impurities found in drinking water include heavy metals, chemicals like chlorine, pesticides, herbicides, microplastics, and pharmaceuticals. Long term exposure to these contaminants can have negative impacts on your baby’s health, including learning problems, behavior problems, hormone imbalance, gastrointestinal issues, breathing problems, skin disorders, and even cancer.
