Food grinders
Kerri Stalton

When your baby is ready to switch over from milk to semi-solids, you have yet another decision to make - homemade or store-bought. It's the age-old debate of convenience vs. health when it comes to food too. While jarred and tinned food at the store may have the same nutritional value, they are often too rich for your baby. Added sugars, additives and preservatives are found in most store-bought food items. On the up side, readymade food has an unbelievable variety of choices, flavors, textures and combinations.
Making baby food at home is a simple, nutritious and inexpensive way to feed your baby, and at times it can be as easy, or even easier, than using the baby food in jars. When the baby first starts off on semi-solids, he needs food that is creamy and smooth in texture. As your baby slowly progresses, his 'food-needs' also undergo a change. Slowly, he begins accepting chunkier and coarser food, and by the age of 1-2 years, he is munching away on regular food that is available at the table. A young baby's food is very much dependent on certain appliances, the food grinder being one important such item.
A baby's first semi-solid would be some kind of rice cereal mixed with milk. Once he has started accepting semi-solids, you can begin offering new choices. Vegetables and fruits slowly make their appearance. Whatever you feed, at this stage it is important to blend or grind food into a smooth puree before it is given. Even small lumps can choke a baby. Food grinders help to turn nutritious table food into healthy baby food in an instant. The wholesome goodness of home-cooked meats, fruits and veggies are available to the child as he is offered the same as a smooth and easily digestible puree.
A good baby grinder should be able to puree meat, cooked veggies and fruits. A food grinder is much more convenient than a blender. A food grinder is lightweight and portable, making it easy to use. You can carry it to the table and empty out all the contents, unlike a blender, which is difficult to clean and empty out completely. While a blender can handle large amounts of food, it is not handy when you want to make just a single serving. Bacteria generally propagate very easily in leftover baby food. So, it may be wiser to feed as much fresh food as possible.
Food grinders can be hand-held or machine operated. The hand-held type is completely noiseless and can be taken with you anywhere. Most grinders have parts that are easy to remove and wash. Food grinders can handle any kind of foods except hard and dry items like taco shells and chips. When you grind some hard food like fresh apples, dice it first and add a little milk or water. Food with a lot of fiber is hard to mash. So, when your baby is ready to move on to harder foods like meat, a battery operated grinder works better than a manual one.
The greatest advantage of making food at home for your young baby is that you - not a commercially operated company - are in charge of the preparation of food. You can control your sanitary conditions and can provide food that answers your child's nutritional requirements. For most parents, food grinders are about the first item that helps to make the transition from milk to semi-solids painless and smooth. So, choose a food grinder with care after doing some basic research into its features.