Fruity Baby Food
Nothing is sweeter than fresh summer fruits and the smile of your little baby gobbling them up. Fresh fruits are available in many varieties and year round in the produce section of your favorite supermarket. They are loaded with great vitamins, and contain lots of anti-oxidants that boost your baby’s immune system. They also have plenty of fiber to help the digestive system. Even though the sweetness of fruits comes from sugar, it’s the best kind of sugar to feed your baby, because it is pure and natural.

There are many healthy fruit choices for babies. Fresh fruits can be a choking hazard for little babies. The skin, seeds (the little ones, not the giant pits), and the texture are all tough to swallow. But have no fear, with a little preparation, you can reduce the risk. Cooking fruits helps, but making a simple fruit puree is the safest and tastiest way to introduce fresh fruits. A puree is a cooking term that means toss it in a blender and process it until it is really smooth.

For babies under 12 months old, most fresh fruits should be cooked, except for bananas and avocadoes. Cooking the fruits softens them to reduce choking hazards, and it helps your baby to digest them, too. Here is a recipe for a simple fruit puree.

Pear Puree

6 Bartlett or Anjou Pears

1. Wash, cut in half, remove core and skin. Slice into one-inch pieces

2. Place pears in a microwave-safe dish. Cover. Cook on HIGH in microwave for 4-5 minutes and let stand for 5 minutes. The pears are done if they can be easily pierced with a fork.

3. Place pears and all of the cooking juice in a blender or food processor. Puree to smooth texture, scraping the sides down with a spatula at ease once.

Depending on your baby’s age, you can serve pear puree plain, mixed with yogurt, baby cereal or other fruit purees, Apricot, plum, peach and berries, all taste wonderful with pears. You might be surprised to know the pears also taste great with squash, sweet potatoes and green peas!

This recipe makes about 24 servings of pear puree for a baby. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. To make pre-portioned servings, pour the pear puree into ice cube trays, cover them and freeze overnight. Once frozen, pop the cubes out, and store in a zippered freezer bag - they last for 2 months in the freezer.

An Age-by-age Guide to Fruits
If you are wondering what fruits you can introduce to your baby, and when, here is a guide to what's appropriate at different ages.

About 6 months: Apples, bananas, pears

6-8 months: Apricots, avocados, nectarines, peaches and plums

8-10 months: Grapes (cut in quarters and skinned), mangoes and papaya

10-12 months: Cherries, cantaloupe, coconut milk, dates, pineapple and prunes

Over 12 months: All berries and citrus fruits, kiwi and tomatoes

Selecting fruits in the store is tough, especially if you want to try something new and you’re not quite sure what to look for. Here are some tips for selecting some exotic and tropical fruits:

Avocados: Avocados ripen off the tree, which is why they can arrive at your market somewhat hard. There are many different varieties of avocados with different shades of green skin and smooth to bumpy skin texture. All varieties of avocados taste great! No matter the variety, ripe avocados should yield to gentle pressure, but should not be too soft.

Mangoes: There are many varieties of mangoes, and color is not the best indicator of ripeness. It is best to choose them by touch and smell. Select full, somewhat firm fruit. Skin should be taut, smooth and waxy. They should have a strong perfume-like aroma. Avoid damaged, bruised or shriveled fruit.

Papayas: If you plan to eat them right away, look for fruit that’s mostly yellow in color and slightly soft to the touch. Papayas that are mostly green with a bit of yellow color, and firm, will be ready to eat in a few days. Avoid fruits with too many black marks or soft spots.