Have you been thinking of a great food starter for your baby? Carrot puree is an amazing option you can try out. This homemade deliciousness offers amazing nutritional benefits in addition to its mouth-watering flavour for your baby. 

Carrot puree is a treat choice for your baby. This creamy and soft mixture is a starter that is given from the age of 4 months old helping your baby journey into eating solids.

Health benefits of carrots for babies

Carrots are loaded with awesome nutrients that are great for your baby's development. It contains:

• Beta carotene: This is a precursor to Vitamin A which is important for protecting your baby's eye health and immune system function.
• Vitamin K which helps in blood clotting
• Fibers are proven to help prevent constipation and aid digestion
• Antioxidants, which are immune boosters
• Calcium, for bone strengthening

Apart from these various health benefits, a great reason to include carrot puree in your baby's diet is that they are freezer-friendly and easy to prepare. 

How to make carrot puree 

Carrot puree is made with primarily two ingredients:

• fresh carrots 
• Water/Breastmilk

However, you can decide to add spices, herbs, greens, or even some veggies to make it more nutritious and enjoyable for your baby. 

Exercise caution to ensure your baby is not allergic to any ingredients used in the preparation of carrot puree. There are three different methods to make carrot puree- steaming, boiling, and roasting. 

Steaming 

1. Prepare your carrot by washing, peeling, and cutting off stems while cutting them into bite-sized pieces
2. Fill your pot with water and place a steamer basket over it
3. Place the carrot pieces into the steamer basket and cover with a lid
4. Ensure to steam carrots until they are very tender that a fork can pass through it
5. When the carrots are tender enough, remove them from heat, cool them, and blend them, or better still mash them with a pestle.
6. Transfer your baby puree to ice cube trays and keep it in the freezer.

Roasting 

1. Peel and roughly chop up your carrots after washing them thoroughly.
2. Place them on a baking sheet, drizzle half a teaspoon of quality cooking oil, and sprinkle spice if needed.
3. Roast in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until tender.
4. Puree with a blender either with a little water, breastmilk, or formula.
5. Transfer your puree into ice cube trays and keep in the freezer.

Boiling

1. Peel and cut carrots into a pot with water and cover.
2. Bring it to a boil, and cook until very tender.
3. Puree with a blender and add some of the water used in boiling it.
4. Place in the freezer and store.

A maximum tip on freezing your carrot puree is to ensure you label and relabel it with the date of production. This labeling would help you to know when to make a fresher batch and discard it.