We made a choice to ensure that most of what we feed to our daughter is organic – especially if it appears in the Dirty Dozen – we’re also a bit more lenient when it comes to the Clean 15.  Buying fresh produce (or using produce from our garden) would have been most ideal, but depending on what time of year your baby is born, you don’t always have the luxury of fresh and in-season produce – that’s when we would head to the frozen section at the grocery store.  Some great organic fruit options in the freezer aisle include blueberries and peaches.  There is some discussion about waiting until a child’s first birthday before giving them strawberries, so we chose to hold off until then (but we did go strawberry picking on her first birthday and did a strawberry smash instead of a cake smash on her special day!).

I added cinnamon to my apple, pear and banana purees – I wasn’t shy when adding spices, although I have heard that if your child is prone to having allergies, that less is more in this case.  I always add it to my daughter’s yogurt, and if I forget, she will be quick to remind me that I forgot her “shake shake”.

Did you know that the best things to add into your baby’s diet if he or she is constipated are the 3 P’s – peaches, pears and plums (or prunes)?

1. Peaches – It’s very easy to find organic peaches in the frozen section of the grocery store, which I cooked down and pureed before freezing – an easy way to add into any mix every day (and it saves you the step of having to peel the peaches yourself!).
2. Pears – When pears were in season, I bought a bunch, made an “applesauce” out of them and froze them into cubes as well.
3. Plums – Plums and prunes weren’t always easy to fine, so I just kept a stash of Earth’s Best Stage 1 Prunes in the pantry – these were the small size jars and easy to mix into any other puree (because my little one wasn’t really a fan of prunes).

Avocado is also a great option to eventually give to your child, but it can be constipating – and yes, in the first year, you will definitely discuss your child’s bowel movements with at least 5 people, if not more.  Make sure your avocado is very ripe, and it’s best if you cut it with some other fruit or vegetable – maybe one of the 3 P’s!