Carrots - nitrates?

[RMessinger]

I've recently started DS on rice cereal and want to move on to a vegetable. DH suggested carrots, but I just read something about nitrates. Should we wait on carrots and start with something else?

[maylips]

You should be okay, but check out wholesomebabyfood.com for more information about foods to use/avoid. They have a ton of great information.

[Katigre]

Here's the article talking about this: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/nitratearticle.htm

As long as your baby is 6 months or older I wouldn't worry about it.

[MamaMolly]

IIRC for carrots and spinach it is recommended that you not make baby food at home but buy the store bought kind. The reasoning is that they source 'safe' carrots and spinach. I made nearly all of DD's food because it was so cheap and easy but better safe than sorry, you know? HTH.

[Katigre]

IIRC for carrots and spinach it is recommended that you not make baby food at home but buy the store bought kind. The reasoning is that they source 'safe' carrots and spinach. I made nearly all of DD's food because it was so cheap and easy but better safe than sorry, you know? HTH.

That's actually not true (though I hear it repeated fairly often). Read above .

[JBaxter]

IIRC for carrots and spinach it is recommended that you not make baby food at home but buy the store bought kind. The reasoning is that they source 'safe' carrots and spinach. I made nearly all of DD's food because it was so cheap and easy but better safe than sorry, you know? HTH.

How are the baby food companies going to magically extract nitrates?

[MamaMolly]

How are the baby food companies going to magically extract nitrates?

Ha! No magic nitrate extractors, the book I read said that the baby food companies get their ingredients from proven safe growers. So maybe it is a soil quality thing? Personally when I read it I thought that the writers of the book had FAR more faith in the baby food companies that I do . I'm such a cynic.

I think it was in the What to Expect book, but honestly I threw it across the room so much with DD1, and didn't even bother to bring it along in this move. I'm glad to know it isn't something I have to worry about anymore!

[DrSally]

How are the baby food companies going to magically extract nitrates?

I had heard that baby food companies screen the incoming raw ingred. for nitrate levels. Don't know if this is true of not.

ETA: You could also start with sweet potatoes.