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What Are the Different Types of Plum Baby Food?

Brandon May
Brandon May

Plum baby food is a popular sweet food item containing either cooked or raw plums pureed into a thick liquid designed for easy consumption. Pureed plum baby food may also contain other pureed fruits such as prunes, boosting nutritional content like fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants. Some baby food that contains plums may also contain pureed bananas and other easy-to-digest fruits, like applesauce and pureed pears. Blueberries are also a common fruit pureed into a baby food containing plums, as are cooked vegetables like spinach, broccoli and cauliflower, for added nutrition.

There are many different types of plum baby foods, often using pureed fruits or vegetables combined with plums to enhance nutrition, taste and texture quality. Commercial plum baby food may often contain pure cooked and pureed plums; however, a popular addition to this baby food is applesauce or pear sauce. Small amounts of orange juice or lemon juice are used during the blending process, acting as both a sweetener and preservative, enhancing the vitamin C content of the product. Most of the time a plum baby food acts as a dessert for its sweet and pleasing taste and texture.

Prunes are often included in baby food.
Prunes are often included in baby food.

Prunes are sometimes added to a baby food made with pureed plums, increasing the fiber and vitamin C content of the food. This type of plum baby food may be helpful in relieving constipation in some babies, yet should only be used with appropriate doctor or dietitian recommendation. Adding cooked and pureed dates to a baby food containing cooked and pureed plums increases the sweetness of the food by increasing the amount of natural sugar. This can be a problem for some babies, especially those who weigh more than recommended for their age and height.

A glass of plum juice.
A glass of plum juice.

Homemade plum baby food is often made by using cooked prunes and other fruits, since raw foods can often be hard to digest for some babies. Raw baby food puree can also be fed to an infant, yet this type of baby food should be introduced slowly to determine its effects on digestion. Pureeing kiwi and banana, along with prunes, makes an easy-to-digest food that most babies can handle, providing much-needed caloric energy as well as fiber for regularity. Blending together cooked or raw plums with cooked spinach or broccoli may be helpful when trying to make a palatable baby food that increases the infant's intake of vegetables.

Discussion Comments

Rundocuri

@heavanet- I grew up on a farm, and my father grew yellow plum trees in the fruit tree orchard. My mother use to put the plums in a blender and make baby food. Sometimes she would mix them with bananas, baby cereal, and juice, and the babies always loved the mixture.

I think that babies enjoy the flavor of this type of plum because it is very mild and sweet. I would take the advice of the article when trying out yellow plums for a young child and introduce it slowly. Any type of new fruit can cause a baby to have digestive issues until he or she gets use to eating it, so offering just a little bit at first is a good idea.

Heavanet

There is a local farmer in my community who grows yellow plums, and sells them at our local farmer's market. These plums are sweet and tender, so I'm wondering if they would be good for making homemade baby food. Does anyone have experience feeding pureed yellow plums to babies?

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    • Prunes are often included in baby food.
      Prunes are often included in baby food.
    • A glass of plum juice.
      By: MSPhotographic
      A glass of plum juice.
    • Applesauce is a popular addition to plum baby food.
      By: Mara Zemgaliete
      Applesauce is a popular addition to plum baby food.
    • Pureed fresh plums are filled with fiber and vitamin C.
      By: radomir54
      Pureed fresh plums are filled with fiber and vitamin C.