Experiencing those initial reactions when feeding your child solid food for the first time is an enlightening and humorous event.
Most likely that first bite of peas will not be well received, but just wait for that first second spoonful of sweet potato! They’ll love the flavor and this is just the beginning of assisting them in their exploration of flavors and textures.
My child’s first reaction to baby food, recorded on video of course, was quite amusing. The look of disgust on his face was priceless. My husband and I could hardly keep a straight face as we delicately tried for the second bite. Thankfully, day two’s meal was more bearable for our son. As he progressed through the flavors, I couldn’t seem to shovel in the food fast enough for him! He loved to eat and try new things!
Pediatricians recommend that you begin feeding your child when he/she is 6 months old. Of course there are plenty of exceptions to that rule, but that’s the general consensus. The other recommendation is that you try one food at a time for at least four days before introducing another food to rule out the possibility of a food allergy. Once they’ve tried a few foods, then you can start mixing flavors and the possibilities are endless!
The typical flow of first foods goes from bland to complex (and sweet). For example, with my children, I start with the basics like peas, avocado, carrots and sweet potatoes. Eventually, they graduate to the sweeter foods like bananas, pears, apples and prunes. This way you’re not serving them “dessert” before “dinner,” so to speak.
Making homemade baby food is such a beautiful way to enable you to control quality when it comes to your child’s nutrition. Going the homemade route also ensures the safest methods of preparation and storage and it greatly helps your baby’s food budget! With a few essential kitchen tools, you’ll be ready to whip up a whole freezer full of homemade baby food.
Below are six baby food recipes to start you off. I’ve labeled them as beginner (for ages just starting with baby food, 4-6 months old), intermediate (6-8 months old) and advanced (8-10 months old). Let’s dive in and get you started making your own homemade baby food!
Baby Food: Peas (beginner)
Equipment
- Steamer Pot
- Blender
- Spatula
- Ice cube tray
Ingredients
- 10 oz bag organic frozen sweet peas
- .25 cups cooking water from the pot
Instructions
- Fill a steamer pot with 1-2” of water. Fill the steamer basket with the frozen peas. Cover and bring to a boil on high heat.
- Steam until very tender (test with a fork), about 10 minutes.
- Pour the cooked peas into your blender and add the cooking water.
- Blend until completely puréed.
- (Option 1) Allow to cool to body temperature and feed baby and refrigerate the remaining baby food, use within 24 hours.
- (Option 2) Pour the baby food into ice cube trays, tap trays on the counter to remove air bubbles, and freeze until completely frozen. Remove the frozen baby food cubes and place into a freezer safe bag or container, labeled with the date that they were frozen.
- *Note: Use the baby food within 1 month of freezing.
Baby Food: Sweet Potatoes (beginner)
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking sheet
- Aluminum foil
- Spatula
- Blender
- Ice cube tray
INGREDIENTS
- 43 ounces of fresh sweet potatoes
- ½-3/4 cup water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Thoroughly rinse your sweet potatoes, pierce the skin all over with a fork and wrap individually with aluminum foil.
- Place on a baking sheet and cook until tender all the way through when poked with a fork, 30-90 minutes.
- Scoop out the inside of the potatoes and place into your blender. Add the water and blend until completely puréed.
- (Option 1) Allow to cool to body temperature and feed baby and refrigerate the remaining baby food, use within 24 hours.
- (Option 2) Pour the baby food into ice cube trays, tap trays on the counter to remove air bubbles, and freeze until completely frozen. Remove the frozen baby food cubes and place into a freezer safe bag or container, labeled with the date that they were frozen.
Note: Use the baby food within 1 month of freezing.
Baby Food: Apple (intermediate)
Equipment
- Peeler
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Stove
- Pot
- Spatula
- Blender
- Ice cube tray
Ingredients
- 25 oz fresh gala apples
- .5 cups water
Instructions
- Peel, core and dice the apples into 1 inch cubes.
- Place in a pot over medium-low heat with the water.
- Stir occasionally for 10-17 minutes or until tender.
- Remove from the heat and drain the cooking water into a cup. Add the apples and ⅛ cup of the cooking water blender.
- Blend until completely puréed.
- (Option 1) Allow to cool to body temperature and feed baby and refrigerate the remaining baby food, use within 24 hours.
- (Option 2) Pour the baby food into ice cube trays, tap trays on the counter to remove air bubbles, and freeze until completely frozen. Remove the frozen baby food cubes and place into a freezer safe bag or container, labeled with the date that they were frozen.
Baby Food: Green Bean - Pear (intermediate)
Equipment
- Stove
- Steamer Pot
- Peeler
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Spatula
- Blender
- Ice cube tray
Ingredients
- 16 oz frozen organic green beens
- 12 oz fresh ripe Bartlett pears, peeled
Instructions
- Fill a steamer pot with 1-2” of water. Fill the steamer basket with the frozen green beans. Cover and bring to a boil on high heat.
- Steam until very tender (test with a fork), about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel, core and dice the pears.
- Pour the cooked green beans into your blender and add the pears.
- Blend until completely puréed.
- (Option 1) Allow to cool to body temperature and feed baby and refrigerate the remaining baby food, use within 24 hours.
- (Option 2) Pour the baby food into ice cube trays, tap trays on the counter to remove air bubbles, and freeze until completely frozen. Remove the frozen baby food cubes and place into a freezer safe bag or container, labeled with the date that they were frozen.
- *Note: Use the baby food within 1 month of freezing.
Baby Food: Blueberry Pie (advanced)
Equipment
- Peeler
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Stove
- Steamer Pot
- Spatula
- Blender
- Ice cube tray
Ingredients
- 8 oz fresh purple carrots, peeled and sliced
- 4 lb fresh blueberries
- .25 cups water
- 4 oz whole milk yogurt
Instructions
- Fill a steamer pot with 1-2” of water. Fill the steamer basket with the carrots. Cover and bring to a boil on high heat.
- Steam until very tender (test with a fork), about 10 minutes.
- Pour the cooked carrots into your blender and add the blueberries and water.
- Blend until completely puréed.
- Stir in the yogurt.
- (Option 1) Allow to cool to body temperature and feed baby and refrigerate the remaining baby food, use within 24 hours.
- (Option 2) Pour the baby food into ice cube trays, tap trays on the counter to remove air bubbles, and freeze until completely frozen. Remove the frozen baby food cubes and place into a freezer safe bag or container, labeled with the date that they were frozen.
- *Note: Use the baby food within 1 month of freezing.
Baby Food: Baby Curry (advanced)
Equipment
- Peeler
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Stove
- Steamer Pot
- Spatula
- Blender
- Ice cube tray
Ingredients
- 5 oz fresh sweet potato, peeled and finely diced
- 5 oz chickpeas
- 2.5 oz apple, peeled, cored, and diced
- .5 oz fresh spinach
- .5 cups water
- 1 tsp curry powder
Instructions
- Fill a steamer pot with 1-2” of water. Fill the steamer basket with the sweet potato, chickpeas and apple. Cover and bring to a boil on high heat.
- Steam until very tender (test with a fork), about 15 minutes.
- Pour the cooked vegetables into your blender and add the spinach and curry powder.
- Blend until completely puréed.
- (Option 1) Allow to cool to body temperature and feed baby and refrigerate the remaining baby food, use within 24 hours.
- (Option 2) Pour the baby food into ice cube trays, tap trays on the counter to remove air bubbles, and freeze until completely frozen. Remove the frozen baby food cubes and place into a freezer safe bag or container, labeled with the date that they were frozen.
- *Note: Use the baby food within 1 month of freezing.
Products shown: Hamilton Beach Rio Blender, Farberware Steamer Pot, Architec Cutting Board, Tovolo Ice Tray
