Making your own baby food is not as challenging as it may seem. Not only is this healthier for baby, but you know exactly what baby is eating. In this post, I will tell you how I make baby food, what you will need to get started, my favorite first foods, and how to store food in the freezer!
Around 6 months of age, baby can start eating solids. This can be a fun time in baby’s life. There are so many foods to try! Baby may even show his likes and dislikes with funny faces.
Some pediatricians will recommend starting with a baby cereal to get baby used to eating. Some other great first foods for baby include all kinds of different fruits, vegetables, and even meat!
I have found a great website for baby food recipes that I love and use all the time! Wholesome Homemade Baby Food is a great resource website (click here to check it out). If you are curious about a certain fruit or vegetable, just look it up on the website. It will give you facts about the food, what age baby should be to eat it, how to prepare it, and some different recipes to try.
What You Need
I use very simple kitchen utensils when cooking my baby food. I find that I usually have everything I need to cook the food in my kitchen. I have not tried a separate baby food maker. I just feel like it will take up too much space in my kitchen! I usually just boil or steam all foods that I give my baby.
Pot: You need some type of pot to boil the food. I like a medium sized pot with a lid.
Steamer: You may also want to steam some fruits and vegetables. I like a steamer insert, so you can put it in whatever pot you already have.
Blender or Food Processor: You will also need some type of blender or food processor that is big enough to hold the cooked fruits or vegetables.
Ice Cube Tray: If you plan on freezing food, I highly recommend an ice cub tray with a lid. Below are my favorite ice cube trays.
Baby Food Storage Containers: When thawing frozen food or keeping food in the refrigerator to eat later, you will want to have food storage containers. I love these glass storage jars below.
Favorite First Foods (6-8 Months)
When I am making baby food, I am usually making a fruit or vegetable. Some of my favorite and easiest fruits and vegetables I will list below. These are usually pretty simple to make and great first foods for babies 6 to 8 months of age.
Fruits
- Bananas (don’t have to cook, just mash and eat)
- Avocados (don’t have to cook, just mash and eat)
- Peaches
- Pears
- Apples
- Plums
- Mangoes
Vegetables
- Sweet Potato
- Peas
- Carrots
- Zucchini
- Butternut Squash
- Yellow Squash
- Green Beans
Method
- Start by preparing the fruit or vegetable. Clean and peel if necessary. Dice into smaller pieces so it will cook faster.
- Add fruit or vegetable to a pot or steamer and add water.
- Boil/Steam until tender.
- Add contents and water from cooking (as needed) to a blender or food processor.
- Blend until smooth. Some purees may need to be put through a mesh strainer (green beans) if they don’t puree smoothly enough for baby.
Storing Cooked Food
If you make enough food for a few days, then you can store the puree in containers in the fridge. Most purees in the fridge will last 3 to 5 days.
If you make a big batch of food at one time, then you can freeze puree for up to 3 months.
How to Freeze Pureed Baby Food
- Scoop puree into ice cube tray.
- Freeze.
- Once frozen, pop ice cubes out and keep them in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. I usually label with the name of the food and a use by date.
- When ready to eat, you can put a few ice cubes in a container in the refrigerator to thaw. You can also quickly unthaw in a microwave.
I hope you are able to make your own baby food for your baby!
Check out my developmental guide with play ideas for 4 to 7 months olds here and for 0 to 3 month olds here!
Thank you for Continually Learning with us!
Sarah
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