Baby Care
10 Easy Homemade Baby Food Recipes
Hey mama! Congratulations! You’ve made it to the point where your baby can enjoy stage 1 baby foods. Coming out of the newborn phase, your baby can now start testing out flavors other than breast milk and/or formula.
Feeding your baby their first baby foods can be so much fun to watch. It’s also enjoyable to mix up different types of fruits and vegetables to see what your baby likes. With so many choices out there, it may be difficult to figure out where to start.
Obviously, you’ll want to start with some basic one ingredient foods to test out but then you may want to get creative with your baby food recipes. I wanted to make it a little easier for you and give you a list of baby food recipes you can include in your rotation of baby foods.
10 Homemade Baby Food Recipes
Applesauce
Applesauce is a simple and great stage one puree recipe for babies. Wholesome Family Living has an easy homemade applesauce. This one is good for babies because there is no added sugar.
Rice Cereal
Rice cereal is one of the first baby foods that many babies try. There has been some controversy over the ingredients in boxed rice cereal. Coffee With Us 3 has an easy homemade infant rice cereal recipe which is healthier and tastes so much better than the box rice cereal.
Carrots
Make sure you start your baby early on eating vegetables. Try this simple pureed carrot baby food by Cass Clay Cooking for an easy and low cost alternative to packaged baby food.
Sweet Potato Fries
Are you interested in baby led weaning? The Momma Diaries has a sweet potato fries baby recipe that is so soft that your baby can easily mash them up with their gums.
Slow Cooked Applesauce
Yes, I’m giving you another applesauce recipe. I love this one from Strength and Sunshine because it is cooked in a slow cooker. Not only is it healthy for your baby with no added sugar, your home will smell like fall from the apples simmering in your slow cooker.
Green Peas
Take a look at this quick start guide from The Oregon Dietitian. She provides some quick and easy flavor blends including green peas.
Butternut Squash
Mother and Baby Love has a great list of baby food recipes including a butternut squash one. This is another good one for the fall that is easy and healthy to make.
Banana
All of my kids loved bananas as their stage one baby food. Jessica Coll shares the multiple ways you can feed a baby bananas with both pureed and baby led weaning options.
Blueberry Banana Avocado
If you’re moving along from the basic recipes and want to try some mixes, Stef’s Eats and Sweets has a blueberry banana avocado puree that is easy to make, freeze, and store.
Carrot and Parsnip
Greedy Gourmet has a delicious carrot and parsnip and mash. I love this one because it can be enjoyed by mom and dad too! It’s also a great veggie option for baby.
Homemade Baby Food Supplies
You don’t need much to make baby food and you probably already have some of these supplies in your kitchen. You’ll need a pot to steam veggies, food processor or blender to puree the foods, and storage containers to store the food.
If you don’t have some of these tools or want supplies that are specifically made for making baby food, I love the NutriBullet Baby Complete Food-Making System which comes with a blender, batch bowl, storage cups and a silicone freezer tray.
If you need a steamer too, Papablic has an All-in 1 baby food maker which also comes with a stainless steel steam basket and rice cooker.
Homemade Baby foods to avoid
Although it’s okay to try out many healthy foods on your baby. There are a few foods you should avoid, especially during baby’s first year due to potential health risks or allergies your baby might have:
- Honey
- Sugar
- Egg Whites
- Cow’s milk
- Seafood
- Fruit Juice
Why you should make your own baby food
Buying your baby food is great for convenience especially for busy moms but if you want to make your own baby food, there are some great benefits:
- Inexpensive- making basic baby foods, whether they are puree’s or for baby led weaning usually consists of fruits and vegitabbles that are inexpensive to purchase
- High in nutrients- if you can get as close to “farm to table” as possible, you’ll provide the highest amount of nutrients for your baby using fresh or frozen fruits and vegitables
- Variety of foods- when you make your own baby foods, you’re able to provide different options for your baby besides the standard options you have in packaged foods. This can also reduce the chance of you having a picky eater.
How to know if you your baby is ready for solids
You should always speak to your doctor first about when to feed your baby solid foods. These are some common signs that your baby is ready according to the CDC:
- Your child can sit with little or no support.
- Your child has good head control.
- Your child opens his or her mouth and leans forward when food is offered.
Final Thoughts on Homemade Baby Food Recipes
Making stage one homemade baby food recipes doesn’t have to be hard at all. Once you have the basic supplies, fruits and veggies, its easy to mix and match some puree’s or baby led weaning foods that your baby will love.
I promise you that you’ll save a lot of money and time (if you make the food in batches) and provide your baby with the highest amount of nutrients while making your baby food at home.
I hope you enjoy this awesome list as a great starting point in your journey of making baby food. What are some other stage one baby foods that you like to make for your baby?
Related: Best Online Breastfeeding Classes for New Moms
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