It felt super natural for me to just begin making baby food for Clara when she started eating. I was making dinner for my husband and me, and since she needed to eat too, I made her food as well. I had big ideas to do baby led weaning, but ultimately Clara wasn’t ready for that at the time she was ready to begin introducing food. If you’re in the same space, THAT IS OKAY! Current culture will tell you that babies should just start eating what mom and dad are eating and skip purees, but that’s not always the case. We love doing purees and then adding in more and more texture. (It also helps if you’re an anxious feeder!)
When people find out I make my own baby food, they assume it’s some wild, long, daunting task. It’s really not. This post will walk you through my process, share tools I use to make the baby food, and share some of our favorite “recipes” and combinations.
TOOLS
- Microwave or stove for steaming
- Oven or air fryer for roasting
- Blender (We like this one.)
- Microwave safe containers (We like these for every day use.)
- Freezer safe containers
- Silicone ice cube trays
- Spoons
- Bibs
- Bowls
THE PROCESS
- Decide what food you are going to make your baby. Start out simple with one ingredient. You can use fresh or frozen! We like to test ONE food for 3-7 days, then move on to another. (Once you have a bulk of foods tested, you can start making combinations.) ALSO, we like to start with veggies because they aren’t sweet and delicious initially.
- For veggies: Prepare it to be VERY SOFT. Whether that means you microwave steam, oven roast, cook on a stove top- whatever way you want. Just make sure it’s cooked very soft.
For fruit: Just make sure you’re using very ripe options! You don’t need to cook most fruits like bananas, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, etc. But cooking apples is a best practice! - If cooked, let it cool some, then put it into the blender. Add water to get the food to the consistency you desire. When you’re first starting out, you want it to be VERY runny. You can make the consistency a bit thicker as the baby gets older and understands how to eat.
You COULD use human milk or formula instead of water to make it more nutrient and calorie dense. It won’t last as long in the refrigerator that way, but if you freeze the portions immediately, you can thaw them the same day you serve to your baby and it will all be good! Just be sure to toss if they have not been consumed within 24 hours. - Alternatively, you can add in human milk or formula to thin out each individual serving if you make the consistency a bit thicker when you store it away.
- You can store in the refrigerator for 2ish days. I tend to go on the safe side with storage since it’s being fed to a baby. Store in the freezer for about 1 month. (These are just my general rules for safe storage, but you can look up best practice for food storage!)
If I am making batch baby food, I will freeze in a silicone ice cube tray or mold, then take them out and put them into a freezer bag once frozen. If I have a random serving or two I want to freeze, I will put them in glass containers that I freeze.
OUR FAVORITE RECIPES (6-9 months)
Single Ingredient
- Avocado
- Sweet potato
- Butternut squash
- Green beans
- Carrots
- Banana
- Peaches
- Applesauce
- Potato puree
- Oatmeal
Combo Recipes
- Banana + avocado
- Strawberry + banana
- Sweet potato + apple
- Cauliflower + pears
- Peas + avocado
- Blueberry + oatmeal
- Broccoli + potatoes
- Mango + peach + banana
- Chicken + broccoli + apple
- Salmon + avocado + squeeze of lime
ADD-INS
- Cinnamon
- Cumin
- No-salt seasonings
- Mint
- Basil
- Formula powder
- Human milk
- SpoonfulONE
If you baby is having struggles with gaining weight, I have a whole post full of suggestions of things to add to their food to make sure they are getting a lot of fat and calories in their diet.
I hope this helps give you some easy guidance and ideas for feeding your own baby. Be sure to check with your child’s pediatrician before you start feeding your baby to make sure they are ready to start eating foods. I think feeding and watching your children try new things is so fun and satisfying!
