Everything you need to know to make baby food at home (2023)

FAQs

How do you make baby food step by step? ›

Add Liquids: You may have to add extra liquids like water, fresh breast milk, or formula into the blender or food processor in order to get the blender really going. Hard root vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, etc., often take at least 1-2 cups of liquids because they do not have high water content.

High-Nitrate Vegetables to Limit: A baby under six months old should not eat home-prepared high-nitrate vegetables, including: beets; broccoli; cabbage; carrots; celery; collard greens; lettuce; spinach and turnips. It is best to wait until your child is a year old before feeding them these vegetables.

The most commonly used infant formulas contain purified cow's milk whey and casein as a protein source, a blend of vegetable oils as a fat source, lactose as a carbohydrate source, a vitamin-mineral mix, and other ingredients depending on the manufacturer.

Solid foods may be introduced in any order. However, puréed meats, poultry, beans and iron-fortified cereals are recommended as first foods, especially if your baby has been primarily breastfed, since they provide key nutrients.

Homemade organic is nearly 45% cheaper than store-bought organic. And homemade non-organic is almost 43% cheaper than store-bought non-organic. My daughter is up to four servings a day and she's only seven months old, so by making my own baby food, I'm currently saving $1.20 per day, or $438 per year.

Solid foods can be introduced in any order, but most pediatricians recommend starting with a single-ingredient food that is easy to digest like pureed sweet potato, carrot, banana and/or avocado. Other options include pureed meats, poultry, beans and iron-fortified baby cereals like rice cereal or oatmeal.

Baby purees are often best served at room temperature, but don't be tempted to partially reheat food for your baby to avoid having to wait for it to cool. Unless served cold straight from the fridge, baby purees should always be reheated until piping hot, which means steaming throughout, to kill off bacteria.

Homemade baby foods will keep for one to two days in the refrigerator and three to four months in the freezer. Please remember that once commercial formulas or foods are opened you need to use them immediately and refrigerate the unused portion quickly after you are done.

At first, babies should have finely puréed single-ingredient foods. (Just applesauce, for example, not apples and pears mixed together.) After your baby is eating individual foods, it's OK to offer a puréed mix of two foods. As babies get older, they will learn to eat a greater variety of tastes and textures.

What foods are toxic to babies? ›

Homemade baby food is generally more nutritious and tastier than commercially processed food if it is fresh and made from whole foods and nothing else. When cooked in bulk, it is cheaper than commercial options. And you can control the quality of ingredients when you make your own.

In addition to grains and potatoes, be sure your baby has vegetables and fruits, legumes and seeds, a little energy-rich oil or fat, and – especially – animal foods (dairy, eggs, meat, fish and poultry) every day. Eating a variety of foods every day gives your baby the best chance of getting all the nutrients he needs.

Homemade baby food ingredients

First foods should be rich in iron. Try iron-fortified cereal and cooked beef, lamb, pork, chicken, tofu, legumes or egg. Include other healthy foods like vegetables, fruit, grains and dairy. For example, try banana, avocado, pear, pumpkin, peas, oats or yoghurt.

Breast milk is the only food or drink babies need in the first 6 months of their life. It's best to carry on breastfeeding alongside an increasingly varied diet once you introduce solid foods. Infant formula is the only suitable alternative to breast milk in the first 12 months of your baby's life.

If your baby is under 6 months old, they only need to drink breastmilk or infant formula. From 6 months of age, you can give your baby small amounts of water, if needed, in addition to their breastmilk or formula feeds.

Barley, rice and oatmeal tend to be light on the stomach. Mix them with infant formula or breast milk before feeding them to your sick baby. Start by mixing a single tablespoon of cereal with three tablespoons of infant formula or breast milk.

The rule of thumb is pureed homemade baby food can be stored up to 48 hours in the refrigerator. Many food safety authorities say that 72 hours is fine too. This time limit decreases the likelihood of bacteria growth in the puree. Plus, it keeps that icky “taste of the fridge” out of your tasty meals.

What percentage of parents make baby food? ›

According to Beech-Nut's research, 70 percent of parents have taken to making some of their baby food at home.

You can start weaning with single vegetables and fruits – try blended, mashed, or soft cooked sticks of parsnip, broccoli, potato, yam, sweet potato, carrot, apple or pear. You could also try baby rice mixed with your baby's usual milk. Make sure any cooked food has cooled right down before offering it to your baby.

In terms of age, many babies start Stage 2 combo baby purees around 8 months, but try not to fret too much over the exact timeline. Just like with the introduction of Stage 1, your baby will let you know when they're ready!

What exactly are Stage 3 Baby Purees? Well, put simply, Stage 3 baby foods are a puree with small chewable chunks inside. Having small manageable chunks in a puree gets your baby ready for finger foods by having them explore similar tastes that they are used to but with completely different texture profiles.

There's no "perfect" time of day to feed your baby — it's whenever works for you. If you're breastfeeding, you might offer solids when your milk supply is at its lowest (probably late afternoon or early evening). On the other hand, babies who wake up bright-eyed and eager might be happy to sample solids for breakfast.

Meat Puree for Baby

You can serve baby pureed chicken, beef, or turkey puree. The key to making delicious pureed meat is to keep the meat tender during the cooking process. I like to simmer the meat in a low or no-sodium broth until just cooked before letting it cool and then blending until smooth.

Is it better to store baby food in glass or plastic? You can use either. If using plastic, look for BPA-free plastic and avoid putting it into the microwave or dishwasher to help the plastic stay in tact.

Can I use mason jars for baby food? ›

If you are choosing to store your homemade baby food in the refrigerator for a short amount of time, you can use small, glass canning jars (sometimes referred to as little mason jars)!

Some vegetables that are easy to prepare and freeze as baby food include sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot, parsnip, broccoli, peas, potato, zucchini, cauliflower. Fruit suggestions include mashed/cooked/pureed fruits such as avocado, apple, banana and pear.

You don't need a separate baby food maker or baby food processor if you have some basic kitchen equipment like a pot or steamer, a kitchen range or microwave, and of course—a food processor. You can finely puree a wide range of ingredients with results perfect for baby food using a food processor.