Oh, Baby . . .
Homemade Baby Food: Made Simple
Introducing Your Baby to Solids
By Melissa Webb Campbell
Making your own baby food can sound like a very daunting,
overwhelming task. Fortunately, it’s a lot easier than it sounds!
If you are just introducing solids to your baby, remember they don’t need a lot of variety at first. Getting them used to one thing at a time is a great way to start out.
When I introduced my 5 month old son to solids, I started with 3 vegetables: peas, sweet potatoes, and green beans. I wasn’t sure where to begin so I quickly spent a few minutes looking it up on the internet and got some great tips. (Baby Center is where I gathered a lot of my information). I soon learned that making baby food is simple and can be done in 30 minutes or less!
Below are 3 “Recipes” for making your own
baby food.
Peas:
1. Buy a large bag of frozen peas (petite peas are the sweetest)
2. Steam the peas in a large pot
3. Blend the peas with some of the water from steaming to include nutrients that
may have been lost during the steaming process. I also added some apple juice to
add a bit of sweetness. Breastmilk is another great way to dilute the pea
mixture. Add just enough liquid so they will blend thoroughly. Start with less
and add more if needed.
5. Pour the mixture into icecube trays and
freeze them for a few hours.
6. Once frozen, put them in a ziplock bag
7. When your baby is hungry, simply warm up
the cubes and tada! Healthy homemade veggies to fill your little ones’ tummy.
(to thaw, the microwave works, or you can put them in a ziplock bag and run them
under warm water until they are thawed.)
Green Beans:
1. Buy a large bag of frozen green beans
2. Steam the green beans in a large pot
3. Blend the green beans with some of the water from steaming to include
nutrients that may have been lost during the steaming process. I also added some
apple juice to add a bit of sweetness. Add just enough liquid so they will blend
thoroughly. Start with less and add more if needed.
5. Pour the mixture into icecube trays and
freeze them for a few hours.
6. Once frozen, put them in a ziplock bag
7. When your baby is hungry, simply thaw the cubes
Sweet Potatoes:
1. Buy fresh sweet potatoes
2. Bake them in the oven at 350 for an hour to an hour and a half
3. Mash them with a fork
4. Spoon the sweet potatoes into icecube trays
5. Freeze them for a few hours
6. Once frozen, put the cubes in ziplock bags
Tips to Remember:
- Don't over steam the veggies or some of the nutrients will be lost. You can
use some of the water you steamed the veggies with to dilute the peas/beans. It
will help restore some of the lost nutrients
-Your child may not love your homemade baby food at first, but don’t give up too
quickly. Remember this is a whole new experience for them. Your child may need
to try it 10 times before he or she decides they like it. Persist!
-Each cube is about an ounce. Start with one or two cubes and increase as your
baby gets used to it.