Your baby has started to lift its head more and has become more interested in the foods that you’re eating. You’re thinking now may be a good time to start the little one on solid foods.
While baby food is only a few dollars or so a jar, when you have to buy a million of them in one shopping trip it really adds up. It’s much more cost efficient to prepare your own baby food. Besides, you’ll have more control over what goes in your baby’s body this way as well.
To help you get started with making your own baby food, here are a few recipes that even the pickiest of eaters will love.
A Few Ground Rules Before We Get Started
It’s sad but you can’t go to places like this useful site to hire a food service that will deliver exactly the food your baby needs like you can for yourself. You have to be their food service which means they’re trusting you to give them only the best. This is why we’re going to set a few ground rules so you know when and what to feed them.
Is Baby Ready for Solid Food?
It’s a basic rule of thumb that you shouldn’t start your baby on solid food for at least 6 months. This does vary from baby to baby. It all depends on when yours sits their head up and starts getting curious about the food you’re eating.
Making Sure it’s Age Appropriate
You have to make sure that whatever ingredients you’re giving your baby is age appropriate. For example, babies can’t really have foods that are high in gas until they reach age one. Don’t worry we’ll break it down for you in the recipes.
1. Sweet Potato
This sweet potato baby food recipe is good for children that are 4-6 months. Recipes for food at this age are simple so all you’ll need is 4 Oz of sweet potatoes and a cup of water.
Put the potatoes and water in a pot and let them boil on the stove for about 15 minutes. Strain the potatoes and then mash them with the back of a spoon. If you have problems mashing them then you can also use a blender. Once the puree cools you can serve it to your baby.
You can apply this same recipe to most veggies that you make for your baby at this stage of their life. Again, just make sure they aren’t gassy ones like broccoli. You should also wait around four hours between each feeding to make sure baby isn’t allergic to what you give them.
2. Apple Pear Butter
This apple pear butter recipe is for babies that have reached the age of at least 7 months. Now you can start giving them thicker food mixtures. Grab an apple of the pink lady, gala, or Fuji variety and cut it into cubes. You’ll need to do the same to a d’anjou pear.
Put your apple pieces into a pot and cook it over boiling water for around 3 minutes. Put the apples, the pears, and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon into a food processor and mix it until it’s smooth enough for baby to eat.
Please note that if the pear you’re using is a little too hard for comfort, you can steam it with the apples.
3. White Peach and Banana
This white peach and banana recipe is also one that is best for babies that are at least 7 months. All you need is a single white peach and a banana.
Peel and chop both of them up, place them in a food processor, and puree them until they are smooth enough for baby to eat.
4. Baby Food Lasagna
Baby lasagna is for babies that are 9-12 months old and contains a few more ingredients than the others that we’ve talked about so far. You’ll need half of an organic onion, a tablespoon of olive oil, 2 chopped carrots, a pinch of garlic powder, a pinch of dried oregano, 2 tablespoons of organic tomato paste, 1/2 cup of pasta, 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock, 1 cup of zucchini, 1 teaspoon of grated parmesan cheese, and 2 tablespoons of ricotta.
Grab a saucepan and cook the onion in the olive oil until it’s a little soft. After that, you’ll add in the garlic powder and dried oregano and stir it in. Then add the carrots, the rest of the veggies, stock, and tomato paste.
When all of this comes to a boil, it’s time to throw in the pasta. Cover it and continue to cook your lasagna to be until the veggies are tender.
If you overcook it don’t sweat it. All of it is getting pureed after you stir in the cheeses anyway.
5. Blueberry, Chickpeas, and Rosemary
This is another recipe for babies that are 9-12 months. This is a pretty well-rounded meal that provides all the nutrients baby needs. Don’t worry, it’s a little simpler than the baby lasagna.
You pretty much throw 1/2 cup of blueberries, 1/2 cup of canned organic chickpeas, and 5 rosemary leaves into a blender and puree it. You can add other ingredients in if you want like walnuts or you can top it with ricotta.
Baby Food Ideas That Your Little One Will Actually Love
Buying jars of baby food every time you go to the store may not feel expensive because they’re barely a dollar a pop. When you add up how much you spend each month, you’ll find that you’re actually spending a lot.
You can shave a little bit of this cost down by making your own in bulk and freezing it. You also get to control what really goes in your little one’s body. Try a few of these tasty baby food recipes to make meals that your baby won’t toss back at your face.
Making a bunch of baby food may seem like a chore now but just think, one day your kids will be able to help you out in the kitchen. Here are a few great starter recipes that you can do together when that time comes.
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