Homemade Baby Food: A Beginner’s Guide

I had this idea that making homemade baby food was time consuming and not worth it because store bought food is very convenient. However, I absolutely love making baby food for my baby. It is worth the short time it takes to prepare a couple batches of baby food because I know exactly what goes into it and it is more nutritious. I am shocked to say it is actually cheaper and a lot easier than I imagined! The best part of all is that my baby loves it!

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Start Simple

The word “simple” is my kind of word! As a busy mom of three boys, I need simple tasks in my life. I never imagined I would find the time to make baby food, but I know that feeding my baby fresh, homemade foods is the start I want to give him to healthy eating habits. 

All three of my boys were completely different when it came to eating solid foods. 

It is recommended to wait until 6 months, but some may start closer to 4 months. Take cues from your baby to determine the best time to introduce solid foods. 

These are some signals that show it might be the right time to start offering food:

• Your baby can sit well without support
• Your baby stares at you while you eat or grabs at your food
• Your baby can swallow pureed food without spitting it out
• Your baby can turn his or her head to refuse food
• Your baby seems to stay hungry after regular feedings

To reduce your baby’s exposure to toxins, choose organic ingredients when possible. 

Homemade Baby Food Tools

The tools you will need to prepare baby food will depend on your cooking method. I prefer to steam and roast most of the ingredients for my baby food. Selecting the right equipment will simplify the preparation and save you time! The good news is that most of the tools required to prepare baby food are common items and probably in your kitchen.

• Steamer basket
• Sauce pan with lid that can hold a steamer basket
• Baking sheet
• Blender (large blender, magic bullet, immersion blender, or food processor)
• Spoons to feed baby

Not required tools, but added convenience

• Silicone ice cube tray
• Storage containers
• Pouch maker
• Baby led weaning spoon – totally worth it! My baby fed himself at 7 months!

Homemade Baby Food Storage

Making a large batch of baby food and freezing it is actually just as convenient as jarred food. I love freezing food in one-ounce portions so I can grab as many cubes as I need at a time.

Refrigerate and Freeze

• After you make a batch of food you can use immediately, store in the refrigerator, or freeze. Store food for up to 3 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.
• Use silicone ice cube trays to freeze food and freezer zip lock bags to store them in the freezer.
• Don’t forget to label the freezer bags with ingredients and the date.

 Thaw and Reheat

• Thaw and prepare small amounts of food for your baby because the spoon will carry bacteria from your baby’s mouth to the food. It is unwise to save leftover food due to bacteria growth. 
• The preferred method to thawing homemade baby food is in the refrigerator overnight.
• You can put the frozen cubes directly in a sauce pan to re-heat.
• Be careful using a microwave because it can create hot spots and burn your baby’s mouth.
• Do not freeze foods that were previously frozen.

Baby Food Combinations

After your baby has tried individual foods such as rice cereal, apples, bananas, squash, carrots, pears, sweet potatoes, green beans, and peas, you can combine foods to make them more interesting. I only combine foods after he has tried the single food for a couple days to check for an allergy or reaction. 

If I make the food too runny with excess water, put a little rice cereal or oatmeal in it to thicken it up.

Try adding herbs such as mint, parsley, basil, thyme, oregano, and cinnamon to baby food to spice it up a bit! 

Apples go with most everything to add sweetness

Spinach, peas, and pears

Banana and blueberry cereal

Apple and banana cereal

Zucchini, pears, and spinach

Sweet potatoes and carrots

Carrot, zucchini, and pear

Zucchini, spinach. and banana

Squash, peas, and pears

Green beans, pears, and spinach