I freely admit to knowing next to nothing about babies before having one my own, but one thing I did know was that when the time came I wanted to make my own baby food. I prepare Ben’s and my food everyday, so why should it be any different for my sweet baby boy?
First a little background: we attempted rice cereal when Lincoln was 4 months old but whether he was too young, or rice cereal just wasn’t for him, it didn’t agree with his tummy. We waited two months then tried again with Earth’s Best Organic Whole Grain Oatmeal Cereal, which you can find in all major grocery/baby stores. Ding, ding, ding, we had a winner and have been serving it to him ever since.
After figuring out the iron-fortified grains, we started incorporating real foods into his diet in addition to oatmeal. I can’t tell you how excited I was for that day to come – it was so hard to wait 6 months! Ben wanted to feed him spring rolls but I suggested we start with sweet potatoes, which has remained his favorite food to date.
We started with 1 Tablespoon pureed food with dinner then gradually added more volume and variety. After a few weeks, we gave him real foods with breakfast as well. Around 8 months, we added a small lunch. Right now, at 9 months, Lincoln eats real food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in addition to oatmeal at breakfast and dinner.
Now, what do I mean by “real food”? I mean REAL FOOD! Here’s the pureed and/or chopped foods he’s currently chowing down on:
- Sweet potatoes
- Green beans
- Peas
- Spinach
- Bananas
- Avocado
- Carrots
- Butternut squash – we get those giant clamshells from Costco
- Blueberries
- Cheerios
- Applesauce
- Peaches
- Prunes
- Pears
- Broccoli
- Black beans
- Eggs, usually scrambled
- Well-cooked pasta
- Watermelon
- Summer squash
- Asparagus
- Salmon sauteed in olive oil
(Lincoln has shown signs of a dairy intolerance so right now we are not feeding him cheese, cottage cheese, or yogurt, which are typical in the diets of a 9 month old. I have not had to cut dairy out of my diet though.)
Currently Lincoln prefers finger foods over pureed foods (seriously kind of a divo about it!) but that certainly wasn’t always the case. As the title of this post implies, I made all his baby food using a blender starting at 6 months and I’m going to show you how to make homemade baby food too. Here’s what you need – I’m sure you have most if not all of the supplies already!
- A big pot to steam food in
- A steamer basket to steam food on
- Ice cube trays to freeze baby food in
- A strainer for extremely pulpy/fibrous foods
- Blendtec Designer Series Blender + Twister Jar
Start by choosing the food you want to puree. Soft foods like pears and avocados you can blend without cooking, but harder foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, green beans, etc, you’ll need to prep first by washing, peeling if necessary, then chopping.
Add a couple inches of water to a big soup pot then place a steamer basket inside. Bring the water to a boil then add the raw food to the steamer basket and place a lid on top. Turn the heat down to medium and then steam until tender. How long will that take? Well, it depends on what you’re cooking and how small you chopped it, but foods like sweet potato and butternut squash could take 10 minutes, while peas and green beans will take just 3 or 4.
Pop the steamed food into a blender then add enough water from the pot to blend until smooth, or breast milk if you’ve got extra on hand. These juicy pears didn’t need anything at all!
Blend the food until smooth – I use the “smoothie” setting on my Blendtec – then pour into ice cube trays.
If the puree is thick, like avocado, scrape into a Zilock baggie then cut the tip off and squeeze into ice cube trays. Cover with plastic wrap, I like Glad Press’n’Seal wrap, then freeze.
FYI – homemade baby food is measured in “cubes” which is 2 Tablespoons (1oz) a cube, aka 1 standard-size ice cube. Do not be tempted to buy cheap-o ice cube trays, by the way. I guarantee they’ll snap in half after your second time using them then you’ll just have to buy another set. Spend an extra couple of dollars for thick plastic ones like these or if it’s in the budget, splurge for silicone ice cube trays.
Once the cubes are frozen, pop ’em out then stash in freezer bags. Heat in the microwave or thaw in the fridge overnight if that’s how you roll. Either way – that’s it!
I know a lot of Moms and Dads go on food making benders on the weekends, making a month’s worth of food in one afternoon, but I prefer to make batches here and there. It fits my schedule better…and my freezer!
To recap: wash, peel, chop, steam, blend. Easy peasy. You can totally do it!
Don’t be afraid to blend foods that aren’t “obvious” either, like soups (my sister-in-law religiously blended my Homemade Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup for my niece,) and steamed or sauteed meat. Pureed chicken, sweet potato, and green bean cubes, anyone? Lincoln is on the tiny side so I have been adding a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to his reheated purees, too! As always, make sure you are feeding your child age-appropriate baby food and check with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. My biggest piece of advice is don’t rush the process. Your baby will eat real food when he or she is ready so don’t force it.
Time-Saving Tips:
- Buy frozen fruits and vegetables. They’re just as healthy as fresh, and are frozen at the peak of ripeness. I buy frozen organic peas, green beans, and spinach then steam them according to package directions before blending.
- Buy store-bought when it makes sense. Nobody says that since you make some of your own baby food that you have to make all of it. I feed Lincoln store-bought organic unsweetened applesauce cups, which are the perfect portion size, as well as chopped peach/pear cups packed in 100% juice. Avoid the chopped fruits that are packed in syrup at all costs!
- Mix foods in the blender after you know your child isn’t allergic or have an aversion to it. I used to only blend/freeze foods by themselves, but found myself opening 3 or 4 bags of food cubes to mix up his dinner. Now I blend sweet potatoes and green beans together, for example, and only have to open 1 bag to make a meal.
Now go forth, and blend your own baby food!
Blendtec Blender Giveaway!
Having my Blendtec Blender for making baby food has been invaluable. I tried making purees in my food processor at first but the food just never got smooth enough. The Blendtec whips everything I throw into it until it’s silky and whippy – and does it fast. Heck, it’s so appetizing that I sometimes sneak a swipe or two out of the blender for myself!
Blendtec would like Moms and Dads out there to experience the same blended bliss as I have, so they’re giving away a certified refurbished Designer Series Blender plus a Twister Jar for small batches to one IGE reader! (Note: I have the signature series blender, not the designer series which is why they look different.)
Enter to win the Blendtec Designer Series Blender plus a Twister Jar by using the voting widget below (may not work in Internet Explorer.) To enter, click the “+1″ button then click “Enter” by 12pm central time on Friday, May 9th. Gain an additional entry by Liking Blendtec on Facebook. Good luck!
*** PLEASE NOTE: the voting widget below may take up to a minute to load and may not work in Internet Explorer. The winner will be chosen randomly via Random.org and will be contacted directly via email. ***
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Nancy A. 05.06.2014
Lincoln is absolutely adorable! What a sweet little face and that is such a mischeivious look!
Nic Miller 05.06.2014
Kristin,
You really shouldn’t eliminate a food group from the diet of a baby unless you have an intolerance confirmed by a paediatrician or GP.
By the way, did you know that the part of the milk that some babies react to simply is not present in most hard cheeses? A lactose intolerant person can safely eat most cheese. I was diagnosed as this by a qualified HCP and I can eat hard cheese. I still eat ice cream even though it plays havoc with my system too .
What other proteins do you give Lincoln? Does he have chicken or any other meats? I realise that it is legal for American meat to have growth hormone in (In the UK our meat is not allowed to have stuff like this in) so can understand why you wouldn’t feed that to a baby but is there any safe meat?
Kristin 05.06.2014
He breaks out in hives when we give him dairy so we are avoiding it all right now. No meat yet – just beans, salmon, and eggs for protein!
Lindsey 05.05.2014
Yay! I was hoping you’d post on this. I made our son’s baby food and it went really well in the puréed phase, but got harder to keep him interested in as many different kinds of foods as he moved out of that phase. With baby #2 on the way I’m excited that you’ll be a few steps ahead of us and hope to pick up more tips.
Carolyn D. 05.05.2014
Lincoln’s food looks so bright and fresh.
Tessa | Balancing Active 05.05.2014
There are no babies in my immediate future, but lots of my friends are just starting to have kids. Being the home cook in my circle, this is awesome to be able to share with them! I somehow had it in my head that, when the day came, it would be a much more complicated process.
Greg Hankins 05.05.2014
Our 4 kids ate food from our table, the way we ate it, as soon as they were able – we used a handy hand-grinder that mushed it up. I have to say our kids are all good and adventurous eaters.
Kara Hoerr @ RD in the Midwest 05.05.2014
I’m no where close to having kids, but I loved this post and pinned it right away! You made making your own baby food look so easy! I’m all on board for doing at least some of my own baby food now. Plus, your little guy is seriously the cutest boy ever! Thanks for sharing your tips.
Sara w 05.05.2014
So awesome! I’ve been ogling a blendtec for some time. I love making my own baby food-have you tried the DIY squeeze pouches? I did a bunch up in applesauce and if I’d had a better blender it would have been so much better!
Kristin 05.06.2014
I’ve got a post on those coming up in a few weeks!
Sara Wutzke 05.06.2014
Cool. I’ll be interested to see which one you chose. I did the non-reusable bags with a squeeze station, so you don’t have to spoon anything in. The sauce that i peeled was easy-peasy..the sauce with some peel was a little more muscle-intensive ;) I’ve got a much smaller blog and am posting about it as well. Love your blog!
Emily 05.05.2014
Do you season his food at all?
I wish I had the tastes of a baby. I’m corrupted by sugars and fats and flavorings!
Kristin 05.06.2014
I don’t, though this summer I want to experiment with adding herbs so he gets used to some different flavors!
Christy 05.05.2014
I was hoping you would post on this! While we are past the puree point, I made my food too and people don’t realize how easy it is! I still make finger foods for him today-so many less additives.
Good luck with the dairy thing. At 18-mo my guy is still very sensitive but luckily grocery stores have expanded their assortments. We do coconut milk & coconut milk yogurt and also goat cheese a lot as a sub.
AmberLynn Pappas 05.05.2014
My youngest is 11 months old now and has only really been enjoying real food for the last six weeks or so. He was much slower to come to eating than his older brother, but also has far fewer teeth. If you’re looking for some good recipes for homemade baby food, plus charts on what is appropriate by age, check out http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com
We have made our own for both kids, but I like some of her recipes because it’s something I can make for the whole family and then blend up for the baby.
Fingers crossed for the new blender, mine went kaput before the move and I’ve been borrowing a mini food processor from my brother-in-law ever since. Doesn’t make very big batches of anything.
Laura 05.06.2014
Yes I love this site too! And Kristin- it gives some good info on introducing dairy and why cheese and yogurt are absorbed differently than other dairy…. Like eggs. Does Lincoln tolerate egg whites or just the yolk? I’ve just introduced yolk to my youngest and am trying to be creative on how to prepare it for her.
Kristin 05.06.2014
He eats both the white and yolk – though if it’s of the hard-boiled variety he just mashes the yolk up in his hand and makes a huge (HUGE!) mess. That being said, I usually give them to him scrambled. :)
Leona M 05.05.2014
Oh Yeah have a grandbaby on the way. Need this!
Sarah 05.05.2014
I LOVED making my own baby food, and am looking forward to doing it again with number 2…if I can find the time with 2 boys! :)
Jamie 05.05.2014
I did my own baby foods too because it was just sooo easy to spend an hour on Saturday or Sunday steaming, chopping, blending etc. and freeze it for the week. My little was in daycare from 12-weeks on, which also worked great – I just pulled what I wanted for him to eat the night before and it was thawed by the time he ate it at daycare. YES to blending stuff together – I did pears and peas or green beans a lot, or peas and sweet potatoes. Also, if you’re getting canned fruit, watch out for the “no sugar” options and make sure they don’t include artificial sweeteners (because too many seem to, darn them). Above all DON’T judge yourself if you choose to buy baby food. Making it worked for us but it won’t for everyone.
Kristin 05.06.2014
Exactly! Every parent does the best they can for their children – no judgment if you do or do not make your own baby food! :)
Erin 05.05.2014
Great article! I have a 9 month as well. We haven’t done any whole foods besides banana. How big of chunks do you give him to eat of the items you pointed out?
Kristin 05.06.2014
I cut the banana in half lengthwise then into about 1/2″ chunks if it’s really soft. I guess I cut just about everything into 1/2″ chunks – green beans, sweet potatoes, avocado, etc.
Anna 05.05.2014
Is baby’s hair getting kind of red? So cute!
MH 05.05.2014
My first two children are twins and I did a lot of peeling and chopping to make their food. With my 3rd I realized it was way faster for me to just bake the sweet potatoes whole and then scoop out when baked rather than peeling and chopping and steaming. And all of my kids have LOVED sweet potato so I’ve processed a lot of sweet potato. When it came to the third child I did a lot more of just taking whatever the rest of the family was eating and blending or mashing it up.
Emily k 05.05.2014
Thanks for this post! My baby is 2 months old today and I’ve always known I wanted to make her food when the time came. Looks super easy and I know exactly what I’m giving her. Lincoln is such a cutie!
Losing Lindy 05.05.2014
When my munchkin was teething, I would give him frozen peas, without thawing them. He loved them.
Elizabeth Smith 05.05.2014
Your little boy is growing up so fast! I had no idea they could start eating real food so early! I really look forward to your posts as I am 34 weeks pregnant and sure am learning a lot! Thank you!