By Are you searching for baby food recipes online? Then this article might just be what you are looking for. In this article we have talked about easy baby food recipes you can try making at home easily. These baby food recipes are not only easy to make but full of nutrition that will make your baby stronger.
When babies are born, they are not introduced to cooked food but as they grow up, they are gradually introduced to simple cooked food. A child is first introduced to cooked baby food at six to seven months old. So, they need something simple and easily digestible food
Baby Food Recipes For 6-8 Months Old Babies
Here are some baby food recipes you can make at home for your child. These recipes are specifically suitable for 6-month-olds and above.
Baby Cereal
This is nothing like your normal cereal for breakfast but has all the same ingredients and same cooking process with some additional steps. For this baby food recipe, you will need any single grain cereals for infant like oats, rice, barley or wheat. Adding variety of cereals than using the staple rice widens your baby’s food horizon or variety.
The recipe to make the baby cereal is listed below.
1. Take a pan and boil some water in it.
2. After your water boils add the baby cereal in the pan and stir it so the no lumps forms.
3. Once the cereal is smooth and mushy turn off the stove.
4. Let the cereal cool down to normal temperature and then feed it to your baby.
Butternut Squash Puree
Butternut squash is a vegetable that looks similar to a pumpkin from the inside but tastes like sweet potato. The sweet flavor of the vegetable is loved by babies and adults alike. Here is how you can make this dish.
1. You will need to preheat your oven to 375 Fahrenheit degrees. Lay a parchment sheet over a baking sheet.
2. Next cut the butternut squash from the middle and scoop out the seeds from within just like how you remove pumpkin seeds. Peel the butternut squash outer skin and cut it into cubes.
3. Spread the butternut squash in the sheet pan and put in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes. You can check to see if the cubes are squashable using a fork and toss it around so that it gets cooked fast from all sides.
4. Add in the roasted butternut squash in the blender and make a puree out of it. You can make the texture smooth or lumpy based on your need. If you want to introduce a new texture to your baby then keep it lumpy.
If your child is quite young, like 6 to 7 months old, make a smooth puree. If your baby loves rough chunky bits of food, then squash the butternut squash with spoon or fork. Butternut squash is listed among the popular baby food recipes.
Sweet Potato Puree
Did your baby love butternut squash puree? Then this baby food recipe will also be a hit for you. Sweet potato puree also has the same texture and taste like butternut squash puree. Sweet potato is also listed among the popular baby food recipes.
The steps are also similar but much easier to make. Here’s how you can make it.
1. You will need to preheat your oven to 375 Fahrenheit degrees. Lay a parchment sheet over a baking sheet.
2. Next peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into cubes.
3. Spread the sweet potato cubes in the sheet pan and put in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. You can check to see if the cubes are squashable using a fork from time to time.
4. Add in the roasted sweet potato in the blender and make a puree out of it. You can make the texture smooth or lumpy based on your need. If you want to introduce a new texture to your baby, then keep a coarser texture.
If your child is quite young, like 6 to 7 months old, make a smooth puree. If your baby loves rough chunky bits of food, then squash the sweet potatoes with spoon or fork.
Carrot Puree
Carrot is a great source of immunity booster that you can add to your baby’s diet. You can easily make carrot puree by following these 5 steps.
1. Take a saucepan and fill the pan’s two-thirds with water. Bring the water to a boil.
2. While the water heats up to a boil, you can peel some carrots using a vegetable peeler. Then cut the peeled carrots into slices.
3. Add carrot slices to boiling water and cover the saucepan with the lid.
4. Keep the carrots boiling in the water for 8-12 minutes and take it out to check if the carrots have softened.
5. If the carrot slices are tender, then mash it with a fork to create a chunky paste if you want to introduce some texture to your child. You can also make a smooth puree by blending the carrots in a processor or blender.
Green Beans Puree
Green beans are a great source of potassium and folate that regulates blood pressure. But green beans are a good source of carbs and protein as well. Green beans help fight inflammation which will fight gas which is a common problem in infants. Babies’ intake gas from different food sources like from bottle-feed or breastfeeding or from cooked food they eat. This is how you can make green beans puree.
- Take a saucepan and fill the pan’s two-thirds with water. Bring the water to a boil.
- Next cut the ends of the green beans before destringing them. Then cut them into 1 inch’s pieces.
- Add the beans into boiling water and cover saucepan with a lid to make the beans boil.
- After 8 to 10 minutes check if the beans are tender and then transfer the beans to a food processor.
- You can also smash the green beans using a fork which males the paste has some texture. So, if you are introducing some texture to your baby food you can try this process of puree.
Apple Sauce
Apples are a great source of fiber and carbs that you can add to your child’s diet at infant stage. You can’t give them solid apples, but you can boil apples to make apple sauce. This apple sauce recipe is easy to make at home. Here’s how to make apple sauce.
- Start by peeling the apples and cutting them into cubes.
- Next, take a saucepan, fill it with water and boil it.
- Add the apples to the saucepan after the water starts boiling and cover it with a lid.
- When the apple feels soft or mushy, press a fork into the apple cubes, then take out of the water.
- Take a processor, put your apple cubes in it, and blend them until smooth. Your apple sauce is ready to be served to your baby, just check if the sauce temperature is normal.
Mashed Potatoes
One of the popular baby food recipes you already know is mashed potatoes which is loved by both adults and infants. Potatoes are a great source of carbs which you can add to your child’s diet.
- Start by peeling the potatoes and cutting them into cubes.
- Next, take a saucepan, fill it with water and boil it.
- Add the potatoes to the saucepan after the water starts boiling and cover it with a lid. Keep the potatoes boiling for 25 to 30 minutes.
- When the potatoes feel soft by pressing a fork into the potato’s cubes, then drain the water from the potatoes
- Take a processor, put your potato cubes in it, and blend them until smooth. Your mashed potato is ready. If you want the mashed potatoes to have some texture mash it roughly using a potato masher. This will add texture to the food especially if you want to add some texture to your baby’s food.
Other Baby Food Recipes
Some of the other baby food recipes you can try making at home by the same process are listed below.
- Mashed avocados
- Mashed bananas
- Mashed peaches
- Mashed plums
- Mashed pears
- Mashed apricots
- Mashed peas
- Well-cooked lentils and mashed lentils
- Well cooked chicken, shredded into tiny pieces
- Steamed fish with no bones (check it twice to ensure there are no bones or avoid it altogether if not confident)
Note: Consult a doctor before feeding your baby these baby foods as your baby might be allergic to certain foods which only specific tests can show. So, consulting a doctor ensures that these foods are safe to eat, especially for babies.
Baby Food Recipes For 8-12 Months Old Babies
Once your baby has learned to eat some of the cooked food, then start adding texture to your baby food. Try a variety of easy to eat fruits and vegetables so that they are exposed to different textures. Instead of smashed food try lumpy and coarse texture. Here’s what you can make for your baby
Chicken And Rice Porridge
You can make plain chicken and rice porridge for your baby without adding any condiments. Here’s how you can make this baby food recipe.
- Take a saucepan and fill it with water around two-thirds of the saucepan.
- Boil the water and add cleaned rice to it.
- Next clean the chicken and cut it in cubes leaving aside the bones. Then add it to the boiling rice.
- After 25 minutes check if the rice is soft and if the chicken has been cooked properly. Keep it for 10 more minutes if the rice is not cooked.
- Take out the chicken and rice once cooked and cool it until it’s at normal temperature.
- Once it cools down, shred the chicken and roughly mash the rice and mix it with the chicken. Your chicken and rice porridge is ready.
Baked Or Steamed Vegetables
Other baby food recipes include different types of seamed or baked vegetables which hold the most nutrients. Vegetables like corn, baby corn, peas, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, beans, chicken, and fish when steamed or baked can help retain most nutrients.
When you boil vegetables some nutrients remain in the water, while when you cook the food in oil most nutrients are gone. So, the best way to retain nutrients in your veggies is through baking or steaming your vegetables.
Don’t add condiments like salt, spices, or sugar to your baby food recipes. Wash the vegetables thoroughly before peeling the vegetables before steaming. Avoid canned vegetables as they are full of salt.
Vegetables should be in tiny pieces so that your child can easily eat it. The best way to ensure the safety of your child is by roughly smashing the baked or steamed vegetables.
Boiled Fruits Or Mashed Fruits
You can also give your 8 to 12 months old, smashed fruits like bananas, avocados, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, mangoes, strawberries, etc. Fruits like apples, pineapples, pears, etc. Can also be boiled and smashed roughly before giving to the baby. This makes it easier for them to eat.
Conclusion
Now that you know so many baby food recipes you can easily make at home, I hope it’s not daunting to you any more on what to feed your baby. Babies are naturally inclined to eat whatever you provide them unlike toddlers.
So, try starting simple, easy to eat food before trying textured food. Slowly introducing your baby to different food makes them more inclined to like food and eat it.
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