When it comes to feeding your baby solids, there are a lot of decisions for parents to make such as purees or baby-led weaning? Organic or non-organic? Homemade, pouches, or jarred? While starting solids is a fun milestone in the first year of a baby’s life, it also brings a lot of choices and, for most parents, a ton of questions.
Have you finally figured out your baby’s nursing or bottle-feeding schedule and now you have to figure out if your baby is ready for solids?
Save this post for answers to all of your baby food questions about starting your baby on stage 1 homemade baby food purees. You’ll find how to introduce solids, what baby food is best (low-risk vs high risk), and why homemade baby food is the top choice!
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Why Homemade Baby Food?
Making your own baby food is so fun and easy! Knowing exactly what is going into your baby’s food can give you a sense of relief. You are in full control of every ingredient and there will be no hidden preservatives, fillers, chemicals, or sugars.
If you’ve ever looked at jarred food, you won’t see a made-on date, just an expiration date. Jarred food also has a shelf life of 2-3 years – isn’t that crazy?! When making your own food, you will be able to mark the made-on date, and properly freeze what you have made.
Knowing your baby’s food is fresh, what could be better? When jarred food is processed, it is made using extreme heat in order to preserve the food. Temperatures that are too high can destroy most vitamins and minerals that are found in fruits, vegetables, and grains. In order to get the most out of every meal you make, fresh is the way to go.
Another benefit of making your own baby food is that you can prepare your child’s meals for the week. This will save you a lot of time, especially if you work, have more than one child, or a busy schedule, and are unable to make a fresh meal every single day. We all know how busy mom life can be so make it simpler for yourself.
As parents, we know that it isn’t good for us to eat preservatives, so why would we even consider feeding our children processed food?
Homemade Baby Food Stage 1 E-Book Launch!
I’m so excited to be able to offer my readers an in-depth e-book about Homemade Baby Food Stage 1.
I get questions often about starting babies on solids so I put together this guide because I want to be able to help make it easy for parents during this important and exciting milestone in their child’s lives.
Everything you need to know about homemade baby food, including over 20 puree recipes, bonus printables, and product recommendations is in this e-book. I’ve been working on this e-book since the beginning of this year hoping I would release it before my third baby boy was born – but life happens!
I’m finally releasing the Homemade Baby Food Stage 1 E-book and couldn’t be more excited to help you during this journey. This detailed 50-page guide is the only guide you’ll need to help you start your baby on solids.
You can grab my Homemade Baby Food Stage 1 E-book here. This guide will save you a lot of time researching about homemade baby food, allergies, when to start solids, why homemade baby food is best, recipes, trackers, journals, and much more!
Worried You Don’t Have Time To Make Homemade Baby Food Purees?
A lot of parents think they don’t have the time to make their own baby food and buying it from the store is easier. I’ve been there! You can make a week’s worth of baby food in under 15 minutes and I promise it is super easy.
Don’t get me wrong, nowadays you can purchase organic pouches for under $2 each, which is OK to do! I’m not saying it is wrong, because trust me I have picked up a few here and there for my son as a “backup” when I hadn’t been able to do grocery shopping for fresh foods BUT I can tell you that I enjoy making his food. Nothing feels more rewarding than to make your own food and save money by the way!
Homemade baby food is far more nutritious. Now let’s get to some yummy homemade baby food recipes!
Depending on your child’s age, there are a few stages in making baby food. In this post, you will find information about first introducing food to your baby as Stage 1 Purees starting at 4-6 months.
UPDATE as of 2022
When I wrote this post I only had one baby and now I have two with number three on the way! My oldest who is almost 4 years of age and youngest who is almost 2, still love their pouches, however, they LOVE LOVE making smoothies and prefer it over a store-bought pouch. We do keep pouches on hand though in case we need to quickly run out or long car rides – nothing wrong with it at all!!! 😉
I also still have our baby bullet with the trays, kiinde pouches, etc., and will be continuing to make homemade baby food for baby number three. I also use our silicone trays to make popsicles for the boys as a yummy summer treat or if they are feeling ill to cool them off.
Please leave any comments you may have for me below OR send me an email through our contact form. I love hearing from you!
Allergies/Tracking Journal
For children who are 4-6 months old, you will want to create a very thin puree while introducing new flavors. The foods you choose should be very low-allergy-risk foods that are easy for your baby to digest. As your baby grows you can introduce new flavors.
Please keep in mind when introducing foods to babies, only introduce ONE new food every 4-5 days. This is so important because your baby could have a reaction, rash, or poops and you will want to be able to track which food caused this and if they have an allergy.
Keeping track of any and all foods baby has tasted as well as reactions to each food is essential.
Allergy/Reaction Signs
There are signs to follow in order to know if a baby is having a reaction. Here are a few to be on the lookout for:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Difficult Breathing
- Rash
- Wheezing
- Eye Swelling
- Gas
- Itching
- Lip/Face Swelling
- Nausea
- Stomach Pain
Puree Consistency “Stage 1”
When introducing purees to your baby, you will want to either add water, formula, or breast milk when blending. This will help keep the consistency thin (if the food easily runs off the spoon this is a good consistency).
As your baby gets used to eating purees, you can slowly thicken the foods by adding less liquid. Keep in mind that some fruits and vegetables retain water and you may need to add less liquid than usual. Adding liquid slowly as you go is best.
You can read all about thickening baby foods and adding texture here when your baby is ready for Stage 2 Homemade Purees (recommended at least 6 months).
Related: Homemade Baby Food Stage 2
What Should I Use To Blend and Store The Baby Food?
When making baby food, you can use any type of blender you have. I personally love the baby bullet, however, it seems as though it is hard to find now (this blog has been updated as of 2022). A similar brand for a baby blender is the NutriBullet, which is practically the same as the baby bullet shown below.
It’s the perfect size to blend your baby’s food, easy to store, easy to use and comes with baby jars that have a date dial system so you know the date you made the food.
Refrigerate the baby food for up to 3 days and freeze for up to 30 days. You can find silicone storage containers here that are easy to use and pop out the baby food to easily warm up.
I also highly recommend purchasing reusable pouches. These have made my life so easy! My son is 2 years old and we’ve been using the baby bullet and reusable pouches since he was 5 months old. You can easily make your baby’s food, and place it in the pouches. They are easy to freeze, store, and take on the go.
Here are the Kiinde Foodii Reusable Pouches and the Kiinde Foodii Kit I have been using for almost 4 years that is inexpensive and convenient.
Is Baby Ready to Start Foods?
All babies are different when it comes to starting food. Their digestive systems can handle foods differently and some may be ready to start solids sooner than others.
You may not want to start feeding your baby food until 6 months and that is completely fine whereas other moms want to start at 4 months or well after 6 months. You are the parent and you decide when you want your child to start food (as long as the baby is ready).
Here are a few tips to know when your baby may be ready to start eating solid foods:
- At least 4 months old
- Weighs at least 12-15lbs and has doubled their birth weight
- Can sit upright with little or no support
- Has the ability to lean in for more food
- Can turn away to show they are not interested
- Seems hungry after they’ve nursed or had a bottle
- Baby can each for or bring an object to their mouth
- Baby can open mouth when seeing something coming
List of Safest – High Risk Foods
Below you will find a basic list of high-risk, low-risk, and safest foods for babies. Please keep in mind this isn’t a full list and to always consult your pediatrician.
Please always consult with your pediatrician in regard to baby nutrition and feeding your child.
Safest Foods to Try First:
- Apples
- Avocados
- Bananas
- Carrots
- Peas
- Pears
- Squash
- Sweet Potatoes
- Zucchini
Low-Risk Allergy Foods:
- Applesauce
- Apricots
- Asparagus
- Barley
- Beets
- Peaches
High-Risk Allergy Foods:
- Berries – not considered “high risk” however baby can still have a rash around the mouth due to the fruit being acidic.
- Chocolate
- Coconuts
- Dairy
- Honey
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Peanuts
- Pork
- Shellfish
- Strawberries – not considered “high risk”
- Soybeans
How Much Food Do I Feed My Baby?
When trying new foods with your baby, gradually increase the ounces. I started off by giving my son 1-2 ounces of baby food and slowly increased as he got older.
I also wasn’t in a huge rush to start feeding him solids because I was nursing him and knew he was getting the nutrients he needed. But starting at 5 months I thought 1-2 ounces was enough to slowly introduce.
As your baby gets older their belly can handle more, however, each child is different and may show interest in wanting more.
Some babies may eat more ounces of solid foods but this can be spread out throughout the day rather than in one sitting. Solid foods should never replace giving your baby breastmilk or formula, especially at a young age.
Start off by giving your baby no more than 2 ounces of homemade baby food and gradually increase the ounces as they get bigger. They will let you know if they are full or want more!
Related: Miss Mouth’s Messy Eater Stain Treater
You can grab my Homemade Baby Food Stage 1 E-book here. This guide will save you a lot of time researching about homemade baby food, allergies, when to start solids, why homemade baby food is best, recipes, trackers, journals, and much more!
Puree Recipes
Below you will find a list of homemade puree recipes for babies starting at 4 months of age. You’ll want to add texture to your baby’s food around 6 months (you can read about Homemade Baby Food Stage 2 here), however, feel free to continue purees if they really like them, it’s like a smoothie – nothing wrong with it. My sons are almost 4 and 2 and they still love their pouches. We make smoothies, and they absolutely love to help!
Apple Puree
- 1 apple boiled or steamed until soft (peel and core)
- 1/4 cup of water, formula, or breast milk
Quantity: 1 Apple (medium-large size) will make 12 oz.
Benefits: Apples are rich in antioxidants and fiber. They are great for heart health, circulation, and digestive health. A nice sweet treat for baby!
Apples can be watery when boiled or steamed. Be sure to slowly add liquid to your blend. I found that I didn’t have to add too much liquid when doing an apple puree. It also depends on formula vs water/breast milk. The formula is a bit thicker than water and breastmilk.
Banana Puree
- 1 whole raw banana
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water, formula, or breast milk
Quantity: 1 banana will make 8 oz.
Benefits: Bananas help constipation and diarrhea. They are usually a favorite with babies!
Sweet Potato Puree
- 1 sweet potato boiled or steamed until soft (peel the potato)
- 3/4 cup – 1 cup of water, formula, or breastmilk
Quantity: 1 sweet potato (medium-large) will make 20 oz.
Benefits: Sweet potatoes are a source of vitamins A, C, B6, and E. They are also a good source of phosphorus, which supports the growth of healthy bones and teeth which is so important for a baby as they grow.
Pear Puree
- 1 pear boiled or steamed until soft (peel and core)
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water, formula, or breast milk
Quantity: 1 pear will make 8 oz.
Benefits: Pears are filled with fiber and folates which help the baby’s developing brain and spinal cord.
Pears can be very watery when boiled or steamed. Be sure to slowly add liquid to your blend. I found that I barely had to add liquid when doing a pear puree. It also depends on formula vs water/breast milk. The formula is a bit thicker than water and breastmilk.
Banana & Apple Puree
- 2 apples boiled or steamed until soft (peel and core)
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water, formula, or breast milk
Quantity: 12-18 oz
Benefits: Bananas are loaded with nutrients like potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and folate. Apples are rich in antioxidants and fiber. This mix makes for a nice sweet treat for the baby.
You can also freeze this mix or any other puree and make a popsicle for the baby. This helps soothe the baby when teething or cool down on a hot day!
Carrot Puree
- 3 large carrots boiled or steamed until soft (peel)
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water, formula, or breast milk
Quantity: 10 oz
Benefits: Carrots are a great source of vitamin A which is good for vision and they can provide some vitamin C and iron as well.
Pea Puree
- 1 cup of frozen or fresh peas steamed until soft
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water, formula, or breast milk
Quantity: 8 oz
Benefits: Peas contain high levels of vitamin K, vitamin B6, and folic acid. Peas help babies with growing bones, brains, and hearts.
Avocado Puree
- 1 peeled and pitted avocado
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water, formula, or breast milk
Quantity: 8 oz
Benefits: Avocados are rich in brain-boosting Omega-3s, minerals, and healthy fats.
Carrot and Sweet Potato Puree
- 1 sweet potato boiled (peel)
- 1-2 large carrots boiled or steamed (peel)
- 3/4 cup – 1 cup of water, formula, or breastmilk
Quantity: 24 oz
Benefits: Sweet potatoes are high in carbs, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin E, calcium, and folate. Carrots are a good source of beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, and antioxidants.
Squash Puree
- 1 yellow squash boiled or steamed until soft
- 3/4 cup – 1 cup of water, formula, or breastmilk
Quantity: 20 oz
Benefits: Squash supports the development of the baby’s lungs and heart. The flavor is mild so you can mix it with other fruits or vegetables.
Tips For Making The Best Homemade Baby Food
Anything can be a puree! You just have to either use raw, steam or boil and add liquid when blending. Just be sure to follow the allergy guidelines depending on your child’s age.
The less liquid you add, the thicker the puree, and the more liquid you add, the thinner the puree. I highly recommend adding the liquid slowly blending each time rather than pouring the entire liquid quantity.
Fruit and vegetable sizes vary, so you may end up with more or less food.
If you have any recipes not listed, please share in the comments for other mamas to try! I hope you found this helpful in your journey to making homemade baby food.
If your baby is 6+ months old and you’re ready to start them on Stage 2 textured baby foods, you can read all about Homemade Baby Food Stage 2 here!
Drop a comment below if you have your own puree recipe or any tips you’d like to share!