4 Easy Recipes For Homemade Baby Food

It's International Carrot Day today -- there's truly a day for everything -- and it inspired us to bring you some homemade baby food recipes that are tried and trusted by mamas here on the Baby2Body team, including a classic carrot puree, of course! But before we dive into 4 of our favorite, easy-to-make recipes for baby food, we want to talk about the importance of mealtimes with your children.

Think about your dinner table; don't some of the best conversations happen during or after a good meal? Mealtimes offer one of the best opportunities for social bonding, as supported by a recent systematic review published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, which found a positive relationship between healthy family functioning and family meal frequency. It's believed that making your baby a part of family mealtimes from an early age can have lasting positive results, including improved vocabulary, greater confidence, and a more positive outlook on life.

Simply spending time together as a family during dinner is impactful in itself, but so is the food you serve, as it's a great way to help your child establish healthier nutritional habits and have better long-term health outcomes. During that in-between time, when your baby is moving off of naturally nutritious breastmilk or formula but not ready for the nutritionally balanced meals you make for yourself, it can be tough to know how to make healthy baby food at home. To help give you the confidence to make meals for your little one, we've put together four easy, nutritious recipes.

But first, let's talk about some baby food basics. The beauty of homemade baby food is that you can make almost any puree imaginable by using fresh, organic fruits and vegetables and following these simple steps...

4 Simple Steps To Making Baby Food

1. Pick up organic produce and wash the fruits and veg as thoroughly as possible

2. Trim, peel, or chop as needed and cook (either through baking or boiling) until softened

3. Let the food cool then pop in the blender or use an immersion blender and puree until smooth

4. Add water or strain as needed to create a smooth, easy-to-digest consistency

It's best to start with simple one-ingredient purees - using things like apples, pears, squash, banana, sweet peas, or lentils. We've got a classic carrot puree for you, as promised, plus three additional recipes that introduce solid foods to your little one over that first year of life.

Baby's First Meal: Creamy Avocado

This recipe blends the ever-nutritious avocado with uber-nutritious breastmilk or formula milk to gently introduce them to solids, perfect for when your pediatrician gives you the go-ahead for baby to move on to solids, usually between 4-6 months.

What you need:

• 1 ripe avocado

• 1-3 TBSP breastmilk or formula

How to make it:

1. Take a whole avocado, cut lengthwise, and scoop the flesh into a blender or food processor.

2. Puree until mostly smooth.

3. To make it creamier, add breastmilk or formula milk 1 TBSP at a time and blend until no chunks remain.

A Healthy Treat: Bananas & Cream

Bananas are one of the first foods many pediatricians recommend introducing to baby, around the 4-6 month mark. Yogurt is a great dietary addition, generally after 6 months, as it can help them form healthy gut bacteria while delivering healthy fats crucial for development. Make sure to talk to your doctor about the best time to introduce yogurt, and monitor your baby's reaction to it (does he or she become gassy, uncomfortable, or constipated from it? These are all good things to watch out for with dairy!). If you do choose to make a yogurt mix, make sure to use a pasteurized, whole milk, organic yogurt. This recipe should make enough for leftovers.

What you need:

• 1 large banana

• 3/4 cup organic whole milk yogurt

How to make it:

1. Wash the banana before peeling, then discard the peel.

2. You can use a fork to mash the banana or pop it in a blender to make a quick puree.

3. Take the yogurt and serve alongside the pureed banana or stir to combine. You may want to add water to thin out the consistency if necessary.

A Timeless Classic: Carrot Puree

We had to include a carrot recipe for International Carrot Day. This easy-to-find veggie is packed with betacarotene (plant-based Vitamin A), has a healthy amount of Vitamin K and B6, and dishes up some fiber to help with baby's digestion. Boiling is generally the best way to cook carrots as it helps retain the most nutritional value, so that's the method we've used here. This is great to introduce to baby after they have had experience with some other solid foods, usually around 6-7 months.

What you need:

• 1 lb. organic carrots

• Distilled water

• 1-3 TBSP breastmilk or formula

• 1/8 tsp turmeric, cinnamon, or paprika (optional)

How to make it:

1. Peel and roughly chop carrots.

2. Add to a saucepan and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and let cook for 20 minutes or until fork-tender.

3. Add carrots to a blender and puree until smooth.

4. Add breastmilk or formula to thin out and reach desired consistency.

5. You can season with spices if you like, but that is an optional addition!

Introduction to Leafy Greens: Sweet Potato & Spinach Mash

A great way to introduce your baby to leafy greens and establish a taste for them early on is by combining them with other appealing veggies! Sweet potato is a great blend to go for. This recipe is better suited for babies who are 8-10 months old, as they can handle slightly thicker consistencies around this stage.

What you need:

• 1 cup fresh spinach, packed

• 1/2 large sweet potato

• Distilled water, as needed

How to make it:

1. Wash and stem 1 cup of fresh spinach and wash and peel the sweet potato.

2. Chop the sweet potato and add to a pot of boiling water for 13 minutes.

3. After 12 minutes, add the spinach to the pot with the sweet potato and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the sweet potato is fork-tender and spinach wilted.

4. Strain out the hot water and blend the mixture together. Add cool water as needed to reach your desired consistency.

5. Make sure to let the puree cool before feeding to baby.

Do you have any questions on infant-led weaning, healthy infant nutrition, or more? Leave your thoughts below for our nutrition experts!