Why Make Your Own Baby Food?  Simple.  It takes less than an hour a week, less depending on how much food you make to freeze and store.  And, the best part- you have complete control on your little one’s nutritional needs.

There are three stages in your baby’s food: Smooth, Lumpy and Chunky.  These three stages will lead your baby up to eating like a pro by their first year.

It is intimidating at first making your little one’s baby food, but with these simple steps you’ll be a baby making momma in no time.  If you have any questions – leave me a comment!

4-6 months: Sometime when your baby is ready you will introduce baby cereal to your little one.  Every baby is ready at different times, so do not push them into eating cereal until they are ready.  They will be ready when they can swallow easy.

–        Be sure and introduce all different types of baby food (Wheat, Barley, Oatmeal, Rice).  Try each cereal for at least three days alone, before moving on to another to see if your baby has a reaction to a specific food.

–        If you or your spouse has any family history of allergies- always be on the lookout for those same food allergies in your baby.

5-6 months: Cereal and introduction of food.

–        A great food to start with is potatoes (both white and sweet potatoes).  The texture should be very, very smooth- like applesauce.  You can puree any well cooked veggie or fruit in a food processor or good blender.  (I highly suggest in purchasing a good food processor- they come in handy down the road.)

–        After you have introduced a variety of fruits and vegetables to your baby you can begin mixing them together.

–        Baby yogurt is also a wonderful addition to your baby’s diet

Some great starter recipes from my kitchen:

Asparagus and Broccoli
1 cup each of cooked asparagus and broccoli
1 clove of garlic
1 T. olive oil
Blend until smooth.

Spicy Sweet Potato
1 potato, diced and cooked
1/8 tsp. cumin
1 T. butter
¼ tsp. cinnamon
Mix and blend until smooth.

* When thawing fruit purees: the mixture will be watery.  Add a little baby cereal to the mixture to thicken in for baby.

Apples and Cabbage
(My son’s fave by 6 months)
1 apple
1 c. shredded red cabbage
2 T. golden raisins
¼ c. water
Place all in pan and boil for 10 minutes.

Lima Beans My Way
1 pkg. lima beans, cooked
2 small squash, cooked
2 apples, cooked
Puree to desired texture and serve.

Salmon Surprise
(Salmon is wonderful for baby, bc it’s natural DHA)
2 c. of mixed white and sweet potato
1 c. carrot
3 ½ T. milk
1 T. butter
1/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
3 ½ oz. salmon
Cook thoroughly and mix together.

Curry Peas
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen peas, cooked
1/3 c. plain yogurt
¼ tsp. curry powder
Puree to desired texture and serve.