Has your baby reached the milestone of beginning solid foods? It’s an exciting time! It can also be a little overwhelming, knowing where to start. Here’s some of our favourite recipes for baby purees, and a quick guide to keep it simple and enjoyable for both you and baby!
Making homemade baby foods
While you can buy ready-made baby food, lots of parents prefer making homemade purees. Making homemade baby food gives you the ability to quality control. You know exactly what ingredients are going into your baby’s food, ensuring it’s fresh, nutritious, and free from additives or preservatives. It allows for more variety, and you can adjust the taste and texture to suit your baby’s unique needs and preferences. Plus, it can be more cost effective.
While store-bought baby foods can be convenient, making your own can be a rewarding and healthy option for your baby’s development. Read on for our favourite recipes, and give them a try!
How to start introducing solid foods with purees
Starting with purees is a great way to introduce solid foods to your baby. Keeping it simple is key! You don’t need a large number of baby puree recipes to start with. Beginning with a handful of recipes in the first couple of weeks is often enough. This allows your baby to get used to eating without overwhelming them, or you! After first tastes, introduce more variety to ensure adequate energy and nutrient supply [1].
You can introduce foods in any order you like, with the only recommendation being that first foods are iron-rich [1]. Old advice used to be to introduce new foods one at a time to watch for any potential allergic reactions. Now, that advice mainly applies to the common allergy causing foods [2]: egg, cow’s milk, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, sesame.
Moving from smooth purees to chunkier textures
In the beginning, make sure the puree texture is smooth and thin enough for your baby to swallow easily. You can use a blender or food processor to make the right consistency. From 6 months of age, most babies are ready to move from smooth purees to mashed foods and chunkier textures, with finger foods then manageable by 8 months [1].
To help baby explore new textures, start by gradually introducing slightly thicker purees or mashing foods with a fork instead of blending them completely. You can also introduce soft, diced pieces of cooked vegetables, fruits, or pasta. Always supervise your baby closely when they’re eating to ensure they can manage the new textures safely.
12 Best Recipes for Baby Purees
Ready to make your own baby food? Here are 12 of our favourite puree recipes to cover a wide variety of ingredients for baby to start their food journey. All recipes have detailed instructions and tips on serving and storing purees 👍. Enjoy!
[1] Infant feeding guidelines: Information for health workers, 2012, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
[2] Nip allergies in the bub, 2018, National Allergy Strategy.
