Making food for your baby
Making baby food can be a rewarding experience, and for many parents, it is an exciting time. Making food for
your baby some or all of the time can be a way to provide them with a variety of nutritious foods. Setting aside
a bit of the food you are already preparing for your own meal can allow you to make the food your baby
needs.
Why make your own?
•
•
•
Saves money – Store-bought baby food can be costly. Making your own baby food, from fresh or frozen
foods costs less.
Adds variety –The selection of store-bought baby foods is limited. You are able to give more variety by
making food for your baby.
Gives you control over the food’s texture – You can change the texture of home-made food to meet your
baby’s changing needs. You do not need to limit your baby to pureed food. You may want to start with
soft, lumpy mashed foods at around six months when your child shows signs of readiness. Introducing
more texture early on will get your baby ready for eating the food the rest of the family eats.
What do you need to get started?
You will need a little bit of time, a clean work area and some ordinary kitchen equipment. You can begin with
the equipment below, but if you have a food mill, blender or food processor, those can be used as well. Before
you start, wash your hands with warm, soapy water for 15 to 20 seconds. Remember to do the same after
handling food. Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counters with hot soapy water after preparing each
item and before you start to prepare the next food. Wash all dish cloths used in food preparation in the hot
cycle of your washing machine.
Cutting board and knife
Potato masher
Fork
Immersion blender
Start with iron-rich foods
Iron is important for your baby’s growth and brain development. By about six months, babies need more iron.
Offer iron-rich foods daily as the first foods for your baby. Iron-rich foods include: beef, dark-meat chicken,
dark-meat turkey, pork, fish, eggs, beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, edamame and iron-fortified baby cereals.
Once your baby is eating iron-rich foods, there is no particular order for introducing other foods. You can
introduce new foods every day, except for foods most likely to cause allergic reactions, which include milk,
soy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, sesame and wheat. For these foods it is recommended you wait
two days between introductions.
*Do not give your baby honey before age one, even if it is cooked. It can cause a serious illness called
botulism.
How to get the texture your baby needs
Babies need more texture than just purees. Provide foods that are “semi-solid” in texture. Give your baby:
foods that are cooked until tender and then mashed with a fork; soft lumpy mashed foods; and foods that are
grated or shredded or cut up into very small pieces. This can include small pieces that your baby can feed
themselves. Continue to adjust the texture as your baby gets older.
Pureed
Soft lumpy mashed
Grated or shredded
Small pieces
What foods to offer your baby and how to make them
Meat and Alternatives
Use lean beef, lamb, pork, goat, chicken and turkey. Begin by boiling, steaming, baking or stewing the meat.
When cooking meat, use a probe thermometer to check the internal temperature. Cook the meat until it is
tender and the meat separates easily from the bone. Remove bones and fat after cooking. If you are cooking
fish, use deboned fish fillets. Simmer fillets in water for 5 to 10 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Cut the meat or fish into small pieces and blend or mash if needed. To make it the right texture for your baby,
you can add liquids such as breastmilk, water, low-sodium broth, applesauce or yogurt.
Choose meat alternatives such as whole eggs, tofu and legumes (lentils and beans). Eggs can be scrambled or
hard-boiled. Just be sure eggs are fully cooked. Legumes can be cooked from the dried form or served from a
can. If using canned, be sure to rinse to remove excess salt. Mash tofu or beans to provide the right texture for
your baby. Consider cutting larger-sized beans in half if you think they are too large for your baby.
Cook
Cut
Blend or mash
Serve lumpy blended texture
2
Vegetables and Fruit
Use fresh or frozen vegetables and fruit without added sauces. Try green or yellow beans, peas, carrots, sweet
potatoes, squash, apples, peaches, pears, bananas and berries.
For fresh produce, wash, peel, pit, seed and slice before cooking. Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan. Add the
vegetables or fruit and boil until tender or approximately 10 to 12 minutes. You can also steam vegetables and
fruit until tender. Remove the vegetables or fruit from the heat and drain. Cut them into small pieces or mash
them using a fork, potato masher or immersion blender. Add liquid (water, low sodium broth or breastmilk) if
needed to make the texture your child needs.
Some fresh fruits, like bananas or ripe pears, can be mashed or cut in small pieces without cooking them. If
using canned vegetables choose no-added salt varieties or rinse under water to remove excess salt before
using. If you are using canned fruit, choose fruits packaged in fruit juice or water, not syrup.
Chop
Cook
Mash or blend
Serve lumpy mashed texture
Grain Products
Whole grain pasta, toast, muffins and brown rice are good choices for your baby. Cook pasta and rice by
following package directions. If needed, cut and serve small servings such as one to two tablespoons or more
depending on your child’s appetite.
Milk and Alternatives
Offer full-fat plain yogurt, cottage cheese and other pasteurized cheeses. Grate cheese or cut it into small
cubes. You can use pasteurized milk as a recipe ingredient but avoid offering it as a main milk source before
your baby is nine months of age.
How to store home-made food for your baby?
Once prepared, you can store home-made baby food in a small tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator for
up to two days. If you can, store food in glass or ceramic containers rather than plastic. If you store the food in
plastic containers it is important to cool the food first. This is because the heat releases the chemicals in the
plastic and the chemicals can get into the food. To freeze, separate food into small servings, label and write
the date on each container so you will know which to use first. Baby food can be kept in the freezer for up to
two months.
How to thaw frozen baby food
When you are ready to serve frozen baby food, thaw it in the refrigerator. Baby food thawed on the counter
can increase the growth of bacteria in the food which can lead to food-borne illness. Once it has been thawed,
heat the food in a double-boiler or in a small bowl in a pot or bowl of warm water for a few minutes. If using a
microwave oven to thaw and heat, use a low setting until the temperature of the food is lukewarm. Do not
overheat! Be sure to stir well to ensure all the food is the same temperature to prevent burning your baby’s
mouth. Throw away any food left in the bowl that your baby does not eat. Do not refreeze thawed food.
3
Recipes
Baby meat balls
1 cup (250 mL) ground turkey, beef or chicken
½ cup (125 mL) grains like plain baby cereal (boxed
type), wheat bran, bread crumbs or oats
About ¼ cup (60 mL) pureed or mashed vegetables,
fruit or an egg
Spices as desired (e.g. minced garlic or dried basil)
Directions
Place ground beef, turkey or chicken into a bowl. Add a total of ½ cup of baby cereal, oats or wheat bran and
combine. Add pureed vegetables, fruit or egg - add as much as needed to bind the mixture. Mix together and
form into small meatballs. Place on a cookie sheet. Cover with aluminum foil so the meatballs don’t become
tough on the outside. Bake in an oven at 400oF until brown and cooked thoroughly.
Easy veggie and lentils
½ cup (125 mL) red lentils, rinsed
½ medium-sized sweet potato, peeled and diced
½ cup (125 mL) cauliflower, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 ½ cups (375 mL) water
Directions
Put all the ingredients into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer until the
lentils are cooked and vegetables are tender (about 20 to 30 minutes). You can add more water, milk or
breastmilk if the mixture dries out. Blend with a blender or mash with a fork or potato masher.
*This recipe freezes well, however, if you used previously frozen breastmilk, do NOT freeze again.
Meal time with baby
Feeding your baby is a good way to share quality time, especially if you are both eating together. Include your
baby at the table and make sure they are safely seated in a highchair or booster seat. Always watch your
baby’s body language to know if they want more to eat or if they have had enough. Remember to stay
positive, be patient and keep meal time a happy time.
For more information about feeding your baby, check out Healthy eating for your baby (six to 12 months). For
additional nutrition resources, see Feeding Young Children at www.york.ca/nutrition. To find out more about
cooking food safely visit www.york.ca/foodsafety. You can speak to a registered dietitian at no cost by calling
EatRight Ontario at 1-877-510-5102 or by going to www.ontario.ca/eatright
May be reproduced without permission provided source is acknowledged. 2014.
2