Baby Food 101

Hopefully we have more children and in that case I want to always have this information that I worked so hard to organize. Maybe it will help simplify all this for someone else because, like I said before, all the information is pretty stinkin overwhelming!

I've compiled information from the website I talked about in previous posts, and I think it's a pretty good reference guide for what to feed you 4-6 month old, and 6-8 month old. There are a few things I want to talk to my pediatrician about next week, because that website that you can feed chicken, tofu, etc. at 6-8 months and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that. Also some recipes have spices and/or butter, which I don't know that I would feed a 6 month old. So for my purpose I omitted them from my lists.

4-6 Month Foods

Veggies

Acorn Squash, Butternut Squash, Green Beans, Sweet Potatoes

Fruits

Apples, Avocados, Bananas, Pears

Acorn & Butternut Squash:

Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds.

Place in dish, face down, and put about an inch of water in dish.

Bake at 400 for 40 minutes, or until skin is wrinkly.

Green Beans (frozen):

Cook green beans according to package.

Sweet Potatoes: Pick potatoes that are not bruised and without brown or soft spots.

Wash and poke holes in potatoes with a fork, wrap in aluminum foil.

Bake at 400 for 30-60 minutes, or until soft.

Cut potatoes in half and scoop out ‘meat’ to puree.

Apples: Firm with no squishy indentations, no skin discoloration or cuts or bruises.

Core and leave peel on apples.

Place apples upright and fill pan with 2-3 inches of water.

Bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until skin puckers and/or fruit begins to bubble.

Avocados: Dark green color with bumpy texture, firm yet yielding with gently pushed.

No need to cook.

Roll avocado on counter to help separate meat from shell.

Bananas:

No need to cook.

Peel, mash and puree.

Pears:

No need to cook because ripe pears are soft and easy to make into a puree.

To ripen leave on counter or put in brown paper bag. Ripe pears will gently yield to the touch when pushed. A soft pear is likely over ripe and may be close to rotting.

Make sure to only give one new food at a time for three days to make sure there is no food allergy. Once you’ve given all the above foods to your baby, you can start mixing foods following the below recipes.

Rice with Apple and Butternut Squash Puree:

1 squash – acorn, butternut or other winter squash

1 or 2 cups cooked brown rice

½ cup applesauce*

Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds.

Place halves face down in a pan and cover with an inch of water.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, then scoop out meat.

Place squash meat into your choice of appliance for pureeing.

Add cooked rice and applesauce and blend.

Add water/breast milk/formula as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin consistency.

*If buying store applesauce it is okay to get an ‘adult’ jar of Natural applesauce. Make sure you buy Natural Applesauce however. Read the labels if you are unsure. The only ingredients should be apples and water or just apples. A few companies may add ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or citric acid to their Natural Applesauce, this is fine.

Sweet Potato Apple Mash:

Steam or bake apples and sweet potatoes together until tender.

Puree as needed, adding water to thin if required.

Sweet Potatoes and Squash:

Steam or bake winter squash and sweet potatoes together until tender.

Puree as needed, adding water to thin if required.

Applesauce:

5 – 10 large apples : try Macintosh, Gala, or Braeburn

Peel, core and cute apples into slices/chunks

Place slices or chunks into a pan with just enough water to slightly cover apples.

Boil/steam until tender; be sure to check on the water level and stir.

Apples may be mashed with a potato masher to achieve a smooth applesauce consistency. If your masher will not achieve a puree type of consistency, then follow the following steps.

Reserve any left over water to use for thinning out the apples.

Place into your choice of appliance for pureeing and begin pureeing.

Add the reserved water as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin puree.

Add cereal (if desired) to thicken up the applesauce.

Mixed Apple Puree:

½ cup water

5 medium apples: 1 Macintosh, 1 Granny Smith, 1 Braeburn, 2 Fuji

Core, peel, and dice apples.

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.

Lower heat and simmer until ‘sauce’ like consistency is achieved; ensure that you check on the liquid level.

Mash, strain, and puree the resulting ‘sauce’ as needed.

Baked Apples for Baby:

Core apples and leave peel on.

Place in shallow baking or roasting pan with a bit of water – about 2 inches.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until tender; be sure to check on water level.

Once baked, allow to cool and then slip off the skin. You may either cut apple into little bits and serve as a finger food or mash as directed above in the applesauce recipe.

Baby Food Recipe for Oats & Apple Cereal:

Peel, core and cut a small apple into small dices.

Place in a pan with ¼ c ground oats and ¾ c water.

Bring mixture to a slow boil. Simmer covered, checking frequently, until apples are soft and oatmeal is cooked.

Be sure to stir and mash while cooking.

Mix in formula or breast mile to thin if needed – puree if necessary.

Creamy Banana-Cado Baby Food:

Peel and de-pit a ripe avocado.

Cut ‘meat’ out and mash with a fork.

Peel and mash 1 banana.

Place in a blender or food processor and puree until desired texture is achieved.

6-8 Month Foods

Veggies

Carrots, Parsnips, Peas

Fruits

Apricots, Mangos, Nectarines, Peaches, Plums, Prunes, Pumpkins

Carrots:

Peel carrots and cut length-wise into thick slivers.

Oil a glass casserole dish with Olive Oil and then place carrots into glass dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until carrots have turned for tender and have changed to a dark orange.

Puree, adding water as needed.

Parsnips:

Wash and peel then cut length-wise, in half. Lay on tinfoil and drizzle olive oil over them.

Close tinfoil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until tender.

Peas (frozen):

Cook peas according to package.

Apricots:

Halve the fruit and remove pit, place 'open' side down in a pan filled with 1 inch of water.

Bake at 400 degrees until soft and tender or puckering of the skin appears.

Mangos:

Does not need to be cooked.

Peel, deseed, and mash mango until smooth.

Nectarines & Peaches:

Halve the fruit, pit and place 'open' side down in a pan filled with 1 inch of water.

Bake at 400 degrees until soft and tender and/or puckering of the skin appears.

Peel skin from fruit and remove pits if you did not do so prior to baking.

Plums:

Halve the fruit, pit, and place 'open' side down in a pan filled with 1 inch of water.

Bake at 400 degrees until soft and tender or puckering of the skin appears.

Prunes:

1 small bag of dried prunes

Soak dried prunes in warm water until they plump up or steam gently.

Once plump and tender, toss into food processor and begin to puree.

Add liquid without sparing any. Prunes tend to become a pasty gluey consistency when pureed and the more water you add, the easier it is to puree to a texture your baby will tolerate.

Like apricots, prune puree will not freeze into a solid block. The skins should not pose an issue however do be certain to keep a watch for baby's adverse reaction to the possible texture. You may wish to mix the pureed prunes with a beloved food for the first try.

Pumpkins:

Halve the pumpkin and de-seed.

Place halves face down in a baking pan with approx 1-2 inches of water.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until skin is puckery and/or wrinkled.

Make sure to only give one new food at a time for three days to make sure there is no food allergy. Once you’ve given all the above foods to your baby, you can start mixing foods following the below recipes.

Green Bean Salad:

1 cup steamed green beans
1 cup steamed carrots
1 cup steamed Summer squash

Dice all veggies into small bite-sized pieces and combine.
Puree or chop as needed for your baby's taste and texture preferences. Serve warm or as a cold finger food snack.

Baby's Yummy Avocado Fruit Salad:

3 or 4 ripe avocados
3 or 4 ripe bananas
3 or 4 Pears (steamed)

Peel, de seed and slice fruits as needed.
Place in a blender or food processor and puree until desired texture is achieved.

Peachy Avocados:

3 peaches
1 avocado

Peel, pit and cut peaches into chunks
Peel, de-seed and cut avocado into chunks
Steam peaches gently until tender if needed

Place fruits in a blender/food processor and puree until smooth or mash with a fork and let baby try to use a spoon or her fingers.

Pumpkin, Banana, 'Cado:

½ cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1 avocado, peeled seeded & diced
1 ripe peach – peeled, pitted & diced

Combine all foods (steam peach together if need be) and mash or puree if needed.

Peary Tasty Avocados:

2 ripe pears, peeled & cored & diced

1 ripe avocado

Mash the pear then mix in the avocado – puree if needed.

Parsnip and Sweet Potato:

3 parsnips and 1 sweet potato

Steam or bake parsnips and sweet potatoes together until tender.
Puree as needed, adding water to thin if required.
You may also chop or dice for a finger food salad.

Mixed Mango Tango:

1/2 cup mashed mango

1/2 ripe banana - peeled and mashed

1 ripe peach - pitted and mashed (remove skin)

Add fruits to a large bowl and mash together.

Add water or another liquid if your baby needs a thin consistency.

Serve as is or mix into baby's cereal or other grain.

Peachy Bananas:

1 peeled & pitted peach

½ ripe banana

Steam peach if needed, then mash.

Mash banana into peach.

Puree if needed to your baby's desired texture.

Peaches a la Squash:

2 peeled & pitted peaches

½ cup pureed acorn or butternut squash

Steam peaches if needed and puree or mash. Mix the pureed peaches into the squash and serve.

This pairs nicely with chicken as well as stirred into rice or oatmeal cereal.

Apple Pumpkin Puree:

1 sugar pumpkin
3 Apples, peeled & cored (use Macintosh, Gala, Braeburn or Granny Smith)

Halve the pumpkin, peel and de-seed it then cut into cubes.
Slice the apples.
Add 3 inches of water to a pot and then insert a steamer basket - add the pumpkin cubes and apples.
Bring water to a boil and then steam gently until soft and cooked. Be sure to check on the water level.

Puree or mash as needed for your baby.

Yummy Bananas and Pumpkins:

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 small bananas

Mash 2 small bananas and add the pumpkin puree
Mix thoroughly, blend if needed for your baby's texture preferences. Makes a yummy addition to baby's cereal or yogurt.

Baby's Pumpkins and Pears:

½ cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1 pear, peeled & cored & diced

Mash the pear and then mix in the pumpkin – puree if needed.

Pumpkin, Banana & Peaches:

½ cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1 pear, peeled & cored & diced
1peach – peeled, pitted & diced

Combine all food (steam pear and peach together if need be and mash or puree if needed.

And here's our Calendar for introducing food:

ETA: I don't know why the font changed half way through the post, but I can't change it :( Super frustrating!