Purée Perfection: Crafting Homemade Delights for Your Little One
It sounds daunting to make your own puréed baby food but once you break it down it’s simple, just takes effort. If you’re willing to put in the time up front, it will save you more time later on when your little one is crying for food. Let’s turn those fruits and veggies into "mash-terpieces” and introduce your tiny food critic to a world of homemade flavors to earn you the title of the "purée-fect parent-chef"!
Ingredients and Supplies
Pick one fruit or veggie: 4-5 apples or pears, 1 bag of cut and peeled carrots, 2-3 sweet potatoes, 1 bag of peas or 2 containers of strawberries.
Water
Medium size pot
Cutting board and knife
Ziplocks
Instructions
Step 1
Pick a fruit or veggie you want to start with - carrot, apple, pear, sweet potato, peas, strawberries, etc.
For young babies, I peel the skin off the apple, pears or sweet potatoes so it’s easier for them to eat.
Place a steamer basket into a medium size pot
Fill the pot with water until the water reached the bottom of the steamer basket
Place your fruit or veggie in the steam basket
Step 2
Put the top on the pot and bring water to a boil
Once water is boiling, turn down the heat for the water to simmer and steam
Let steam for 10min and take a fork to check how soft the fruit or veggie is. If you can easily stick a fork in it then it’s ready.
Step 3
Place steamed veggie or fruit in a blender and add a little water if needed.
Important note: Remember to check the rules on giving water to babies at certain ages and storing breastmilk or formula in the freezer. Make sure to do your research or talk to your healthcare provider.
Blend until it’s a consistency you’re comfortable serving your little one
Early on, the consistency should be more liquified/thin and as babies get better with solids it can then be a little thicker.
Step 4
Fill silicone ice cube trays with the puree. If the silicone tray doesn’t come with a top, you can use foil to cover.
Place the puree ice cube trays in the freezer overnight
Step 5
Remove frozen puree cubes the next morning from the tray and store in a labeled, airtight container or ziplock in the freezer for up to 6 months.
When you’re ready to serve, place a cube in a microwave safe bowl for 30-40 seconds. We also love these glass storage jars to send food to daycare.
Spoon feed the puree to your baby and watch their face react to the flavors - exploring solid foods for the first time is a "spoon-taneous" adventure!
Additional tips & learnings
If you’re not ready to introduce water to your little one, you can use breastmilk or formula instead to help thin out the puree. Remember to check the rules on giving water to babies at certain ages and storing breastmilk or formula in the freezer. Make sure to do your research or talk to your healthcare provider.
The ice cube system allows you to measure how much your baby is eating (ex. One cube = 1 ounce of food)
Start small if you’re beginning to introduce solids to your baby. If you're concerned about food allergies, feed them solids earlier in the day so you can look out for a reaction in the few hours following the feeding.
Mix in some oatmeal baby cereal with breastmilk, formula, water or any puree for additional flavor and texture.
Invest in some nice glass storage jars that will come in handy for bringing food on the go.
Enjoy watching your little one explore new flavors. Remember to blend with love and serve up smiles with each spoonful—a recipe for raising happy, healthy little munchkins!