Baby Food Purée

From corn and peas to mango and butternut squash, we are having fun making a variety of homemade purées!

The Joy of Homemade

When it came time to begin introducing our daughter to solid foods, I decided to make homemade purées. Not only do they come together in minutes, I liked that we could control the ingredients and give her the freshest options possible.

Of course, this is a very personal decision, but if you decide to make homemade purées as well, keep reading to discover what we learned along the way.

Tools Needed

I’ve prepared each purée in the blender that we have on hand, but you could certainly use a baby food maker or baby food blender. As our daughter became more comfortable with solid foods, I simply used a fork to smash soft fruits like avocado, blueberries and bananas.

Purée Preparation

Baby Oatmeal Cereal

We first introduced Baby Oatmeal Cereal by simply mixing the cereal with formula or breast milk to think the mixture according to the instructions on the package. After our daughter was comfortable consuming this, we gradually introduce vegetable and fruit purées.

Fruits & Vegetables

To prepare vegetable and fruit purées, steam or boil vegetables and hard fruits. Then, purée the fruit or vegetable in a blender, adding water, breast milk or formula to thin the liquid and achieve your desired consistency. We began with serving single ingredient purées made of vegetables like peas, corn and butternut squash.

Over time, we introduced fruits such as berries, apples, banana and mango. Ultimately, we combined ingredients after they had been introduced individually and were well tolerated such as the Mango, Pineapple Strawberry Purée shown at left.

Final Thoughts

We have had so much fun introducing new foods and watching our daughter experience them for the first time. The purity of her reactions is a reminder to appreciate the little details. As much as we are attempting to slow down and savor every moment, it is amazing to witness how quickly she is growing and changing at this stage. As we learn together, we are taking it one bite, one spoonful at a time.