Canned baby food tastes horrible. It has a slightly saltier, bland taste, but cooking and pureeing your own takes forever. That’s why I like to make my baby food from ingredients I don’t have to cook. Besides, any food your baby takes before the age of 9 months is just for practice anyways.
There are many different ingredients you can use to make No-cook baby food, but here are my favorites:
- Avocado
- Banana
- Peas
- Pears
- Berries (Strawberries & Blueberries)
- Baby Spinach
- Apple Sauce (unsweetened)
- Plain Whole-milk Yogurt
- Mango
I introduce foods like these around 6 to 8 months, but only after they have nursed for as long as they want. At this stage, I serve food as a fun practice time to get them ready to eat solids and start to wean. Some of my children have not shown an interest in food at all until 7 or 8 months and that is fine with me! It just makes introducing food so much easier because they have the ability to chew small pieces of soft food and don’t need everything to be pureed.
My Favorite No-Cook Baby Food Recipes
Why no-cook? There are so many reasons likeconvenience, nutritional value, and superior taste to name a few. I try to always have a few of these ingredients on hand so I can quickly whip up some food if my child is showing an interest.
They are also great to have for picky eaters who only like to feed themselves. I watch a friend’s baby and she won’t take a bottle or any kind of food, but loves to feed herself. I can easily mash these recipes together with my baby food mill and freeze them in little dots on parchment so she can feed herself.
Finally, if you’ve tried the store boughtgreen vegetable baby food, you are brave. I know that if I can’t stand eating it, my baby probably won’t either. I find frozen or fresh green vegetables taste much better.
Peas and Apple Sauce
I like to introduce a green vegetable first, as that seems to be what most children reject when given a choice. Now, my children will eat frozen peas for a snack. They say they’re just as good as crackers.
For my babies, sometimes I’ll skip the apple sauce and food mill altogether and just see if my baby likes eating frozen peas whole. Babies love to try and pick the bright little green spheres up, so it is a great fine motor exercise as well! If my baby gags a lot, for his first taste I’ll mash up the peas in my food mill and then blend it up with a little apple sauce to taste. Of course you can skip the apple sauce if your baby likes the peas plain.
Avocado and Banana
This is another no-cook recipe that you can give to your baby as a finger food. Although avocados might be a little challenging especially if they are very ripe. This baby food recipe can be mashed in the food mill or blended really smooth if your baby tends to gag. The flavor is mild and sweet, but packs a big nutritional punch with the healthy fats your baby needs for brain development.
Pears and Berries
I like to eat this one myself. If your berries are fresh, they add a little tanginess to the sweetness of the pear. If you have ever tasted the store bought pears, they are very sour for baby’s first taste. Ripe fresh pears have a more mild flavor.
Mango and Baby Spinach
For this recipe, you’ll want to make sure your mango is very ripe so it isn’t too sour for baby. The spinach does lighten the tanginess a bit though. I don’t use very many spinach leaves, just a few for the whole mango, but they really chop up nicely in the blender so your baby won’t choke and you could probably add more.
Yogurt Combination
The great thing about all of these recipes is that you can mix and match all the ingredients. I also like to mix a little plain yogurt with any of these to give my baby’s stomach a littlelive active cultures.
What are your favorite no-cook baby food combinations?
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FAQs
Start Simple
Start with one food at a time and select foods that are nutritious and easy to mash such as bananas, avocados, peaches, mangoes, plums, grapes, potatoes and butternut squash. If your baby responds well to these, advance to other nutritious foods such as asparagus, kale, ground chicken, or quinoa.
What finger foods can a 7 month old eat with no teeth? ›
Start with menu items like pieces of soft cheese; small pieces of pasta or bread; finely chopped soft vegetables; and fruits like bananas, avocado, and ripe peaches or nectarines. These foods should require minimal chewing, as your baby may not yet have teeth.
What should a 7 month olds eating schedule look like? ›
Four feeds may be enough for a 7 - 8 month old. Typically, at this age, babies will eat 4 to 5 feedings of breast milk or formula a day. Additionally, they will eat 1 to 2 solid meals a day.
What are the first real foods to feed a baby? ›
Your child can begin eating solid foods at about 6 months old. By the time he or she is 7 or 8 months old, your child can eat a variety of foods from different food groups. These foods include infant cereals, meat or other proteins, fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurts and cheeses, and more.
What is the healthiest first baby food? ›
Best first foods for baby
- Blueberries. ...
- Broccoli. ...
- Lentils. ...
- Meat. ...
- Prunes. ...
- Sweet potatoes. ...
- Winter squash. ...
- Yogurt. Creamy yogurt is rich in calcium and vitamin D, necessary for healthy bones and teeth.
Homemade Baby Food Benefit #1: Making baby food is affordable. While it does take more time to prepare homemade baby food than to pop open a jar, it's often cheaper to make your own. For instance, a 4-ounce jar of banana baby food costs roughly $1.00, whereas a 4-ounce banana costs $0.19.
Is it worth it to make your own baby food? ›
Yes, you may find several benefits to feeding your baby homemade foods. It can be less expensive than store bought, for example. It can let your child enjoy baby-friendly versions of foods they see the rest of the family eating. And it may be easier than you think.
How to make homemade purees for babies? ›
Preparing and cooking homemade baby food
- Step 1: to make pureed or mashed baby food, wash fruit and vegetables and peel any skin. Trim fat from meats. ...
- Step 2: steam, microwave or boil the foods until soft and cooked. Set aside some of the cooking liquids.
- Step 3: puree or mash food, adding cooking liquid if needed.
You can give your baby the entire egg (yolk and white), if your pediatrician recommends it. Around 6 months, puree or mash one hard-boiled or scrambled egg and serve it to your baby. For a more liquid consistency, add breast milk or water. Around 8 months, scrambled egg pieces are a fantastic finger food.
When can babies eat Cheerios? ›
Eating solid foods is an exciting milestone. But you might wonder what to start with and when to introduce certain foods like Cheerios and other cereals. According to Dr. Whitney Casares, babies start eating Cheerios at about eight months to nine months old.
Banana and avocado
With their soft and velvety textures, avocados and bananas are popular finger foods for babies with no teeth. They're also easy to prepare; simply cut into small pieces. Your baby will get potassium and omega-3 fatty acids.
How many times a day can a 7 month old eat solids? ›
At 7 and 8 months old, babies need solid foods two to three times a day. They're still getting most of their nutrients from breast milk or formula, though. A formula-fed baby will drink about 24 to 32 ounces of breast milk or formula in a 24-hour period.
What should a 7 month old be eating daily? ›
7-month-baby Meal Schedule
Right now, your baby's meals may typically be made up of a base wholegrain/grain (e.g. porridge) mixed with vegetable (e.g. pureed broccoli) and meat/others (e.g. tofu), perhaps with a tiny portion of fruit (e.g. apple and other fruit puree) when your baby feels up for it.
How many times should I give solids to my 7 month old? ›
From 6–8 months old, feed your baby half a cup of soft food two to three times a day. Your baby can eat anything except honey, which they shouldn't eat until they reach 12 months old. You can start to add a healthy snack, like mashed fruit, between meals.
What are the best purees for babies starting solids? ›
For instance:
- Sometimes it's better to buy organic. It's true that shopping organically can be a bit pricey. ...
- Don't add these to baby food purees. Babies don't need salt or sugar added to their foods! ...
- Sweet Potato Puree. ...
- Banana Puree. ...
- Avocado Puree. ...
- Chicken Puree. ...
- Pea and Pear Puree. ...
- Avocado and Pineapple Puree.
Iron rich foods, such as iron-fortified baby cereal or pureed meats, and zinc rich foods, such as meats, beans and zinc-fortified infant cereals, are good first foods to introduce to infants 4 to 6 months of age.
Is homemade baby food better for baby? ›
When compared to homemade baby food, store-bought baby food is higher in sodium and sugar, according to a 2017 study. On top of that, further research has shown that popular infant food pouches contain significantly more sugar per serving than jarred baby food.
