Baby food homemade indian

Baby food recipes - 6 to 18 months

By Swasthi on August 26, 2022, Comments, Jump to Recipe

Baby food recipes – A collection of homemade Indian baby food recipes for 6 10 18 months babies. If you are a new mum, you can check this Baby food chart for 6 months baby. If you have a baby older than 7 months then you can check this Indian baby food chart for 8 months & above. You can also take a look at the best foods to gain weight in babies & toddlers. This post contains a list of all Indian baby food recipes available on this blog.

I have also included a few sample baby food recipes in the recipe card. All the recipes are tried and tested and have been served for both my babies.

If your pediatrician has suggested you to start, then You can start with a single fruit, single veggie and then single grain. For more details please check this post on How to introduce solids to baby.

I highly recommend reading every line of the baby food posts on this blog as they can guide you extensively.

Baby food recipes – babies above 6 months

How to make baby rice cereal
Apple rice
Ragi porridge for babies
Apple Wheat porridge
Apple ragi (try ragi and apple separately first, then try together)
Khichdi for babies
Methi khichdi
Moong dal soup
Carrot almond baby food
Potato rice
Barley baby cereal
Sago carrot kheer for babies
Sabudana kheer for babies
Wheat cereal for babies
Soft idli recipe
Milk oats porridge
How to make ragi flour for babies
Oats porridge with vegetables (blend till smooth)
Sweet potato rice
Apple oats

Babies above 8 months

Sprouts soup
Urad dal khichdi
Raw banana rice
Ven pongal. please mash the rice well and remove the pepper corns. You can also puree it.
Curd rice. Puree if desired, skip tempering.
Curd oats
Moong dal halwa
Ragi idli

Baby food recipes for babies above 11 months

These need to be pureed before serving
Dalia khichdi
Oats vegetable khichdi
Sweet corn soup
Barley soup with vegetables
Chickpeas toddler food
Chickpeas soup (for babies above 15 months)
Badam milk. pls consult your doctor and use buffalo or goat milk, avoid cow’s milk.
Set dosa
Banana milkshake
Lassi (avoid salt and sugar)
Neer dosa
Kambu dosa

Sample Indian baby food recipes

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time20 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Servings2

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients for 6 months baby food recipes 1 – Any one of the following (refer notes)

▢ ½ banana
▢ 1 sapota
▢ ½ papaya
▢ 2 tbsp cooked rice

Ingredients for 7 to 8 months baby food recipes 2 (refer notes)

▢ 2 tbsp rice or 2 tbsps ragi or wheat flour
▢ 200 ml water
▢ 1 small apple or banana
▢ 1/8 tsp ghee homemade (refer notes)

Ingredients for 8 months baby food recipes 3

▢ 1½ tbsp rice aged rice
▢ 1½ tbsp dal (toor or moong dal)
▢ 1½ tbsp carrots chopped
▢ 200 ml water
▢ 1/8 tsp ghee homemade

Ingredients for 8 months baby food recipes 4

▢ 2 tbsp rice
▢ 1 baby potato or 2 tbsp chopped
▢ 1 pinch carom seeds powder (ajwain powder)
▢ ¼ tsp ghee homemade

Making 6 months baby food recipes

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Make sure you follow the 3 day test rule for every food you introduce. Wait for the results until 4th day.
▢
To make the baby food, Mash any one of the fruits – banana, papaya, sapota very well until smooth.
▢
If desired add it to a blender and puree until smooth. To thin down add a few spoons of boiled and cooled water. Fruit puree is ready.
▢
If using cooked rice, then puree together rice and any of the fruit – (banana, papaya, sapota or steamed apple) along with some boiled and cooled water. Fruit flavored rice is ready.
▢
You can also feed only steamed apple. Peel and chop the apples. Bring half cup water to a boil and add the apples to it.
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Cook until the apples are slightly tender just for a minute or 2. Cool and puree with rice or just the steamed apple. Apple puree is ready.

Making 7 months baby food recipes

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Wash rice and soak in water for at least 30 mins.
▢
Pressure cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 whistles. You can also cook in a pot until soft.
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Apple flavored rice cereal : When the pressure goes down, open the lid and add grated apple. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 mins. Cool and make a smooth puree. If needed add some boiled and cooled water. Add few drops of hot ghee. Apple flavored rice is ready.
▢
Banana rice cereal : Cool the rice completely. Add banana and rice to a blender and make a fine puree. Pour few tbsps boiled and cooled water if desired.

Making 8 months baby food recipes

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Wash rice and dal in a cooker or pot a few times until the water runs clear. Add grated carrots and pour water.
▢
Pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles on a medium heat. If cooking in a pot add more water as needed.
▢
When the pressure goes down, using a masher mash the food to smooth. This is the stage you must be teaching you baby to eat mashed foods. Reduce feeding pureed foods. Add ghee to hot food and serve warm. Rice dal baby food is ready.

Making 8 months baby food recipes

▢
Soak rice until water runs clear. Soak for 30 mins and cook along with potato until soft for 3 whistles. Mash the rice well and add ghee. Feed warm. To prevent colic you can add a pinch of ajwain powder. Potato rice is ready.

The nutrition values are only for the banana flavored rice. These are approximations only.

Please follow 3 day wait rule for every food you introduce.

Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

Nutrition Facts

Baby food recipes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 45

% Daily Value*

Potassium 105mg3%

Carbohydrates 10g3%

Sugar 3g3%

Vitamin C 2. 6mg3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

step by step

About Swasthi

I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.

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Featured Recipes

Baby Dal Khichdi (Lentils for Baby)

Baby Dal Recipe that’s 100% vegetarian, gluten-free and can be made vegan if you choose to. Make creamy, delicious, healthy and nutrient-rich lentil baby food at home for different stages – 0 to 4. The satisfaction & joy of feeding your baby homemade food is immense because it is clean & fresh with no additives. In this post I share how to cook dal or lentils for your baby along with plenty of time-tested tips to easily transition from smooth lentil puree to textured lentils and then to grown-up lentil food like this Dal Fry.

So after reading this post you will know how to introduce lentils to your baby, without being bloated or having any tummy issues.

About Baby Dahl

Lentils known as Dal or dahl is a staple in the Indian homes. Our regular meals include some or the other kind of lentils for almost every meal. But unfortunately your baby cannot eat the lentils you make for the grow-ups for the simple reason, baby dal should be devoid of salt, spices and oil.

So traditionally Indians follow a specific lentil diet for babies and is so much different from the grown-up version. Since babies are born with colic, it is very important to introduce lentils to baby with caution. Else both the mom and the baby end up with sleepless nights as lentils can cause stomach gas and colic.

Traditionally a lot of Indians follow the Ayurvedic diet for the baby food. So all the suggestions in this post are time-tested not only by me for my babies but also by zillion Indian families.

Which Dal to use for Baby

Moong Dal is the most commonly used lentil for babies in North India and Toor dal is most commonly used in South India. A lot of South Indians following the ayurvedic diet also use moong dal. Because Moong dal is considered to be Tri-doshic meaning it can balance any kind of imbalances in the body and improve the health. Moong dal is also considered easy for digestion.

If you are new to identifying the lentils, I have a picture here. Moong dal are known as yellow split and skinned petite lentils or yellow mung dal.

Here is a picture of the toor dal known as split pigeon peas or tuvar dal. Red lentils, chana dal and black dal are not used for babies as a first food because they can easily cause stomach gas.

How to Introduce Dahl to Baby? (Stage 0 to 4)

Please consult your pediatrician before you introduce your baby to solids. The best time to introduce is different across the globe and depends on the region and culture.

Stage 0 Lentil Baby Food: A lot of homes, cook lentils and strain the stock (lentil cooked water). This is cooled and fed to the baby before noon, without adding anything. This works in 2 ways – one is to check if the baby does well with lentils and the second is to get the baby used to the flavor of lentils.

For this a 3 day wait rule is followed to make sure the baby does not have any reaction, colic or indigestion. This is a stage 0 (Zero) lentil baby food and a 6 months old baby will be able to consume only a few teaspoons of this.

Stage 1 Baby Dal (8 Months): Later at this stage, we cook the lentils and rice together for a breakfast or mid-day meal. You can add easily digestible veggies like pumpkin or carrots to make a stage 1 lentil baby food.

At this stage avoid using vegetables that can potentially cause gas like potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli and sweet potatoes. You will also keep the quantity of dal less and rice more. You will mash the food completely or puree in a blender at this stage to get a puree like texture. Add a few drops of Cultured Ghee and not the other.

Note that you should have already introduced ghee, rice and the vegetables individually that you want to add here. Ideally at this stage we use a ratio of 1:4 (dal:rice).

Stage 2 (9 to 10 months) : At stage 2 you will increase the quantity of dal and more veggies. You can also introduce toor dal at this stage if you want. More kind of veggies like , bottle gourd and ridge gourd are also used.

This extra veggies give more texture to the baby lentil food. Also you may include spices like black pepper (during colder days), turmeric (a pinch) and carom seeds powder (ajwain for digestion) at this stage. All these are optional.

Stage 3 (11 to 12 months) : You will only increase the quantity of meal including ghee. Leafy greens life spinach, fenugreek can also be used. A lot of Indian also introduce Rasam and Sambar at this stage (low spiced/heat versions). I would make a no chilli version of these for my babies.

Stage 4 (after 12 months): Is a more textured meal where you will only soft cook the food and leave it to chunks so your baby begins to enjoy the texture of lentils, rice and veggies. At this stage we use 1: 1 ratio of dal and rice

Ways to cook Lentil Baby Food

The easiest way to make dal for your baby is in a pressure cooker – stovetop or electric cooker as this gives you the option to go with hand-free cooking.

In the step by step pictures I have shown how to make it in a cooker. Here is how to cook in a pot without a cooker.

Soak half cup lentils for at least 1 hour up to overnight, as this helps in cooking them faster. You are free to skip this but your baby will be able to digest the soaked and cooked lentils easily.
Rinse the lentils well after soaking and pour 2 cups of fresh water. Bring it to a rolling boil and simmer. Cook uncovered until tender. You will see a lot of froth, remove that with a slotted spoon and discard.
When the lentils turn tender, Strain the stock and cool it. This gives you stage 0 dahl for your baby.
To make the baby food for other stages, you simply add the other ingredients as mentioned in the recipe card and cook.

Pro Tips

Never introduce your baby to lentils in the later part of the day. According to Ayurveda, it is believed that digestion is best during the first half of the day (before noon) and it is sluggish in the later part. So we always feed lentils for breakfast or lunch. This clears up the lentils in the tummy by night, before you get your baby to bed.

Avoid introducing any other new food to your baby while you introduce the lentils. The reason being you won’t know which food has caused the trouble (in case).

Also note that it is essential to test every single food for 3 days before you cook a meal with all of them. Go slow!

More baby food recipes,
Sweet Potato Baby Food
Carrot baby food
Indian baby food
Ragi malt
Wheat cereal

How to Cook Dal for Baby (Stepwise photos)

1. Wash rice and dal together at least twice in lot of water. Optionally soak them for at least 30 to 60 minutes with 1 cup water in a small pressure cooker or pot. I use a 3lts pressure cooker.

2. Just before you cook, chop or grate veggies freshly and add to the soaked rice and dal.

3. On a medium heat pressure cook for 2 whistles. If you do not have a cooker, bring the water to a rolling boil and turn down the heat to low. Simmer until the lentils and rice are tender. If you find any froth, discard that with a slotted spoon.

4. When the pressure reduces , open the lid and check. The rice, lentils and veggies must be soft and mushy. While the rice is still hot, mash it to smooth with a spoon or a masher.

5. Add ghee, a pinch of crushed pepper and turmeric if you want. Babies need healthy fat, we use ghee. You can add salt after 1 year.

6. Mix everything well. If the consistency is too thick, pour some boiling hot water. Avoid adding cold water. Serve lentil rice warm. Warm foods digest better.

How to Make Stage 4 Lentil Baby Food

Babies over an year tend to become picky or choosy and love textured foods rather than smooth purees. So you can slowly move to veggies like onion, green peas, cauliflower, carrots, capsicum, methi, palak, beets etc. You can also make this moong dal recipe and serve with plain mashed rice.

1. Soak rice and dal for at least 30 minutes. Heat ghee and saute cumin. Add grated ginger and saute. It will begin to smell good.

2. Add veggies and saute again for 2 minutes.

3. Add rice and dal. Repeat sautéing for 2 mins.

4. Add salt and water as needed.

5. Close the pressure cooker and allow to whistle once or twice depending on the brand.

If desired you can mash it further before serving.

Recipe Card

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time20 minutes

Total Time25 minutes

Servings1

AuthorSwasthi

Stage 0

▢ ¼ cup moong dal or toor dal
▢ 1¼ cup water

Stage 1

▢ ¼ tablespoon moong dal (or 1 tablespoon cooked plain dal)
▢ 1 tablespoon uncooked rice (or 3 tablespoons cooked rice)
▢ ¾ cup water (or as needed)
▢ 2 inch carrot or pumpkin
▢ 1 drop ghee (optional)

Stage 2

▢ 1 tablespoon moong dal (or 3 tablespoon cooked plain dal)
▢ 2 tablespoon uncooked rice (or 6 tablespoons cooked rice)
▢ 3 inch carrot (3 tbsps chopped) or pumpkin, ridge gourd, bottle gourd
▢ 1 cup water (more to adjust)
▢ 2 drops ghee (optional)

Stage 3

▢ 1½ to 2 tablespoon moong dal or tuvar dal (Refer the introduction)
▢ 2 to 2½ tablespoon uncooked rice
▢ 1¼ to 1½ cup water (more to adjust)
▢ 3 tablespoon carrots , peas, pumpkin, spinach, fenugreek etc
▢ ⅛ teaspoon ghee melted
▢ 1 pinch turmeric (optional)
▢ 1 pinch black pepper (optional)
▢ ⅛ teaspoon ajwain powder (optional)

Stage 0 – Lentil baby food

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Rinse and soak lentils for an hour , up to over night. Drain and rinse well. Pour fresh water and bring to a rolling boil.
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Turn down the heat and simmer until the lentils are tender & mushy. Discard any froth that comes to the top while cooking.
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Strain the lentils and cool completely. Feed a few teaspoons of this stage 0 lentil baby food. You can freeze this stock or refrigerate for 2 days.

Stage 1 to 3

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Wash and soak rice and dal together for at least 30 to 60 minutes with 1 cup water. Later drain and pour fresh water.
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Add chopped or grated vegetable to the soaked rice & dal.
▢
Pressure cook on medium flame for 2 whistles. To cook in a pot check my step by step photo guide in the post.
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When the pressure drops, open and mash the rice to smooth while still hot.
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Add ghee, spice powders and turmeric if you want. (for stages 2 to 3)
▢
Mix well, to bring it to right consistency, if needed add very little hot boiling water and mix. Do not mix cold water it will change the taste of the dal.

You can also make stage 1 to 4 baby food if you have precooked rice, lentils and vegetables ready separately from other meal. Simply use the quantities mentioned in the ingredient notes and combine them – puree or mash or mix well. But use hot foods and not cold.
All the recipes are tried and tested for my babies.

Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

Nutrition Facts

Baby Dal Khichdi (Lentils for Baby)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 159 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 6mg2%

Sodium 48mg2%

Potassium 108mg3%

Carbohydrates 28g9%

Fiber 2g8%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 335IU7%

Vitamin C 6. 8mg8%

Iron 0.9mg5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

Dal Baby Food Recipe first published in August 2014. Updated in August 2022.

Baby food - from a jar or with your own hands? Pros and cons

Complementary foods are solid foods for young children in addition to dairy products that they have received for several months as their sole source of nutrition.

— Polina Alexandrovna, why is the introduction of complementary foods called a transitional stage in a child's nutrition?

— The beginning of acquaintance with complementary foods does not mean the transition to an adult diet. The first or second complementary foods are important so that the child adapts and is psychologically ready to eat adult food, and his digestive organs are tuned to work properly. Therefore, complementary foods are considered a transitional stage from milk nutrition to nutrition at a common table.

- Is the composition of canned zucchini or apple puree for babies different from the homemade version?

- Factory nutrition may vary depending on the raw materials that the manufacturer uses in a particular puree. Therefore, it is impossible to say that all such food is the same. For example, zucchini puree may contain rice flour so that its consistency is more correct in the opinion of the manufacturer. Mom decides what to put in, and in the same way she can add rice flour. An industrial puree that is suitable for a child and meets the requirements of parents may be identical in composition to homemade puree.

— There is a lot of speculation about baby food in jars. What are the most common parenting misconceptions?

- The most common myth is "canned mashed potatoes don't taste good and kids don't eat them well. " In fact, most babies enjoy eating factory-made purees without experiencing any problems.

There are concerns that baby puree is “wrong” or does not meet nutritional requirements. The manufacturer is required by law to list all the ingredients of the product. For example, mashed potatoes may contain rice flour that is not always healthy, especially if vegetables are introduced to the child in order to avoid constipation. What kind of food is more useful for the baby, whether to buy just such a puree or look for another in composition - the parents decide together with the doctor. Therefore, it is wrong to equate all manufacturers and their products.

Baby food in a jar or homemade puree - which is right for a baby? Pros and cons of

— How long can I feed my baby bottled baby food?

- You can feed your baby as much as you like, there is no strict age limit. But baby needs to be introduced to the different textures and flavors of . The need for canned food usually disappears when the baby moves to a common table with a diet familiar to the whole family. During this period, puree from a jar, especially tasty and sweet fruit varieties, often becomes a safe treat for grown-up babies.

— In which cases canned baby puree is contraindicated?

- There are no diseases in which canned puree is contraindicated. But for some diseases, the presence of a particular product in baby food is undesirable. Factory puree is different in composition. Parents can choose purees without ingredients that are not suitable for the baby or should be limited in his diet, and continue to feed the canned product without problems.

— How to choose baby food in a jar that is healthy for a child?

- First of all, you need to read the full composition of the product on the back, because some ingredients are not indicated on the front label of the jar. It is important to pay attention to the expiration date of the food, the reputation of the manufacturer. All components of the puree must correspond to the age and condition of the child, his individual characteristics.

For example:

the first puree must not contain rice flour;
Strawberry puree should not be given to a four-month-old child;
cereals are excluded from the diet of children with celiac disease (gluten intolerance);
An older baby should be offered puree with chunks.

MAMAKO

^® fruit puree with goat curd pleases the baby with a delicate taste, and the mother with a simple and understandable composition! The plant, which produces MAMAKO ^® fruit puree with goat curd, has successfully passed an international audit and received a TUV certificate, which confirms the quality and safety of products.

What mistakes do parents make when preparing mashed potatoes for feeding with their own hands

- Sometimes parents cook the wrong way - sometimes they overcook vegetables, and also make the puree too thin or thick. I hope that no one will fry food for their young children instead of boiling or steaming. Sometimes parents put spices and salt in baby puree, which is also not worth doing. The child should initially get acquainted with pure tastes, and extraneous additives are useless.

In addition, mothers need to be guided by foods that are appropriate for the age of the child, do not cause allergies and are not difficult for him, and also be guided by what the family eats. If parents give the baby something that they themselves do not eat, then when switching to an adult table, he may refuse the usual family food, he will have to cook it separately. This will be a big problem.

- The child refuses the food prepared by the mother and does not eat anything. What to do in such a situation?

— The same food or dish can be offered to the child during the week. Food selectivity in children often depends on taste sensations, but a child may refuse to eat for other reasons, for example, when he is not hungry or would like to play instead of dinner. If during the week the child does not perceive the product that the mother offers, perhaps he still does not like it. In this case, the same product can be given in the form of canned nutrition . Often, kids really refuse homemade puree, preferring the factory version. Again, mom can cook another product and give, for example, broccoli instead of zucchini, which the child will appreciate.

Fruit puree MAMAKO ^® contains 20% goat curd. This food option is convenient at the stage of introducing children not only to fruits, but also to dairy products. It is the little ones who eat sweet, tasty foods well during the first feeding period and even when they get older - for dessert.

- Are the recipes for complementary foods from 6 months and those for 10 months different?

- For toddlers, there are no recipes and complex dishes, because it is a simple food for discovering pure tastes without salt and spices, gradually getting used to the texture of the products. In the preparation of the first children's dishes, you can vary the combination of vegetables, focusing on the taste of the baby.

Recipes appear from the age of two or three with a full transition to the common table, when family preferences become more important. Of course, the baby needs to be introduced to products that are not consumed in the family, because there is a kindergarten and a school ahead. However, the basis of his diet should be food from the general household table . In addition, parents should be careful in cooking: do not overcook foods, do not add artificial ingredients, properly cool food so that homemade vegetable or fruit puree for the first feeding is healthy and safe for the baby.

- Is it possible to combine canned and homemade food and in what proportions?

— There are no strict rules: what is convenient for the family is chosen. For example, it is difficult to make meat puree at home, so sometimes parents add industrial meat supplements to homemade vegetable puree.

There is also no clear gradation in the percentage of different food options. In one plate, you can mix what you have prepared yourself with what you bought in the store. But at home it is not always possible to achieve the desired combinations and prepare, for example, a combined product that includes a variety of fruits and cottage cheese.

Choose a way of eating that is comfortable for your family. It is easier for someone to cook for their child on their own, for someone it is easier to buy ready-made mashed potatoes. Pediatricians often recommend mashed vegetables or fruits of industrial production, because when it is used for a child, the risk of undesirable consequences is much less.

* Breast milk is the best food for babies. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of a child's life and continued breastfeeding after complementary foods are introduced until the age of 2 years. Before introducing new products into the baby's diet, you should consult with a specialist. The material is for informational purposes and cannot replace the advice of a healthcare professional. For feeding children from birth.

Baby food at home: recipes, video

Growing up a little person is a delightful process that cannot but please the parents of the crumbs. However, the first feeling that mom and dad face when it comes time to introduce complementary foods into a child's diet is confusion.

Which food is the most healthy, hypoallergenic and delicious? Most often, the first "real" meal of the crumbs after mother's milk and formula is vegetable or fruit puree. The choice of baby food on store shelves is very wide - each manufacturer tries to convince the buyer that jars with beautiful labels contain only natural products, there are no dyes, sweeteners and other harmful additives. A variety of "meals" for babies in factory packaging marked "3+ months." does not guarantee the true usefulness of the product that is inside. Every mother understands that complementary foods prepared on her own, from natural products, are much better for her child.

Another advantage of making your own baby food is that you can choose the best ingredients, wash fruits, berries or vegetables thoroughly, peel them well and remove damaged parts. In addition, the parents of the crumbs themselves can choose the way - how best to cook baby food: food can not only be boiled, but also baked in the oven or cooked in a double boiler.

It is also important that home-made baby puree is much tastier, it will undoubtedly be useful for a growing body and will not cause allergies! Even the simplest children's dish, prepared by mom, keeps the warmth of caring hands and cannot be compared with expensive dishes from the store.

What should be the correct complementary foods for children? Of course, you should start with one ingredient (such purees are called one-component purees), then move on to more complex options. Experts emphasize that the most suitable product for the first "dish" is zucchini. Cauliflower can also be considered neutral. Gradually it will be possible to introduce carrots, pumpkins, potatoes, broccoli and green peas. At the first stage of the introduction of complementary foods, it is better to give preference to vegetable purees and switch to fruit purees when the child already treats “serious” food well.

The basic rules and principles of preparing high-quality baby food yourself:

it is best to take fresh products for preparations: fruits from the tree, berries from the bush and vegetables from the garden are much more useful than those that have already been in the refrigerator for a week. If there are no seasonal vegetables at the time of preparation, the use of frozen foods is acceptable, but in this case, try to give preference to whole fruits - they retain the greatest amount of nutrients;
only filtered water should be used for cooking vegetables;
Preparing baby food requires, if not separate dishes, then thoroughly washed ones. Do not, for example, cut vegetables on a meat board. If there is a dog or cat in the house, then you need to restrict her access to the kitchen when food is being prepared;
It is not recommended to use vegetables and fruits in the diet of infants, in which the content of chemical additives is consistently high. These often include watermelons and melons, beets, spinach and lettuce;
It is better to pour water on vegetables purchased on the market before cooking: put carrots, potatoes, zucchini and cauliflower in filtered water for a couple of hours - this will remove nitrates;
do not leave excess mashed potatoes for the next meal: the child should be given only freshly prepared food, and "yesterday's" mashed potatoes are best eaten by adults or given to pets;
you can choose cream, boiled egg yolk, grated cheese or finely chopped dill as an additive to puree - this will diversify dishes for children from 8 months;
try it! Children's food can and should be enjoyed by an adult.

There is another question that often worries parents: is it permissible to preserve baby puree and how to do it correctly? After all, such complementary foods for the developing body of a small child must be prepared daily for one or even two or three years: until the baby is ready to eat adult food from the common table. Not every mother has the time and opportunity to prepare baby puree daily, but you don’t want to buy food for the baby in the store. In addition, it is obvious that in the winter-spring period it is almost impossible to find fruits and vegetables grown without the addition of chemicals. The answer to the question is quite simple: the requirements for the conditions for preparing baby food are very strict (keeping the temperature, sterilizing jars, etc.), but using an autoclave solves all problems: all that is required is to load jars with blanks into the autoclave for 20 minutes and set temperature 120 degrees. After cooling, it is better to store baby food in a dark, cool place for about 12 months, daily delighting the child with homemade homemade food.

Pumpkin puree: delicate and aromatic

Pumpkin is a delicious vegetable that is good for babies. This fruit has a beneficial effect on digestion, is well absorbed by the child's body and is rich in various vitamins: A, C, B, B2, E, PP, T. In addition, the carotene content in pumpkin is 5 times higher than in carrots!

Baby pumpkin puree has a sweet taste, so the kids eat this dish with great pleasure. For preparations, it is better to buy small whole pumpkins, as they usually taste better than large ones and are easier to peel.

Rinse pumpkin well under running water, peel, cut in half, remove seeds.
Then you need to cut the fruit into small cubes, put in a saucepan and pour water. Cooking time after boiling - 20 minutes. You can also steam pumpkin: it will retain more nutrients with the same cooking time.
The next step is to beat the cooked pumpkin with a blender until the consistency of a gentle puree. If the dish turned out to be thick, add water or milk (milk mixture).
Vegetable oil and salt are added to pumpkin puree to taste, but these additives should be used with caution: only if they are acceptable for the age of the child.

For babies older than 8 months, pumpkin puree is supplemented with other fruits and vegetables, and also added to porridge.

Broccoli puree: simplicity and elegance

Broccoli is not just cabbage, but a storehouse of vitamins and microelements! Beautiful on the outside and fantastic on the inside - the high content of protein and vitamin C (there is more in broccoli than in citrus!) deserves special attention. There are many articles on the Internet about the benefits of broccoli, and preparing this product is not at all difficult.

To prepare this type of cabbage for baby food, you need to choose the highest quality product: the inflorescences must be unopened, green, moderately elastic.

Broccoli should be washed, cut into pieces and boiled. Steaming will take 20 minutes, in water - faster: fresh cabbage should be boiled for a little more than 5 minutes, and frozen - at least 10. When cooking, do not pour a lot of water, it should only cover the vegetables a little.
When the cabbage is cooked, it must be taken out, put into a blender bowl and chopped to a puree state, add a little warm boiled water.
Add salt and butter to taste.

Pear puree: a fragrant dessert

It's no secret that babies love fruit puree - almost all children like sweet dishes. The pear is a suitable option for the first one-component fruit food - a sweet fragrant fruit that has a high concentration of vitamins, stimulates digestion and almost never causes allergies.

If you want to cook a safe puree for your child at home, then it is best to choose green pears, these are the fruits that are considered to be the least allergenic.

Fruit must be peeled, core removed with seeds, cut into cubes.
Transfer the pear to a heavy-bottomed enamel saucepan, add a little water and simmer for 15-20 minutes over low heat.
Then transfer to a blender bowl and puree until smooth. If the puree is too thick, add a little warm boiled water.
You can dilute the dish with milk or formula - it depends on the taste preferences of the baby.

The same recipe is used for applesauce. In the future, try to combine these two fruits in one dish.

Classic apple-zucchini puree

A good appetite of a baby pleases every mother, but little gourmets are often capricious, and it is not easy to please them. Zucchini and apple puree is a classic combination of products that will diversify the baby's menu already in the fifth or sixth month of life.

This complementary food contains only hypoallergenic products, has a positive effect on the functioning of the heart, and stimulates the strengthening of the immune system.

Selected products should be thoroughly washed, peeled, core removed from apples.
Cut zucchini and apples into cubes, put fruits in a cooking pot first - they should cook for 5 minutes longer, and then vegetables. The total cooking time is 20 minutes.
When the food becomes soft, it must be crushed to a puree with a blender.
To taste - dilute with water, add salt, oil.

This puree can be considered an independent dish for the little ones or become a delicious side dish for older kids.

Colorful carrot and potato puree

For many parents, carrots and potatoes are the easiest and most understandable type of complementary food for the baby. However, if you cook and serve standard products a little differently than usual, you can improve the traditional taste of a classic dish.

Young potatoes should not be chosen for baby puree - they contain a lot of starch. Carrots, on the contrary, it is better to buy young ones.

Wash and peel the vegetables thoroughly and cut into cubes.
It is better to steam the carrot-potato puree, the vegetables should be boiled separately. Cook until tender, 20 minutes on average.
Separately puree the vegetables in a blender, diluting with warm water if needed.

Both types of puree are beautifully placed on a plate without mixing: the child can decide for himself whether to mix food or eat separately.

Exotic variety: mango puree

Tropical fruits should not be offered to a small child before 7-8 months and only if there was no allergy to other foods.

Mango is an aromatic fruit with an original pleasant taste. This fruit helps to overcome colds, reduce inflammation in the body, improve sleep and normalize the functioning of the stomach.

To feed the baby, ripened fruits should be selected - quite soft, yellow-red in color.

Fruit should be peeled and pitted, cut into cubes.
Put the raw mango in a blender, purée, transfer to a heavy-bottomed pot and boil for a few minutes.

Older children may be offered uncooked mango puree. This fruit is completely independent - no need to add sugar or water!

Sweet pumpkin puree with apple

This puree is called sweet, as both pumpkin and apples are foods with sufficient sugar content. Such a dish is well suited as a dessert for children who already eat “serious” food well - vegetable purees and cereals.

In addition, such complementary foods are a great option for the autumn-winter period: seasonal products contain enough choline, a lot of fiber, natural proteins and vitamins (groups A, B, C, E, etc.), zinc, sodium, calcium and only!

Pumpkins and apples need to be peeled, peeled and seeds removed, cut into cubes and sent to a double boiler.
Cook for about 20 minutes until the food is soft. Then place them in a blender bowl, add raisins and chop. If the child chews well, mash everything with a fork, and leave the raisins whole.

Hearty puree with celery and turkey

For older kids, meat is added to vegetable dishes - turkey fillet is an excellent option for developing a child's taste preferences. Appetizing and fragrant meat puree includes only three ingredients: celery root, turkey fillet, butter.

The proportion of meat and celery should be approximately 10:1, the amount of butter to your taste.

The turkey fillet must be boiled in the "second stock" for about 20 minutes after boiling.
Wash, peel and cut the celery root into cubes and put into the boiling broth 10 minutes before it is done.
After cooking, puree the turkey and celery with a blender, adding stock if necessary.
Salt to taste and add oil. For one children's serving, 3-5 grams of butter is enough.

A child from early childhood will begin to get used to full-fledged homemade food without the addition of preservatives and harmful components, and will grow up healthy and strong. In summer and autumn, parents can make preparations: prepare potatoes, carrots, beets, pumpkins and apples for storage (these products are stored for a long time - they do not need to be frozen), freeze berries and seasonal fruits, or roll ready-made mashed potatoes into jars! Homemade baby food without unnecessary flavor enhancers and salt is the best complementary food, warmed by mom's love.