Foods for 12 month old babies recipes
Homemade baby food and puree recipes
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Photo credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy for BabyCenter
Once your baby starts eating solid food, a whole new world opens up for them. Whether you're going the traditional spoon-feeding route or trying baby-led weaning, you're likely starving for ideas for what to feed your baby. Making your own baby food can seem daunting, but with a little planning, it's super easy – and it can be cheaper than buying prepared baby food.
From thin purees to full finger-food meals, here are some baby food recipes for every stage of your solid feeding journey.
Photo credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy for BabyCenter
Baby food recipes for 6 to 8 months
Babies are typically ready to start eating solid foods around 6 months. Signs that they're ready include having good head control, being able to sit up, and showing an interest in food. If your baby watches you while you eat, opens their mouth when you offer them a spoonful of food, or even tries to grab food off your plate, those are good indicators that they're ready.
You can start your baby off with just about any pureed, single-ingredient food – like bananas, berries, or many of the foods listed below.
The exceptions are the top allergenic foods, such as fish, wheat, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, and dairy. It's best to give your baby low-allergy foods at the very beginning, like apple or chicken puree. Once you know they can handle those foods, you can start introducing potentially allergenic foods.
When introducing your baby to a common allergen, serve it for three to five days before introducing another type of food. That way, if your baby has an allergic reaction, it'll be easier to tell what caused it.
Try these baby food recipes for your 6- to 8-month-old:
- Apple and pear sauce
- Baby oats with prunes
- Butternut squash puree
- Green pea puree
- Mango and banana puree
- Peach or nectarine puree
- Roasted pears
- Sweet potato puree
- Turkey or chicken puree
- Whipped cauliflower
- Yogurt and berry swirl
- Zucchini puree
Photo credit: BabyCenter
Baby food recipes for 9 to 12 months
By the time your baby is about 9 months old, they're ready for some more complex dishes – often, you'll find yourself feeding them whatever you and the rest of your family are eating.
While you're expanding your baby's eating horizons, remember they still don't have that many teeth and can't chew hard or crunchy produce like raw carrots – and be on the lookout for choking hazards, like whole grapes and popcorn. But there are still plenty of other options for babies at this age: flaky salmon, ground beef, roasted vegetables, baked potatoes, pasta dishes… the list goes on.
If your baby doesn't like new textures, don't worry. The key at any age is to offer your baby a variety of foods and to keep trying. Even if they don't like the food at first, keep offering it to them – sometimes, you may have to offer your baby a food up to 20 times before they'll accept it.
By this age, your baby is also typically ready to start trying out finger foods, like O-shaped toasted oat cereal, banana slices, or well-cooked pasta cut into bite-size pieces, about a ¼ of an inch in size. Several of the recipes below, like guacamole, hummus, and whipped cauliflower, make perfect dips to pair with finger foods so your baby can start learning to eat independently.
It'll be messy, of course, but it's a great time for them to practice their hand-eye coordination and skills with their newfound pincer grasp.
If you're ready for some more food adventures with your baby, try adding spices to their meals. While it isn't recommended to give babies added salt or sugar in their diet until they're at least 2 years old, fresh herbs and other spices are fair game (and a little added salt is okay). Try adding cinnamon to their oatmeal or rosemary to their ground beef.
And if you really want to experiment with new flavors, your baby may even enjoy a bit of spicy food – but avoid foods with a lot of added sugar, salt, or processing. (If you're a fan of spicy food yourself and ate it while breastfeeding, your baby might even have some built-in tolerance for spice.)
Try these recipes for your 9- to 12-month-old:
- Asparagus risotto
- Baby guacamole
- Barley and mushroom mash
- Broccoli and cauliflower cheese
- Chicken curry with green beans and zucchini
- Coconut milk rice pudding with blueberry compote
- Homemade hummus
- Lentil and spinach stew
- Pasta with spinach and ricotta
- Oatmeal with apples
- Quinoa, black beans, and corn
- Rice with peas, carrots, and egg
- Root veggie mash
- Salmon, asparagus, and peas
- Shepherd's pie
- Smashed chickpea and butternut squash chili
- Tomato and avocado scramble
- Tropical fruit salad
If you're ever unsure about what to feed your baby or how much food to give them at any age, check out our age-by-age guide to feeding.
Rebekah Wahlberg
Rebekah Wahlberg is an associate editor at BabyCenter, the world's number one digital parenting resource. She lives in Southern California with her silly dog Booger, where she enjoys hiking, yoga, and watching Netflix when she "should" be reading. Wahlberg is passionate about creating content that helps parents and parents-to-be equip themselves with everything they need to succeed.
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60+ Healthy Superfoods to Try
Make feeding your baby and 1 year old easier with this go-to list of healthy baby food recipes. Each of the 60+ ideas is easy to make at home, tastes great, and introduces baby to delicious flavors and nutrients!
Baby Food Recipes
Deciding what to make for baby when they start solids can be a little daunting, so I wanted to put together a resource that breaks it down by age. Included in this post you’ll find ideas for what to feed a 6 month old baby, an 8 month old baby, a 10 month old baby, and a 1 year old.
Each child is unique and will progress through the phases of starting solids differently, so adjust as needed for your child.
TIP: Keep in mind that babies should avoid added sugars and salts, so simply eliminate them as needed from any recipes. If you’re making something to share with a baby, you can salt your serving to taste.
Baby Food Recipes 6+ Months
Offering a 6 month old baby healthy, flavorful foods is a great way to set them up for success when starting solids. Some babies will show more interest in food than others, so don’t worry if your baby takes a month or so to get into food…or dives right in from the start!
- Applesauce
- Avocado puree
- Banana puree
- Broccoli puree
- Butternut Squash puree
- Carrot puree
- Cantaloupe puree: Blend until smooth, adding a little water if needed.
- Green bean puree
- Mango Puree
- Peach puree
- Pear puree
- Pea puree
- Raspberry puree
- Sweet potato puree
- Quinoa Baby Cereal
- Zucchini puree: Blend any cooked zucchini until smooth, adding a little water if needed.
TIP: You can feed these purees to baby or offer them on a preloaded spoon so baby can feed herself. You can find the full information on the baby led weaning style of feeding here.
Baby Food Recipes 8+ Months
Continue offering nutrient rich fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains, protein, iron-rich foods, and some dairy such as plain whole milk yogurt.
Most babies in the 8-10 month range are able to pick up and eat pea-size pieces of food, so aim for about that size with their finger foods.
- Baby Pasta
- Boiled Beets
- Black Beans
- Egg Muffins with Zucchini
- Cottage Cheese Dip
- Hummus with beets
- Hummus with butternut squash
- Hummus with carrots
- Lamb Meatballs
- Mango Smoothie
- Marinara Sauce with Extra Veggies
- Meatballs with Extra Veggies
- Oatmeal with Butternut Squash
- Instant Pot Pinto Beans
- Sauteed Apples
- Sauteed Pears
- Sesame Tofu
- Strawberry Applesauce
- Strawberry Smoothie
- Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Sweet Potatoes Puree with Coconut
TIP: You can also try Homemade Baby Food Combinations.
Baby Food Recipes 10+ Months
Continue serving a 10-12 month old baby healthy finger foods cut up into a small dice as most won’t yet be able to take appropriate sized bites of food. Soft finger foods are great for this age (they’re often called “Stage 3 baby foods“).
- Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with Raisins
- Applesauce Muffins
- Baby Muffins
- Baked Oatmeal Cups
- Banana Spinach Pancakes
- Butternut Squash Risotto
- Caramelized Bananas
- Chicken Nuggets with Sweet Potato
- Coconut Rice
- Lentil Soup with Veggies
- Mashed Potatoes with Broccoli
- Overnight Oats with Applesauce
- Spinach Banana Muffins
- Soft Roasted Chickpeas
- Shredded Chicken
- Stewed Peaches
- Sweet Potato Hash
- Roasted Salmon
- Wild Salmon Cakes
- Mini Meatballs with Kale
TIP: Babies at this age can eat many of the same foods as the rest of the family, but still may need extra attention to the size of their food (a small dice is good) and the texture.
Continue to avoid anything too crunchy, sticky, or hard.
Homemade Baby Food Recipes for 1 Year Old
As your baby turns into a toddler, they can continue eating the same types of food though you can keep expanding the textures you offer. And remember to offer a variety of foods for the best range of nutrients and foundation of flavors.
- Baby Cookies
- Baked Zucchini Fritters
- Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
- Baked Banana French Toast Sticks
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- Cheesy Rice
- Easy Cheese Crackers
- Healthy Pasta Salad
- Homemade Broccoli Tots
- Homemade Cauliflower Tots
- Spinach Recipe with Cheese
- Quick and Easy Sauteed Carrots
- Simple Green Smoothie
- Spinach Pesto Pasta with Peas
- Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese
- Sweet Potato Pudding
- Veggie Chili
TIP: You can find my full list of Baby Snacks for babies eating finger foods and 1 year olds.
What foods can I puree for my baby?
You can puree any foods that you’d like to spoon feed your baby by adding a little breastmilk, formula, or water to the desired consistency.
What is the best food for baby to start with?
You can feel free to go with a nutrient dense fruit, vegetable, or baby cereal, or with something rich in iron such as beef. The rules have relaxed a lot in recent years, so as long as the food is a single food without added sugars or salts, there are really a lot of options!
TIP: Find my best 10 No-Cook Baby Foods here.
How do you make baby food with a blender?
You can puree almost any soft food in a blender simply by adding enough water to get the blender to blend. It’s often not possible to do a small quantity in a regular blender, but you can do 1-2 cups and freeze small portions in an ice cube tray.
Just transfer the frozen cubes to a zip top freezer bag for longer term storage.
What’s the deal with baby food stages?
When starting to think about starting solids with baby, you’ll see a lot of labels of baby food stages.
Learn what the terms Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3 mean related to baby food—and the ages and recommended recipes that correspond to each—in this explainer post.
You May Also Like
- 10 Easy Homemade Baby Food Recipes
- Best Early Finger Foods
- Baby Food Storage 101
- Baby Food Chart
- Favorite Baby Puffs
I’d love to hear which recipes your baby liked best, so please comment below to share!
This post was first published September 2019.
Menu for a 12-month-old baby
What to feed a 12-month-old baby when you already want to try something new, but it's scary. Is it possible to give adult food or is it too early? Let's figure out what should be the menu of a child at 12 months .
At 1 year of age, breastfeeding or formula is usually limited to early morning (6-7am) and late dinner (9-10pm) only.
The rest of the meals can be completely filled with either adapted adult food or prepared meals, which are in abundance on store shelves these days.
Manufacturers offer a whole range of ready-made meals for feeding children over a year old. These are cereals, and a variety of fruit, vegetable, meat purees, juices, teas, baby cookies, and so on. Mom, of course, can cook all this herself, using our recipes for children up to a year and from 1 year old. nine0003
So, earlier in the morning we started with milk or formula. Next comes breakfast.
Breakfast at 8-9:
- porridge, e.g.
- bun - 50 g
- tea or juice - 150 ml
Pieces of fruits and cereals are good for developing chewing skills, while vitamins, minerals and prebiotics are useful for comfortable digestion.
Healthy snack when needed at 10-11 am:
If you and your baby lead an active lifestyle with long walks, you can organize a small snack between breakfast and lunch. Useful, healthy snack, which is convenient to take with you, will be: cookies, fruit juice or puree in soft bags (pear, apple, fruit salad).
- soft fruit puree - 100g
- fruit juice - 200ml
- children's cookies no more than 3-4 pieces
Lunch from 12:00 to 13:00:
Add vegetables and meat to lunch. In the diet of a child of 12 months, fish should already be present. It is better to start with white varieties of fish: hake, pollock, cod. In the menu 1-2 times a week, be sure to include a fish dish, and you can certainly make a mix: vegetables with meat (chicken, rabbit, veal, etc.)
- meat puree - 50-60g
- vegetable puree - 180g
- egg yolk - half
- 1 tsp vegetable oil (if it is not part of the meat puree)
- Replace meat puree with fish puree 1-2 times a week
From 10 months you can add pasta to the menu, eat baby noodles and ready-made baby soups.
Meat and vegetable purees or ready meals can be used.
Plus, you can add a slice of bread to dinner. It can also be white bread, but you should not take the freshest soft yeast bread, because it will be more difficult to digest.
Lunch is supplemented with children's tea or juice, compote. nine0003
Podnik from 4 to 5 pm:
- cottage cheese 50g
- fruit puree 100-150 g
You can use not single-component purees, but ready-made dessert purees in jars.
Dinner from 19 to 20-00:
If necessary, porridge can be given a second time a day in the amount of 200g. It can be oatmeal, corn, wheat porridge, multi-grain.
Before going to bed, give breast milk or infant formula/kefir to drink. nine0003
We hope that this article will help you create the most balanced menu for a 12-month-old baby to grow up strong and healthy!
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