Inspired baby food

10 Easy Homemade Baby Food Ideas (No-Cook, Super Fast, Stage 1)

Learn how to make the EASIEST homemade baby food recipes (stage 1) for your little one with these super simple no-cook ideas. Plus: I have the best tips for making them ahead and freezing them so you can batch cook and simplify your days!

Homemade Baby Food

As a mom to three kids, I know firsthand how the urge to make homemade baby food can be both exciting and a little daunting. And if you have a busy schedule or other kids in the house, finding the time to actually do it can seem impossible. But, there are so many healthy foods that you can transform into stage 1 baby food purees with hardly any work or special equipment at all!

TIP: I use a regular blender for all of these recipes, so you don’t need to buy a special baby food maker unless you want to.

Baby Food Recipes for 6, 7, and 8 Month Old Babies

These homemade baby food ideas are designed for younger babies who are still eating thinner purees, but you can of course use them for older babies and toddlers too. Each can be served as is, or you can combine more than one together to create new flavors if you’re feeling creative!

TIP: If you want to add fat or protein to any of these fruit or veggie purees, simply stir in a little whole milk yogurt, coconut cream, or Avocado Puree.

Best Way to Make Baby Food

I’ve found that the easiest and most approachable way to make baby food is to simply use a blender. With fresh ingredients and a little water, breastmilk, or formula to thin it as needed, you can easily make your baby meals without investing in equipment you may not use very long.

TIP: You’ll want to start with at least 1 cup of any base ingredient to ensure that there’s enough in the blender to fully blend up.

Tools You Need to Make Homemade Baby Food

To make these baby food recipes you’ll need:

Blender (you could also use an immersion blender if yours is very strong)
Water, formula, or breastmilk to thin as needed
Knife for chopping produce
Spoon
Bowls
Ice cube tray
Freezer bags for storage
Baby food storage containers

Stage 1 Baby Food

These baby foods are meant for early eaters as they are typically very thin and easy for a baby to move around in their mouths. I follow the recommendations to wait until 6 months to start solids, so I personally don’t worry excessively about this distinction as I like babies to experience some texture in their purees. (The ones you find at the store are low allergenic foods and are meant for 4+ months.)

Stage 2 Baby Food

These baby foods are typically a little bit thicker, sometimes include more than one ingredient, and offer a wider variety of ingredients. Most babies are ready for these sorts of purees around 7-8 months, or once they’ve mastered thinner purees. (Again, since I like to do a combined baby feeding approach with both baby led weaning and purees, I don’t worry too much about following the calendar to decide when to introduce these.)

TIP: As a backup to my homemade baby foods, I love the options from Amara Organic Baby Food (paid affiliate link) since you simply need to stir it together with breast milk, formula, or water and it’s ready to serve.

And now, for my ten go-to homemade baby food purees that you don’t even need to cook!

1.

Avocado Puree

To make avocado puree for a baby, you just need a fresh avocado, a blender, and some lemon juice if you plan to store it for later. I sometimes even do this with just a fork if the avocado is super soft! It’s a perfect way to introduce a low allergenic food that’s rich in healthy fats.

TIP: Get the full recipe for Avocado Puree here.

2. Bean Puree

Baby’s early foods don’t have to be all one food group and beans are a great food to have in the mix. You can do this easy bean puree with chickpeas, pinto beans, black beans, or even white beans, thinning it as needed with water, formula, or breastmilk. This is a great puree to mix with a little sweet potato or butternut squash.

TIP: Get the full recipe for Bean Puree here.

3. Blueberry Puree

Using fresh or frozen blueberries, this easy berry puree is loaded with fresh flavor and antioxidants. It’s delicious on its own or stirred into plain whole milk yogurt or baby oatmeal. (Note that it thickens up as it sits in the fridge, so you’ll need to stir it well to serve.)

TIP: Get the full recipe for Blueberry Puree here.

4. Kiwi Puree

With a bright flavor, this puree is great for babies who seem to love flavor—and it’s a fun one to make and store for later. You’ll want to make sure that you choose very ripe and sweet kiwi and taste it before you make the puree to ensure that it’s not too tart. (If it seems tart, you can mix with banana or applesauce.)

TIP: Get the full recipe for Kiwi Puree here.

5. Mango Puree

Using fresh or thawed frozen mango, this baby puree blends up in seconds. It’s bright, flavorful, and a great source of immune-boosting vitamins. Taste your mango to be sure that it’s sweet and not too tart. (If it’s tart, you can add Applesauce or ripe Banana Puree.)

TIP: Get the full recipe for Mango Puree here.

6. Peach Puree

Turn fresh or frozen and thawed peach slices into a super smooth Stage 1 baby food with this easy blender method. You’ll want to strain out the skin since it’s hard to blend up smooth, even with a high powered blender, but that’s so easy to do! This baby food recipe is a nice alternative to applesauce.

TIP: Get the full recipe for Peach Puree here.

7. Whipped Peanut Butter

This may not have occurred to you, but whipped peanut butter is a great baby food! This is a perfect way to introduce baby to peanut butter and to offer it safely there after. You just need to stir water into unsweetened creamy peanut butter until it forms a whipped consistency like yogurt. It’s smooth, not too sticky, and packed with protein.

TIP: Get the full scoop on introducing peanuts to baby here.

8. Pineapple Puree

Blend up fresh or frozen pineapple chunks into a tropical baby food puree that’s smooth and creamy. This is yummy on its own or paired with whole milk plain yogurt. Taste your pineapple to ensure that it’s not too tart. (If it’s tart, you can add Applesauce or ripe Banana Puree. )

TIP: Get the full recipe for Pineapple Puree here.

9. Strawberry Puree

Fresh strawberries blend up into a perfectly smooth homemade puree without the need for any additional liquid. You can serve this as is, or mix with applesauce if desired. The flavor of your berries will determine the flavor of your puree, so be sure to taste them for sweetness.

TIP: Get the full recipe for Strawberry Puree here.

10. Banana Puree

Ripe bananas make great homemade baby food with the help of just a blender. This is a super simple baby food to make at home and it’s easy to digest as a Stage 1 baby food. Use ripe bananas with brown spots to ensure that the puree tastes sweet and is easy for baby to digest.

TIP: Get the full recipe for Banana Puree here.

Homemade Baby Food Storage

The easiest way to store homemade baby food is to add fresh purees to an ice cube tray and freeze. Once frozen, simply pop out the cubes and store in labeled freezer bags for up to 3 months. These are a perfect way to make it easy to send homemade baby food to daycare or to simply get ahead for the coming week.

TIP: Find more information about storing baby food—including the best small food storage containers—here.

]

Tips for Making the Best Homemade Baby Food

Use at least 1 cup base ingredient to ensure that a blender has enough volume to blend well.
Thin any homemade puree with water, formula, or breast milk.
Freeze any baby food you won’t use within 3 days in an ice cube tray. Transfer frozen cubes into freezer storage bags for up to 3 months. Thaw these frozen baby food recipes in an airtight container in the fridge overnight before you plan to serve.
Taste all fresh foods for sweetness and to ensure that your puree isn’t too tart. To tame tartness, mix any puree with Banana Puree , Avocado Puree, Applesauce, or Mashed Sweet Potato.
If you want to add fat or protein to any of these fruit or veggie purees, simply stir in a little whole milk yogurt, coconut cream, or Avocado Puree.
Use breastmilk or formula in place of the water if desired.
Mix two purees together for more complex flavors.
Add texture to any puree by stirring in baby oatmeal or hemp seeds.
For more details on each of these, find them here: Avocado Puree; Banana Puree, Bean Puree; Blueberry Puree, Kiwi Puree, Mango Puree, Pineapple Puree, Peanut Butter Puree, Peach Puree, Strawberry Puree

I’d love to hear your feedback on this way of making simple baby food, so please comment below. I so appreciate hearing your experience with my recipes!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Author Amy Palanjian

Cuisine American

Course Baby Food

Calories 42kcal

Servings 4

▢ 1 cup blueberries, diced strawberries, diced peaches (peeled), diced kiwi (peeled), diced pineapple (peeled), diced banana (peeled), diced mango (peeled), diced avocado (peeled), OR beans (rinsed and drained)
▢ water, formula, or breast milk (as needed)

Choose one fruit, the avocado, or beans and add to a blender.
If making the puree with blueberries, strawberries, peaches, kiwi, pineapple, mango, or beans, add ¼ cup water and blend, adding more water as desired to make a thin, very smooth puree. If making avocado or banana, just blend (without water) until very smooth.
Serve or store in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the fridge, or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Vitamix Blender
Storage Containers
Silicone Ice Cube Tray

Use at least 1 cup base ingredient to ensure that a blender has enough volume to blend well.
Thin any homemade puree with water, formula, or breast milk.
Freeze any baby food you won't use within 3 days in an ice cube tray. Transfer frozen cubes into freezer storage bags for up to 3 months. Thaw these frozen baby food recipes in an airtight container in the fridge overnight before you plan to serve.
Taste all fresh foods for sweetness and to ensure that your puree isn't too tart. To tame tartness, mix any puree with Banana Puree , Avocado Puree, Applesauce, or Mashed Sweet Potato.
If you want to add fat or protein to any of these fruit or veggie purees, simply stir in a little whole milk yogurt, coconut cream, or Avocado Puree.
Use breastmilk or formula in place of the water if desired.
Mix two purees together for more complex flavors.
Add texture to any puree by stirring in baby oatmeal or hemp seeds.
For more details on each of these, find them here: Avocado Puree; Banana Puree, Bean Puree; Blueberry Puree, Kiwi Puree, Mango Puree, Pineapple Puree, Peanut Butter Puree, Peach Puree, Strawberry Puree

Serving: 0.25cup, Calories: 42kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 1mg, Potassium: 57mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 40IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 4mg, Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Rate in the comments and tag @yummytoddlerfood on IG!

Tips on Freezing and Best Containers

Learn the secrets to storing and freezing homemade baby food for ultimate freshness—AND the best baby food storage containers to use to ensure that you never waste what you make!

Baby Food Storage

Going through the effort to make homemade baby food really only works if you have a good plan for how to store the food to ensure that it stays fresh and that baby has plenty of opportunities to enjoy it. After making a LOT of baby food for my third kiddo to send with him to daycare, I got into a good routine of making and storing baby food—both in the fridge and freezer. Here’s how you can do it too.

TIP: You can find my favorite baby food recipes here.

Homemade Baby Food Storage: In the Fridge

You can store baby food in the fridge in airtight containers for up to 3 days. You can use masking tape and a Sharpie to label the containers with the contents and the date if you have a hard time keeping track of when you made something. (It’s definitely helpful to do that!)

Best Baby Food Storage Containers

I have a four favorite baby food storage containers that I use regularly.

1. Wean Green Baby Food Cubes

These are small, incredibly durable, and made from glass. They’re easy to clean and last forever. (Seriously, I’ve been using the same set for 7 years and they’re still as good as new!) $19.99 for a set of 4

2.

Easy Lunchboxes Mini Dippers

These small containers are a perfect size for 1-2 frozen baby food cubes and they’re my go to for packing food for a baby to take to daycare. They also nest nicely when stored in the cabinet. $7.95 for a set of 8

3. Beaba Food Storage Containers

I have two sets of these and I use them regularly for larger amounts of baby food (you could probably fit 4 cubes of frozen food) and for toddler snacks. When assembled, they snap together, so they’re an easy way to stay organized. $14.95 for a set of 6

4. Oxo Tot Baby Food Blocks

This neat system is easy to keep contained in the fridge and is also made from a polypropylene body that is PVC, BPA, and phthalate free. They are dishwasher and microwave safe. $9.99 for a set of 6

Homemade Baby Food Storage: For Freezing

Storing homemade baby food in the freezer allows you to make a bigger batch at once, and then serve it to baby over the course of a few weeks or months. The easiest way is to use an ice cube tray, which has the added benefit of portioning out the baby food nicely.

TIP: Any ice cube tray will do. You can use silicone ice cube trays if you prefer a non-plastic option.

Baby Food Storage Without An Ice Cube Tray

If you don’t have an ice cube tray or you’d just rather not use one, you can place a predetermined amount of baby food into a pint-size freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible, press flat, and seal. Place flat in the freezer to freeze. Then you can thaw the entire bag in the fridge overnight, or break off a portion of it to thaw.

How to Store Baby Food in the Freezer Step by Step

Place baby food into each compartment of the ice cube tray, or fill as many as you need to with the amount of baby food you have.
Cover (if your ice cube tray has a cover) and freezer for 4-6 hours or overnight.
Pop out frozen cubes and transfer to freezer storage bags. Label as desired with the type of baby food and the date.
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

TIP: I like to have a bag of sweet fruit purees and more savory vegetable purees to avoid having too many separate bags in the freezer at any given time. Then you can combine them into baby food combinations easily!

How to Thaw Baby Food

To thaw baby food, simply remove a cube (or as many as you need) and place into airtight containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge and serve. 1 cube may be plenty for a baby aged 6-7 months and older babies may enjoy two cubes.

Tips for the Best Baby Food Storage

Keep fresh baby food in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Use a regular ice cube tray to freeze, a silicone ice cube tray with a lid, or a small freezer bag with the contents pressed flat.
Store frozen baby food in a freezer storage bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To avoid freezer burn, try to remove as much air as possible from the storage bags.
Label your bags with the contents and the date.
To thaw baby food, simply remove a cube (or as many as you need) and place into airtight containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Use leftover baby food to flavor yogurt, baby oatmeal, baby rice cereal, smoothies, or cottage cheese.
See some of my favorite Baby Food Pouch recipes here for more ideas on how to serve your baby food!

I’d love to hear your feedback if you have another storage technique or container that you love, so please comment below!

Price Issue: Why New York Declared a State of Emergency Over Infant Formula

New York City declared a state of emergency over a shortage of infant formula after the factory of Abbott Nutrition, its largest manufacturer, was temporarily closed. Forbes Life understands why the city authorities took this measure and why there could be a shortage

On May 22, it was announced that New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in the city due to a nationwide shortage of infant formula due to product recalls and the temporary closure of the production line of Abbott Nutrition, one of the largest suppliers baby food in the USA.

Finished reading here

This decision of the authorities will help to keep the prices of baby food, avoid markups and speculation in the market in a situation where problems with the supply of mixtures are observed throughout the country. They are now in short supply at more than 40% of market demand, and the closure of Abbott's Michigan plant after reports of four cases of infant bacterial infection exacerbated the situation. This not only reduced production, but also disrupted supply chains among other manufacturers in most US states, and New York was no exception.

Mayor Eric Adams promised mothers and families that "the city will do everything in its power to help get through this difficult period." As part of the New York City Mayor's Executive Order, the City's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection is empowered to crack down on retailers if they try to "capitalize on this crisis. "

State of emergency ( - Forbes Life ) is a fairly common practice in the United States that allows the leadership of a city or state to gain more power in making economic decisions, to a greater extent control the business. For example, a similar decree was introduced by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, when stores began to increase prices for hand sanitizer and masks.

If in everyday life the city authorities cannot dictate at what price to sell infant formula or any other essential goods, then the introduction of a state of emergency is a clear signal for society and business, a New Yorker, journalist and author of the YouTube channel told Forbes Life “Once Upon a Time in America” by Alina Polyanskikh: “Such decrees clearly show that now we are in power, you obey us and follow our orders, and violators will subsequently be held accountable. ”

Related material

So, in 2012, the devastating hurricane Sandy passed through New York, a few days later the residents of the city faced an acute shortage of gasoline, the lack of fuel after the hurricane led to many hours of queues. To avoid sharp price hikes, New York authorities have decided to introduce a state of emergency. The US Department of Defense deployed five mobile filling stations within the city, where motorists could fill up with 40 liters of gasoline for free.

Deliveries were accompanied by logistical costs - transport had to make a serious "detour" to bring fuel to the city. In this regard, a slight increase in the price of gasoline followed - sellers sought to cover additional costs and at least break even. As soon as the consequences of the hurricane were eliminated, lawsuits began against the owners of gas stations that violated consumer rights. “This is standard American practice: the business of the authorities is to prevent and introduce restrictive measures, the task of business is to obey, and if it refuses to cooperate in a difficult time for the city and the country, then the consequences will be inevitable. The introduction of a special provision is primarily an economic reality for the United States, associated with financial benefits and costs, ”recalls Polyanskikh.

According to the journalist, the decree adopted by Adams helps the city authorities in two directions at once - the price issue turns into a reputational one. For the mayor, this is also a matter of reputation - Adams now looks like a fighter for children, sharing the feelings of any mother who cannot feed her child.

Although this measure does not speed up shipments, it will allow for the distribution of goods to be regulated. Thanks to the state of emergency decree, baby food will be distributed in a strictly defined order: the mixtures will first be sent to hospitals and social institutions. And already the second wave will go to the shelves of pharmacies and shops. Thus, the most vulnerable groups of the population will have guaranteed access to baby food, and those who have the financial means will not buy out all the supplies. In addition, the option is still available to bring the child to any hospital in New York to be fed there.

Related material

“Now, as soon as the dust settles, the main topic for discussion will be the question of how this situation became possible at all - why it was not foreseen, not calculated, and this question will be addressed not only to suppliers,” says Alina Polyanskikh.

At the federal level, the government took emergency action against nutritional deficiencies last week - President Joe Biden resorted to the Defense Production Act, which allows businesses to be forced to carry out specific orders, now suppliers of ingredients needed for infant formula are required to send them to manufacturers of the final product. In 2020, during the pandemic, the administration has already invoked this law to increase the production of ventilators and protective equipment to combat COVID-19.

In addition, infant formula is shipped from Europe - on May 22, an Air Force transport plane delivered 35,000 kg of Nestle lactose-free hypoallergenic nutrition to Indianapolis, enough for 500,000 bottles. On Wednesday, another batch of Nestle mixtures should be delivered from Europe to the United States by the logistics company FedEx.

These emergency measures will help overcome the mix shortage before the Abbott Michigan plant reopens. According to Abbott CEO Robert Ford, the opening will take place "in the first week of June, with products hitting store shelves in six to eight weeks."

5 baby food trends that attract parents - Encyclopedia Baby food

Taste. Texture. Smell. It's worth thinking about all the things that are vital to a positive customer experience—things that are likely to encourage repeat purchases.

Consider baby food. What leads to a positive consumer experience? Usually, parents make purchasing decisions based on how they perceive the product and how it affects the health of the child.

Sales of baby food are independent of factors that are usually important in other categories of consumption because parents decide what to buy based on their experience and fashion for healthy food. Of course, taste and texture are important when choosing baby food, as it can increase future purchases. Perhaps more than any other consumption category, baby food sales depend on the positive health benefits associated with the product.

Contents:

After all, the child is fed only healthy complementary foods. Below are 5 baby food trends that attract today's parents and are the main criteria when choosing complementary foods for a child.

1. Ancient Grains

Grains have long been popular in baby food. Usually, a child is fed rice, buckwheat, oatmeal from cereals. But now they are being replaced by grains that carry even more nutritional value: ancient grains. Also known as heritage grains, popular varieties include quinoa, quinoa, teff, millet, and chia.

Ancient grains are high in protein, fiber, and several vitamins and minerals, and help strengthen the heart, intestines, and immune system, among other benefits.

2. Natural nutrition

Parents do not want to feed their children food that has been synthetically developed in a laboratory or genetically engineered. Returning to a natural diet is high on the list of priorities for parents.

The concept that we should nourish children's bodies with nutrients from natural whole foods. Therefore, many parents carefully read the composition of baby food in order to choose a product without additives, without artificial or synthetic ingredients.

3. All the colors of the rainbow

It is important for a child to eat not only natural complementary foods, but also to choose baby food from a variety of colorful foods. For the most part, the color of fruits and vegetables corresponds to specific chemical compounds in food. The color of the product that the child eats ultimately affects his health, which is why it is so important to feed the child in a colorful and varied way.

This is used by manufacturers of baby food. Beautiful and vibrant packaging, inspired by the colorful food it contains, helps brands stand out in aisles filled with baby food. The vibrant colors and images imply a natural connection with children, making this trend even more perfect for baby food.

Listed below are some of the health benefits that different colors of fruits and vegetables can provide.

Blue/violet color	fights with an inflammation of improves memory Cells from damage to
yellow/orange, rush on the health of the joints 9,0005 heart disease
White color	supports bone strength helps to reduce cholesterol level Balances hormones
Red color	helps to reduce: - risk of developing diabetes 9000 9004. - Improves skin quality
Green	Helps rid the body of toxins Helps heal tissue Supports a healthy immune system

4. Gut health

Research shows that today's babies have significantly less intestinal bacteria than they need in their first months of life. Perhaps this is due to the overuse of antibiotics in the world. Failure to obtain these bacteria—either from the mother at birth or through baby food—can lead to a variety of health conditions throughout a child's life.

A baby's digestive system develops during the first six months of life. Adding probiotics and prebiotics to baby foods can have positive effects and promote good immune health. Therefore, modern parents choose baby food with the addition of probiotics and prebiotics at an early stage of baby development.