When to start making baby food

When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods | Nutrition

For more information about how to know if your baby is ready to starting eating foods, what first foods to offer, and what to expect, watch these videos from 1,000 Days.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend children be introduced to foods other than breast milk or infant formula when they are about 6 months old. Introducing foods before 4 months old is not recommended. Every child is different. How do you know if your child is ready for foods other than breast milk or infant formula? You can look for these signs that your child is developmentally ready.

Your child:

Sits up alone or with support.
Is able to control head and neck.
Opens the mouth when food is offered.
Swallows food rather than pushes it back out onto the chin.
Brings objects to the mouth.
Tries to grasp small objects, such as toys or food.
Transfers food from the front to the back of the tongue to swallow.

What Foods Should I Introduce to My Child First?

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that for most children, you do not need to give foods in a certain order. 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.

If your child is eating infant cereals, it is important to offer a variety of fortifiedalert icon infant cereals such as oat, barley, and multi-grain instead of only rice cereal. Only providing infant rice cereal is not recommended by the Food and Drug Administration because there is a risk for children to be exposed to arsenic. Visit the U.S. Food & Drug Administrationexternal icon to learn more.

How Should I Introduce My Child to Foods?

Your child needs certain vitamins and minerals to grow healthy and strong.

Now that your child is starting to eat food, be sure to choose foods that give your child all the vitamins and minerals they need.

Click here to learn more about some of these vitamins & minerals.

Let your child try one single-ingredient food at a time at first. This helps you see if your child has any problems with that food, such as food allergies. Wait 3 to 5 days between each new food. Before you know it, your child will be on his or her way to eating and enjoying lots of new foods.

Introduce potentially allergenic foods when other foods are introduced.

Potentially allergenic foods include cow’s milk products, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, and sesame. Drinking cow’s milk or fortified soy beverages is not recommended until your child is older than 12 months, but other cow’s milk products, such as yogurt, can be introduced before 12 months. If your child has severe eczema and/or egg allergy, talk with your child’s doctor or nurse about when and how to safely introduce foods with peanuts.

How Should I Prepare Food for My Child to Eat?

At first, it’s easier for your child to eat foods that are mashed, pureed, or strained and very smooth in texture. It can take time for your child to adjust to new food textures. Your child might cough, gag, or spit up. As your baby’s oral skills develop, thicker and lumpier foods can be introduced.

Some foods are potential choking hazards, so it is important to feed your child foods that are the right texture for his or her development. To help prevent choking, prepare foods that can be easily dissolved with saliva and do not require chewing. Feed small portions and encourage your baby to eat slowly. Always watch your child while he or she is eating.

Here are some tips for preparing foods:

Mix cereals and mashed cooked grains with breast milk, formula, or water to make it smooth and easy for your baby to swallow.
Mash or puree vegetables, fruits and other foods until they are smooth.
Hard fruits and vegetables, like apples and carrots, usually need to be cooked so they can be easily mashed or pureed.
Cook food until it is soft enough to easily mash with a fork.
Remove all fat, skin, and bones from poultry, meat, and fish, before cooking.
Remove seeds and hard pits from fruit, and then cut the fruit into small pieces.
Cut soft food into small pieces or thin slices.
Cut cylindrical foods like hot dogs, sausage and string cheese into short thin strips instead of round pieces that could get stuck in the airway.
Cut small spherical foods like grapes, cherries, berries and tomatoes into small pieces.
Cook and finely grind or mash whole-grain kernels of wheat, barley, rice, and other grains.

Learn more about potential choking hazards and how to prevent your child from choking.

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Ultimate Guide on Baby Food Purees (4-6+ months)

Home » Feeding Style » Baby Food Purees » Stage One » Ultimate Guide on Baby Food Purees

Here it is, the Ultimate Guide on How to Make Your Own Baby Food! Everything you need to know to get started on making homemade baby purees is right in this guide. Tips, tools, storage methods, recipe combinations, starter purees, introducing new foods — name it, and you’ll find it here! This in-depth guide is perfect for babies ages 4-6+ months!

Medically reviewed and co-written by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).

Purees for Baby

Are you wanting to make your baby homemade baby food purees but don’t know where to start?

In this guide I’ll share everything you need to know to begin, starting from the best cooking tools to have on hand and safe storage. I will also share how to know when baby is ready for solids, how to introduce purees, the best first foods for baby, starter purees, and more! They’re all ideal for babies at least 4 months old (stage 1 baby food). You can also check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes!

In short, this comprehensive guide will teach you how to make and serve homemade baby food without stressing out about it.

That’s the key here — don’t stress out. It’s supposed to be fun, and it’s going to be! Hopefully, after going through this guide, you’ll realize that making homemade baby food is as easy as pie. Plus, seeing your baby wanting to devour your appetizing homemade purees is a priceless moment that is worth the work.

Here’s a tip: Grab a cup of coffee (or glass of wine), and break this post down into smaller sections so you can digest it (pun intended) over time.

As you start making your own baby food purees, you’ll realize that this once daunting task can actually become second nature to you. Don’t panic, you’ve got this!

Guide on Baby Food Purees Video

Watch this video to find out more about how to freeze, store and thaw your own purees!

5 Reasons to Make Your Own Baby Food

Nowadays, it’s easy to buy food for your baby. Many brands now tout that their baby food purees, pouches, and snack bars are organic. Given that you do have a choice, why should you cook at home?

TASTE

Nothing tastes better than a healthy, homemade meal, and that goes for baby purees as well.

Tastes Better – Food always tastes better using fresh, wholesome ingredients.
Tastes Real – If you want your baby to experience what a real apple tastes like, then make a baby food puree using real apples. The industrial process of making store-bought baby food kills off most of the flavors, nutrients, and aromas of the produce, making purees taste bland and unnatural.
Tastes Fresh – Most commercial baby food purees are heated to extremely high temperatures to have upwards of three-year shelf life. That means the food from the store is most likely older than your baby.

Don’t get me wrong — store-bought baby food is convenient if you are in a pinch. But you can’t beat the taste of any homemade baby food.

TEXTURE

The ability to control the thickness of your baby’s puree is an advantage that will not only help you get through the picky-eating days but also help transition your baby from purees to solid food.

Some babies prefer thinner purees, while other babies like thicker ones. When you make your own, you are in control of how thin or thick your baby’s puree will be.
Different textures are as new to your baby as the flavors themselves. So, varying a puree’s texture will not only give your baby a new eating experience but will also excite their taste buds.

NUTRITION

Homemade baby food is undoubtedly healthier for your baby than any brand of store-bought food, whether jarred or in pouches. But the biggest nutrition win I feel you get is that you can tailor them to your child’s needs anytime.

Is your baby feeling a little under the weather? Make a puree high in vitamin C.
Low on iron? Add some beef, spinach, or beans.
Maybe your baby is a little constipated. Making a puree with anything that starts with a “P” — pears, prunes, peas, peaches — will soon get your little one back on their adorable feet.

QUALITY CONTROL

Since you’re the one who buys the ingredients and handles, preps, and cooks the purees, you can rest assured that you know exactly what’s going into all of your baby’s food.

What you make is what your babies get! There are no fillers, thickeners, suspicious ingredients with names you can’t pronounce, shelf stabilizers, or unnecessary water. Just healthy, flavorful homemade baby food that you can also enjoy!

COST SAVINGS

Lastly, this might come as a surprise, but making your own baby food with all organic ingredients is more than 50 percent cheaper than buying their store-bought counterpart!

Depending on how much your baby eats, homemade baby purees can save you some serious money.

What is Traditional Weaning

Traditional weaning (also sometimes called “spoon-feeding”) involves introducing food to your baby via puree form first and then gradually progressing the texture and types of foods over time. Since food is pureed with traditional weaning, the parent typically needs to spoon-feed their baby. Initial foods offered with this approach typically include thin, smooth purees, such as fruits, vegetables, oatmeal or rice cereal. Textures gradually progress to thicker purees, then mashed or chopped foods, and eventually soft finger foods, such as cooked vegetable pieces, toast, pasta, and meats.

Benefits of Traditional Weaning/Spoon Feeding

Baby learns how to swallow safely first, then works on chewing skills later. Purees can be very helpful for teaching swallowing, as they help intrinsic tongue muscles develop, preparing your baby to chew and swallow more efficiently. It’s also less common to gag or choke on purees, which may help some babies feel more comfortable when starting the feeding process.
You know how much your baby has eaten. Whether using store-bought or homemade purees, you’ll be able to get a good estimate on how much your baby consumed.
Baby can get a lot of flavor from the start. Who says purees have to be boring and bland? Especially if you make homemade purees, there are some pretty tasty flavor combinations that you can offer baby as some of their first foods.
Less Mess (well, maybe). Although letting baby touch and explore foods is an important part of the process, if you’re feeling hesitant on just how messy things are going to get initially, starting with spoon-feeding purees might help you ease into the process.

Challenges of Traditional Weaning/Spoon Feeding

Preparing lots of different purees can be time consuming. In addition to making other meals for yourself and the rest of the family, it might feel challenging to make separate meals just for your baby. Although with homemade purees, you will often make a big enough batch so that you’ll have several weeks’ worth of food.
Spoon feeding baby can make it tough to feed yourself during a family style meal. Sitting and eating when baby eats is possible, but you will likely have many interruptions as you pause to spoon-feed baby throughout the meal.
Baby won’t get as much opportunity to engage in sensory exploration. Unless you progress to giving baby their own bowl or spreading purees on the tray and encouraging baby to taste the food off their fingers, they won’t get as much opportunity to feel the puree on their hands, fingers, and face.
Feeding baby past signs of fullness. Reading baby’s cues is important no matter what approach you’re using, but there can be a tendency to continue to feed baby past signs of fullness when spoon-feeding and sneak in “just one more bite” from that almost empty container.
Getting “stuck” in a comfortable zone. Once baby seems to have mastered taking purees from a spoon, it can get tempting to stick with what you know. But baby can get too comfortable with the smooth texture of purees if not encouraged to progress to other textures. This may lead to difficulties managing these textures later on in life.

When is Baby Ready for Solids

Whether you decide to go with traditional weaning (purees), baby-led weaning or a combination of both, look for these readiness signs in your baby:

Around 6 months of age
Sitting with minimal assistance
Good control of their head and trunk
Bringing hands and toys to their mouth
Appears interested in food, possibly by reaching for or leaning forward towards food

Before you start weaning your baby, you should consult with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready.

Helpful Tools for Baby Food Making

Fortunately, most of the tools you need to make homemade baby food can already be found in your kitchen. Score!

Tools Needed

blender or food processor
baking sheet
saucepans
steamer insert with lid
knives
veggie peeler
spatula
freezer tray
storage containers for fridge
stasher bag
reusable pouches
baby food maker

Baby Feeding Essentials

highchair
suction bowl or baby bowl
baby spoon
open lid cup
bib with catch pocket
sleeved bib
splat mat to cover the floor

Learning Resources: looking for the best high chair, cups or spoons for your baby? Then we’ve got you covered! Here you will find How to Find the Best High Chair for Baby, an easy guide on Best First Open Cups for Baby (plus 4 tips when introducing a cup) as well as 3 Tips on How To Spoon Feed Baby (plus – our favorite spoons for purees or BLW).

How to Make Baby Food Purees

All of the baby food recipes on this site and in my cookbooks are designed to enhance the natural taste of the fruits and veggies while keeping as many nutrients intact as possible. In other words, the goal is to make a puree that’s both healthy and delectable.

There are several ways you can cook baby food purees, but the main techniques I use are:

Steaming
Roasting
Simmering
Raw

Keep in mind, that as long as the produce is cooked until soft, that there isn’t a right or wrong way to cook it for baby food.

If a recipe for broccoli calls for steaming but you want to roast it because you will already be roasting some broccoli for yourself for dinner, then go ahead and roast the broccoli for your baby’s puree. Play around and have some fun with it!

Adding Spices to Baby Purees

It’s encouraged that you can serve your baby a homemade puree with a pinch of spices or herbs from the very first bite.

Benefits of Spices

boost and compliment any fruit or vegetable puree
broaden baby’s emerging palate
add more flavor and depth into their foods
decrease picky eating in the years to come
have medicinal properties in them — they can help with digestive issues, boost brain functions, repair muscle tissues, and so on.

While each puree recipe on this site has a selection of spices or herbs that complement the flavors of the fruit or vegetable in the puree, it’s up to you if you want to add them. You do you! Either way, the puree recipes on this site will be delicious.

Top Spices to Add to Baby’s Puree

Cinnamon
Cloves
Nutmeg
Basil
Mint
Parsley
Mild Curry Powder
Fresh Lemon Juice
Garlic
Rosemary

How To Blend Baby Food

Pureeing homemade baby food is a very straightforward event. However, it can take some practice to get the smoothest, creamiest puree for your baby.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Place Produce In Blender: place cooked produce into a blender or food processor.
Start Machine: turn the machine starting on low and increasing until you reach the highest setting.
Add Liquids: add liquids (water, fresh breast milk or formula) in small increments if needed to help smooth out the puree. Root veggies may been up to a cup of liquid while fruits may not need any. Add in 1/4 cup of liquids at a time to make sure not to add too much liquids.
Blend: it usually takes 1-2 mintues to fully blend a puree for baby. If you are getting a chunky puree, add in a little bit more water and keep blending.

Note on Blending: you will always get a smoother puree when you use a blender over a food processor. Most babies will not notice a difference between the texture of baby food made in a blender versus a food processor but if your baby is having trouble with the texture of a puree made in a food processor, you may want to try using a blender.

Tips for getting the Smoothest Baby Purees

Give It Time: Give your blender or food processor some time to work its magic. It takes 1-2 minutes of blending for each puree to get the smoothest puree. But it may take longer if you have an older blender model or you are using a food processor.
Add Liquids: You may have to add extra liquids like water, fresh breast milk, or formula into the blender or food processor in order to get the blender really going. Hard root vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, etc., often take at least 1-2 cups of liquids because they do not have high water content. I recommend adding liquid into the blender in 1/4 cup increments or smaller so you don’t get a runny puree.
Cyclone Effect: You will know you have the right amount of liquid and are at the right speed when you get the cyclone effect. This is when all the ingredients are completely circling the blending without any interference.
Scrape Down Sides: While blending, make sure to scrape the sides with a spatula to get all the produce and spices incorporated into the puree.
Blender vs. Food Processor: A high-speed blender will give you the smoothest puree. A food processor will also work but the result is a slightly thicker puree. The upside of the food processor is that you don’t have to add as much liquid to the puree.

Just Starting: Roasted sweet potato and 1/2 cup of water.
30 Seconds: Scraped down the sides and added 1/4 cup more of water.
60 Seconds: Scraped down the sides and added 1/4 cup more of water.
90 Seconds: Added 2 tablespoons of water, and it was perfect. The puree was clearly running through the blender and the puree was getting super smooth.
Finished: A smooth puree for the win!

See the video in this post to get a step-by-step look at how to blend baby food.

How to Freeze, Store & Thaw Baby Purees

Your freezer is about to become your new best friend, allowing you to keep several weeks’ worth of baby purees at the ready.

How to Freeze Baby Food

Whenever you make a puree, put several ounces in the fridge for your little one to enjoy that week, then freeze the rest of the batch for your baby to eat at a later date. Please make sure you get it in the puree into the fridge or freezer within 1 hour of cooking to prevent bacteria growth.

Make a puree.
Let it cool slightly.
Transfer the puree to freezer trays or freezer jars.
Cover the freezer trays with a lid or plastic wrap.
Label with date and name of puree.
Place the tray in the freezer.
Let it freeze for at least 5 hours.
Take the tray out of the freezer.
Crack the purees out of the trays.
Place the frozen purees into zip-lock baggies or stasher bags.

How to Store

Baby Food

Purees can be stored for up to four days in an airtight container in the fridge or 4 months in the freezer.

How to Thaw Baby Food

Thawing may seem like a no-brainer, but it never hurts to know your options. There are three different ways to thaw purees.

Microwave

Take the frozen puree cubes that you want to serve out of your freezer.
Place them in a glass microwave-safe container.
Microwave in 20-second increments, stirring every time.
The puree is ready when it is just warm to your touch.
Grab two clean spoons, one for you and one for your baby, and test your puree before serving.

Heating Tip: To prevent the microwave from unevenly heating the puree, which can leave it with cold and really hot spots and can burn your baby’s mouth, make sure you stir between each interval and taste test it before serving to your baby.

Fridge

This one takes the longest time, but it is an excellent alternative to using a microwave.

Take the frozen puree cubes you want to serve out of your freezer.
Place the cubes in an air-tight glass container.
Place the container in the fridge and let the cubes thaw for 8 to 12 hours, usually overnight.
Do not leave the puree in the container to thaw on the counter or anywhere out of the fridge, as bacteria will start to grow at a rapid rate — which is definitely not recommended.
Note that the puree will be cold but thawed. So if your baby likes their puree warmed, you’ll have to finish the job using the microwave or stovetop method.

Stovetop

In a small saucepan, add the frozen puree cubes you want to serve to your baby.
Over medium-low heat, gently cook the puree until warm, stirring occasionally.

Thawing Tip: Some infants like their puree cold, warm, or really warm, and some will eat it no matter the temperature. You will get to know your baby’s personal preferences as the two of you bond over food.

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How to Introduce Purees

High chair? Check. Bib? Check. Fully charged cell phone? Check.

With this holy trinity of baby-feeding accouterment, you’re ready for that first feed.

The faces, oh, the faces your baby is about to make! Out of all the firsts, feeding is the most fun — and the messiest. So grab a few wipes, double-check that your phone has enough storage for dozens of photos and videos, and let’s get started!

Before you begin, make sure your baby has a little bit of breast milk or formula in their belly, about half of what you’d normally give in a regular feeding.

Not too full. Not too hungry. Just right.

The Principles

This is not going to be a clean and simple process. Your baby may eat food one day, refuse it the next, and paint their face with it the next. It’s all okay. Playing with food is a good thing; it is simply a way for babies to explore, learn, smell, and taste the world around them. So have those wipes close by, and remember:

Start Slowly – Two teaspoons once a day is enough food for babies for the first couple of meals. Their bodies need time to adjust and digest new food. If they are still acting hungry, give them some more breast milk or formula.
Let the Baby Decide – Your little one should determine how fast or slow they want to eat.
All Spoons on Deck – Have more than one spoon ready. Your baby will surely snatch one out of your hands to play with, which is a-okay.
Have Fun – Smile at your baby throughout the experience, and try to relax. The more fun you have, the greater the likelihood your baby will enjoy it, too (even if they barely eat or don’t eat at all).
Build Up – After a couple of days, build up the quantity of food you offer one tablespoon at a time.

The Ideal

Are you ready to start the feeding? Select a puree you’ve already made. Place just one or two teaspoons of it into its own bowl and slightly warm this small amount. You can choose whether to gently spoon it into your baby’s mouth or hand the spoon over to them to attempt self-feeding. If your baby tries to grab the spoon from you and gets it into their mouth by themselves, whoa — you’ve got success on your hands. If the experience is a bit milder, and they let you spoon some puree into their mouth, enjoy it. This is a winning experience, too.

The Likely

Some babies will simply not open their mouths. Some babies will take one bite, clamp their mouths, and turn away. If (and when) any of this happens, don’t force the spoon into their mouth, and don’t stress out. Here are a couple of things to try:

Put a bit of the puree at the end of your finger and see if your baby will suck it off. This is an unintimidating way to begin, especially as spoons can be scary for little ones.
Pour a tablespoon of puree onto the high chair tray, and allow your baby to play with it if they want. This is a less micromanaging approach to letting the baby explore new food. As babies love to put everything in their mouths, odds are at least some will get in (or near) it.
If your baby has no interest in these options, end the feeding. Dispose of the one or two teaspoons you warmed. Put the remaining, unheated puree in the refrigerator to try again tomorrow.

Remember that before their first birthday, babies receive their main source of calories, vitamins, fat, and protein from your breast milk or formula. At this point, any puree or solid food you give your baby is mainly used to teach them how to eat and explore real food.

10 Starter First Foods for Baby

Not sure which foods to offer first? These 10 foods are nutrient-dense, easy to make, and tasty purees are a choice for your baby.

Avocado
Banana
Sweet Potatoes
Apple
Broccoli
Pear
Carrot
Yogurt
Oats
Green Bean

Foods to Avoid

You will want to avoid these foods until your baby is developmentally ready for them:

Whole nuts, seeds
Clumps of nut butter
Dried fruit
Hard candy
Hard, raw fruits and veggies
Popcorn
Hot dogs
Whole grapes
Added salt and sugar
Honey until 1 year of age
Cow’s milk until 1 year of age

Sample Puree Feeding Schedule

Aim to feed baby a variety of flavors to help expand her palette, which can help reduce picky eating. Try to make sure you serve at least one iron-rich food per meal to help prevent iron deficiency anemia. To begin, serve thin pureed foods that

SAMPLE SCHEDULE FOR 6 – 7 MONTH-OLDS

Most babies are ready to start purees around six months of age. Start with 1-2 meals a day and keep the same amount of formula or breast milk feedings, usually five. Note that there is no one right schedule for your baby.

7am- 7:30-wake-up, bottle/breastfeed
7:30am- 8:30am- play
8:30am- 9am- avocado puree
9am- 10:30am- morning nap
10:30am- 11am- bottle/breastfeed
11am- 12pm-play
12pm-2pm- afternoon nap
2pm- 2:30pm-bottle/breastfeed
2:30- 3pm- banana puree
3- 3pm -play
4pm- 5pm- cat nap
5pm- 5:30pm- bottle/breastfeed
5:30pm- 6:30 pm- play
6:30pm- bath
7pm-7:30pm- bottle/breastfeed
7:30pm- bedtime

SAMPLE SCHEDULE FOR 8 – 9 MONTH-OLDS

If your baby is not eating 2 solid meals a day yet, go ahead and increase purees to twice a day. Once you have introduced a variety of single-ingredient purees, you can start offering combination purees.

7am- 7:30am- wake-up, bottle/breastfeed
7:30-8:30am- play
8:30am– 9am- apple and carrot puree
9am-10:30am- morning nap
10:30am- 11am- bottle/breastfeed
11am-12pm-play
12pm- 2pm- afternoon nap
2pm- 2:30pm- bottle/breastfeed
2:30- 4pm- play
4pm- 5pm- cat nap
5:00pm- 5:30pm- bottle/breastfeed
5:30pm- 6:00 pm- play
6:00pm- 6:30pm- sweet potato and chicken puree, yogurt on the side
6:30pm- bath
7pm- 7:30pm- bottle/breastfeed
7:30 pm-bedtime

SAMPLE SCHEDULE FOR 10 – 12-MONTH-OLDS

By now, your baby should be getting 3 meals a day, in addition to formula or breast milk, which is usually reduced to 4 feedings per day. Around 9-10, your baby should be introduced to chunky purees and then quickly to finger foods.

7am-7:30am- wake up, bottle/breastfeed
7:30am-8:30am- play
8:30am- 9am- breakfast of a quartered hard-boiled egg, halved raspberries, whole grain pancakes
9am-10am- play
10am-12pm- morning nap
12pm- 12:30pm-bottle/breastfeed
12:30pm-1pm- play
1pm- 1:30pm- lunch of cut up baked chicken, steamed broccoli and rice
1:30pm-2:45 pm- play
2:45pm- 3pm- snack of whole grain O’s, cut up cheese stick and sliced strawberries
3pm- 4:30pm- afternoon nap
4:30pm- 5pm- bottle/breastfeed
5pm-6pm- play
6pm- 6:30pm- dinner of ground hamburger meat, baked sweet potato sticks, steamed peas and carrots
6:30pm- bath
7pm-7:30pm- bottle/breastfeed
7:30 pm-bedtime

Purees and Choking

Babies are less likely to gag or choke on purees compared to solid foods. When babies first suck on the breast or bottle, they are learning how to swallow liquids. Transitioning to purees can help teach your baby an effective swallowing technique, by propelling foods backward with the tongue and swallowing.

Choking vs. Gagging

Although it may still look and feel intense or scary the first time a parent witnesses it, gagging is different than choking.

Gagging

When a baby gags, it is most likely because food that has not been chewed well has gotten too far back in the mouth. The gag reflex is a built-in protective mechanism to protect the airway from food. With practice, your baby learns that they need to chew first, then swallow the food. Fortunately, with continued practice with eating, the gag reflex should lessen over time.

Signs of gagging include:

sounds, such as coughing or hacking
baby’s skin may turn red or a darker shade
baby’s eyes might water

Babies usually recover fairly quickly, and you may see the food come forward in their mouth. Although not as common, vomiting after gagging may happen. During this time, watch closely and do your best to stay calm.

Choking

On the other hand, choking happens when there is a blockage of the upper airway, from food or an object. Complete blockage of the airway prevents a person from breathing effectively. Therefore, choking is a true medical emergency and requires quick intervention on your part.

Signs of choking include:

baby is quiet
baby’s skin may turn blueish in color
baby won’t be able to cry or make much sound

Your baby may become unresponsive or lose consciousness if the food is not cleared. This is why it’s recommended to know CPR before starting solids of any kind.

How to Keep Baby Safe

As a parent of two, I know how scary it can be to introduce solid foods to your baby. With the proper precautions and knowledge, the fears will loosen and feeding your baby can become a wonderful adventure for both of you. To be prepared, we recommend you attend a live class in your area or take this online Baby CPR Course.

Always supervise with food – sit with your baby and try not to multi-task while your baby is eating.
Baby should be sitting in an upright position for all meals and snacks, not reclined. If your baby starts to get sleepy during eating, remove food.
No eating in the car seat unless an adult is in the backseat supervising your baby.
Do not let baby eat on the go. Once your baby is crawling or walking, avoid letting them move around with food in their mouth or holding food in their hands.
Check the temperature of foods before offering them.
Check baby’s mouth after they are done eating. Some babies may pocket food in the sides of their cheeks or get food stuck to the roof of their mouth as they are learning to eat. If you see any food remaining, encourage your baby to keep chewing, spit it out if they need to, or take sips of water or milk. Avoid sticking your finger in your baby’s mouth to get the food out – we want baby to learn how to manage taking care of the food.

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How to Teach Babies to Chew

When babies first start chewing, the movement you see is a basic up and down jaw movement, sometimes called munching, that will eventually progress into a mature chewing pattern, called rotary chewing. Throughout this process, babies are also developing side-to-side tongue movements, called tongue lateralization. Tongue lateralization helps your baby push food over to their gums, where the molars will eventually come in, and where the heavy work of chewing happens. As your baby chews the food multiple times, it forms into a little ball or “bolus” of food, which is then transferred to the back of the mouth for swallowing.

Purees can also be used to develop the skills needed for chewing. You can place a spoonful of puree to the sides of the mouth as you would with a teether or soft piece of food. The purpose of this is not to expect your baby to start “chewing” the puree in the way that we think of chewing as adults, but rather to encourage your baby to start working tongue lateralization.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many ounces will baby actually eat?

This varies with each baby so it just depends! Some babies will only have a taste and be done, and others will want more and more. Some babies have a larger appetite than others so it’s hard to know but start with one teaspoon and work your way up to a tablespoon, and then more if your baby is still interested. Baby will eat more as they get older but always pay attention to your baby’s hunger and fullness cues to know when to stop feeding.

How many ounces of purees should baby eat?

By the time baby is ready for finger foods, she should be eating around 4 ounces of food at each meal. If it is more or less than this, do not worry. Babies get most of their nutrition from formula or breast milk until they turn 1 year old.

Does baby need teeth to eat?

The question of how babies can chew foods without teeth makes any parent scratch their heads! But in reality, we all chew food with our back molars, not our front teeth, which baby doesn’t get until 18-22 months of age. Good thing babies have super tough and strong gums, which they use to mash, gnaw and chew foods. Baby’s gums are better at chewing food than you would think, and your baby will be able to chew more foods the older they get, even without their molars.

Can you mix baby-bed weaning and purees?

Absolutely! Both purees and solid foods are great ways to introduce your baby to new flavors and textures. Babies actually learn to swallow liquids first, whether in the form of breastmilk or bottles. Purees are similar to offering liquid that’s been thickened a bit, so this can help with introducing your baby to a texture change and getting practice with swallowing solid food. Just consider limiting the amount of times you switch back and forth between soft solids and purees during each meal, at least when your baby is first learning to eat. Instead, you could offer a veggie puree as the “appetizer” before soft solids at one meal, or yogurt as the “dessert” at another meal.

Puree Feeding

Tips

Relax: try to relax and don’t worry too much about how much baby eats. It should be fun for you and baby.
Timing: babies tend to tolerate purees best 1 hour breastfeeding or bottle, when they aren’t too hungry or too full.
Limit distractions: turn off screens, put away toys, and sit down face to face with baby during the meal.
Follow baby’s lead: it can be easy to overfeed when using traditional weaning vs baby led weaning, so always follow baby’s cues for when they are done eating. Turning away from the spoon, closing his mouth, or pushing food away are all signs that baby is finished with the meal.
Start with a small amount: and small servings. 1-2 oz of food per meal is adequate. Remember, these servings will be smaller than you think and at this stage, breast milk or formula will still be your baby’s primary source of calories and nutrition.
Offer the spoon and allow waiting time: after you bring the spoon toward baby’s mouth, wait for her to open and accept it. Allow baby to close her top lip and suck puree off the spoon, while you guide the spoon straight out of the mouth. Avoid scraping the spoon on the roof of the mouth as you bring it back.
Use shallow spoons or flat spoons: these help baby with clearing puree off with the top lip. A couple options we love include Olababy and ezpz mini spoon.
Give time to practice: at first you might notice baby pushing the food back out and then swallowing. With time and practice, this forward/backward reflexive motion with the tongue will fade and baby will start swallowing more food than he pushes back out.
Have a back spoon (or two!): even very young babies may want to be involved in the process as much as possible. Giving baby an extra spoon to hold can be helpful in giving baby sense of control and promoting hand-eye coordination.
Let baby get messy! Encourage touching and playing with purees for a full sensory experience.

Or watch a shortened version of this video here.

Make Baby Food

Make baby food puree per the recipe. This could be by steaming, roasting or sauteing.

Freeze Purees

Pour puree into freezer tray or small baby food jars.
Lable the freezer tray or baby food jars with the recipe name and date.
Place the tray or jars in the freezer and freeze for at least 5 hours.
Pop the frozen baby food cubes out and place them into a zip-lock baggie or stasher bag.

Thaw Baby Food

Microwave –
Take the frozen puree cubes that you want to serve out of your freezer. Place them in a glass microwave-safe container. Microwave in 20-second increments, stirring every time The puree is ready when it is just warm to your touch. Grab two clean spoons, one for you and one for your baby, and test your puree before serving.
Fridge –
Take the frozen puree cubes you want to serve out of your freezer. Place the cubes in an air-tight glass container. Place the container in the fridge and let thaw for 12 to 16 hours. Do not leave the puree in the container to thaw on the counter or anywhere out of the fridge, as bacteria will start to grow at a rapid rate – which is definitely not good. The puree will be cold but thawed, so if your baby likes her puree warmed, you’ll have to finish the job using the microwave or stovetop method.
Stovetop –
In a small saucepan, add the frozen puree cubes you want to serve to baby. Over medium-low heat, gently cook the puree until warm, stirring occasionally.
Serve and enjoy!

Blender

Bumkins Baby Bowl

Freezer Tray

Tripp Trapp High Chair

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10 rules for making safe baby food for your baby

About nutrition

Photo: Ibrakovic / iStock / Getty Images

AAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend exclusive breastfeeding for six months, after which complementary foods begin.

But it may happen a little earlier or later. Signs of a child's readiness include:

Good head control and sitting with little support.
The baby may turn away, push the bottle or the breast away to let you know that he is full and has finished eating.
The baby is shortening the intervals between feedings and it seems that breast milk or formula is no longer enough for him.
And the most important clue: when you eat, your child looks down at you and seems to be begging for food with his eyes (or maybe even snatching it out of your hands).

2. Don't get hung up on what food to give first

There is no one food to start with - even pediatricians can disagree. Most recommend that parents start with the simple whole fruits and vegetables that the family is accustomed to eating—bananas, apples, peas, zucchini, carrots, or potatoes.

You can boil or roast your favorite fruits or vegetables until soft, then mix them with enough breast milk, formula or water to get a runny consistency.

It is advisable to follow the rule: give the child one new product for 3-5 days, so that in the event of an allergic reaction, it would be easier to identify the "culprit". As soon as the child begins to eat one food well, you can move on to another, or to new combinations of foods that he has already tried. For example, give your child mashed bananas for 3 days, and then you can switch to baby oatmeal with bananas.

Photo: blyjak / iStock / Getty Images

3. Avoid certain foods until the baby is 1 year old

Due to the risk of botulism, honey or foods containing honey should not be given to the baby. You should also avoid unpasteurized foods: milk, undercooked meat, eggs, fish or poultry. The child can eat yogurt. However, whole milk should be introduced into the diet after one year, as it is not as nutritious as breast milk or formula and is low in iron.

4. Don't waste your money on fancy kitchen equipment

There are many gadgets for making baby food. They are expensive and will only be needed for a short period of time. Instead, just use what you already have on hand—a hand blender, immersion blender, or food processor.

5. Store Food Properly

Strained fruits and vegetables can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days, and in the freezer for up to one month. Keep vegetable purees in the refrigerator for no more than a day, and in the freezer for a month. The same applies to strained meat, poultry, fish and eggs.

6. Store food in ice cube trays

It is convenient to freeze puree in ice cube trays. Each cube contains 2 tablespoons of puree—the perfect serving size to start with. After freezing in the tray, you can transfer the cubes to labeled freezer bags and put them in the freezer.

Photo: Getty Images

7.

Be sure to feed meat

Meat is an excellent source of protein and iron. If you decide to make your own baby food at home, you can mix boiled meat (beef, chicken, or turkey) with breast milk, formula, or another puree (such as mashed potatoes) until it's the consistency of soup, without chunks. Older children can be given pieces of minced meat. It is important to avoid meats with a higher salt content, such as bacon and deli.

The iron stores that a baby is born with are depleted after about 4-6 months. Therefore, iron-fortified baby cereals or mashed meats are an important complementary food for breastfed babies.

8. Don't worry if you don't have time to cook

Homemade baby food can be easy! Make a banana or potato puree. In addition, you can get by with a store option.

9. Don't put off allergenic foods

Pediatricians used to advise to postpone the consumption of highly allergenic foods until the age of one. A new study shows that it is important to give your child such food as early as possible. Pediatricians now recommend doing this when the baby is 6 months old. Recall that highly allergenic foods include milk, eggs, soy, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.

10. It's important to know the signs of an allergy

Remember and learn the signs by which it is clear that a baby is developing an allergy.

external : swelling of the mouth or tongue, swelling of the eyes, itching all over the body, single urticaria or urticaria all over the body, exacerbation of eczema;
digestive: vomiting or diarrhoea;
respiratory: cough, choking, wheezing or difficulty breathing.
cardiovascular: bluish lips, mouth or fingers, or weak pulse.

Lida Buslaeva

How to cook baby food - Encyclopedia Baby food

Taking care of your child's health in today's world means starting complementary foods right with whole, healthy foods prepared with love. Most mothers will immediately ask how to prepare baby food that is of high quality, easily digestible and tasty.

Canned food can sometimes seem easy to feed a baby, but when you start reading the ingredients of each tiny can (not to mention the cost of each can), it makes more sense to try your hand at making homemade baby food yourself.

When you think about how to prepare baby food, it seems so difficult. However, everything is much easier. In fact, baby food is the easiest recipe to prepare. Many mothers who hate to cook learn how to cook with healthy complementary foods for their beloved child.

Let's start with a few practical tips on what you'll need, what products to choose and what else to keep in mind to make the process as easy as possible.

Contents:

So, how to prepare baby food? Simple - choose a fruit or vegetable that needs to be introduced into complementary foods, cook until tender, make a smooth puree and voila ... a batch of baby food is ready. And now to the details, the following tips will teach you how to cook baby food in no time.

1. Buy the right tools

Blender

This “devil machine” is the best assistant in the kitchen. Only a blender can bring fruits, vegetables, grains, meat and other products to the ideal consistency. During the first few months, solid foods are made smooth and tender without lumps so that the baby's digestion slowly gets used to the complex textures.

Stainless saucepan

Good regular dishes will always be washed. The first experiments burn, stick and are almost not washed off. Buy one good quality baby food pot. I have never regretted in 6 years. She washes with a brush, dishwasher, iron brush and she is still like new. We choose high-quality, stainless dishes, small up to 1 liter, with a good handle and lid. I have a lid with heat protection, I can take it with my bare hands, it is not hot, and neither is the pen.

Broth with peas and rice

Baby food freezer tray with lid

One good plastic or flexible silicone tray will last a long time. Moreover, it is needed for the first 4-6 months; you will not need to freeze baby purees anymore. You can buy without a lid, but then you have to suffer from bags, as baby purees love to absorb odors from the freezer. During meals, portions can be diced and heated in the microwave before serving.

freezer mold

Food thermometer

Many new mothers are advised to buy a food thermometer. I didn't buy. My wrist was an indicator, always, if I'm hot, then the child will be very hot. But for speed and convenience, a food thermometer comes in handy to make sure the food is at the right temperature for small mouths.

Steamer or multicooker

A modern kitchen cannot do without these devices, because it is easier and more useful for us. In principle, a slow cooker will always help out when you need to cook porridge, and a double boiler - a lot of vegetables and fruits. These tools always help out, save the time of an eternally busy mother. I advise!!!

2. Choose Your First Foods Carefully

Choose fruits and vegetables for your first weaning foods that are rich in nutrients. Brightly colored vegetables are fresh vegetables. For the first feeding, foods such as broccoli, zucchini, zucchini, pumpkin are suitable, they are rich in vitamins, and at the same time look attractive. Fruits such as apple and pear can be introduced from about six months of age and are also very rich in vitamins, such as blueberries and peaches.

It's a good idea to talk to your doctor about which foods to introduce first and what is the best age to start complementary foods (this could be four to six months) and remember to start with one.

We offer the child the same food for four days - if any signs of allergy appear, the mother will immediately notice it.

3. Safety First

Making baby food at home is a convenient way to provide your baby with a healthy diet free of additives and preservatives.

Preparing and freezing small batches of food in advance makes the task much easier. However, do not forget to throw away any food that has been touched with a used feeding spoon, food that has already been reheated, and food that has been in the freezer for too long. At first, it is recommended to keep frozen baby puree for no more than 1 month in the freezer.

Children's dishes can be washed in the dishwasher, the only thing you have to do is choose a cleaning agent for children. If there is no dishwasher, then wash the dishes under hot water, at first you can pour boiling water over before use.

Food should always be warm, but not hot. If there is no thermometer, we measure the temperature of the food with the back of the wrist before serving.

Avoid food or utensils that contain harsh chemicals that can react in microwaves or ovens and always keep your hands clean before handling any food.

I remind you that your child should wash their hands before preparing food. They should be washed frequently, as well as products that are cleaned and then cut.

What happens when products are rejected?

It's important to understand that a child likes and dislikes certain foods, but it's important to keep in mind that as a baby develops, their tiny taste buds also grow and new taste preferences emerge. Parents need to be patient, the first feeding is a messy experience, so you need to have enough rags and bibs on hand to enjoy the baby's first taste sensations.

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On our website Encyclopedia Baby Food there is useful information on the nutrition of your children, which is useful for everyone, and we update the website "Encyclopedia Baby Food" constantly and try to search and write only excellent, verified and necessary information for you and your children.

Disclaimer No. 1: It must be understood that the author of the articles on the Baby Food Encyclopedia website is not a medical staff, “I am not a doctor.” The information I share is based on my own experience. My goal is not to teach you how to eat or feed your child, but to talk about how we did it, what new things I learned or read. This expands the picture of Baby Food knowledge, gives you a glimpse of the whole process so you can decide if you like it or not.

Disclaimer No. 2 : However, the above does not replace visiting a pediatrician. Before you start complementary foods, you need to get his professional opinion on the best way to introduce new foods for your baby. I also draw your attention to the fact that you need to look at the original date of the published articles, because some of the "best practices" may have changed. Always check with your child's pediatrician about complementary foods and their health.

Disclaimer #3: Keep in mind that every family is unique, every situation is also completely unique.