Baby Food Recipes

Pediatricians recommend the introduction of solid foods at 6 months of age, although some doctors are ok with starting it a couple of months earlier. We think that breastfeeding at least until 6 months of age provides the ideal nutrition for babies.

Homemade solid foods for babies are the easiest to make, and a lot more nutritional than jarred foods. Preparing one single vegetable, legume, chicken, or fruit each time is very simple and fast. A very easy technique is to freeze the food in cubes, like ice cubes, and defrost 3-5 cubes per meal. Make sure you mix different flavors each meal for outstanding nutritional value, including a protein (chicken, fish, etc), a green and a yellow vegetable, legumes, and grains.

Freezing Baby Food is Very Easy!

All you have to do is boil or roast the veggies, legume, grains, etc, and blend it with a bit of water (see recipes below). Transfer the content to clean and sanitized ice cube trays. You can buy cube trays specifically made for baby food at baby stores. They come with a cover (e.g.kidco trays). Or, if you use regular ice cube trays, cover them with a plastic film before placing them in the freezer.

Sanitizing the ice cubes is important, and easily done through the dishwasher.

After about 10-15 hours in the freezer, the content is frozen. It is time to transfer the cubes to a labeled and dated plastic bag. Store in the freezer. We recommend using it for a month to guarantee freshness and taste, however several sources confirm that it is safe to freeze the food for 3 months without any problem.

Veggies and Legume Recipes (Stage 1)

Stage 1 is appropriate for babies 6-8 months, during the initiation to solid foods.

All of our recipes suggest the use of organic ingredients. If you can, opt for organic food, especially when your little one is growing so quickly! (Scrow all the way down for a list of non-organic vegetables and fruits with the highest and lowest load of pesticides available in the market).

Click here to see all Stage 1 recipes.

Veggies and Legumes Recipes (Stage 2)

Stage 2 is appropriate for babies older than 8 months.

Click here to see all Stage 2 recipes.

Fruits (Stages 1 and 2)

Some moms believe that fruits should be introduced a couple of weeks after the vegetables. The reason is purely taste! Fruits are sweeter and babies may not like vegetables if introduced to fruits first.

Good options to introduce fruits are apples, pears, bananas, avocado, papaya, plums and prunes.

Click here to see all Fruit Recipes (Stages 1 and 2).

Great Finger Foods

Around 9 to 10 months of age, a baby has developed enough motors skills to allow her to use the fingers to pick up food. This is a good time to start introducing finger foods. Kids usually have fun and enjoy developing their independence at this age, and this will work as a transition to eating with utensils at a later stage.

Click here to see all Finger Food recipes.

Organic Ingredients, Not Always Necessary

We all know that pesticides are not good for our bodies. The exposure to toxic chemicals can have an even more adverse effect in children. The metabolism of a fetus, infant and child is less able to metabolize and inactivate toxic chemicals, being more vulnerable to the harmful effects of pesticides.

Consuming organic food minimizes the problem, but it is generally expensive, and not accessible to everybody. The Environmental Working Group developed a list of vegetables and fruits that contain the highest amount of pesticides, and the ones that are generally clear. So, be wise and don't spend the extra cash when not necessary.

Click here to see the rank of fruits and veggies with the highest and lowest load of pesticides.

Fish and Mercury: What to Avoid

We keep hearing about high mercury levels in fish, but always wondered which ones are safe to consume. The Environmental Working Group released a useful list of what to eat, and when.

Click here to access the list.

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Information in this website is not meant to be taken as medical advice, we are not licensed medical physicians; the information presented should not replace the medical advice of your doctor or pediatrician. Contents may not be reproduced for other use without the express written consent of ecologicalmom.com.