Homemade Baby Food

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Prep

​Sweet Potatoes (not yams)

• Scrub and remove any bad spots
• Wrap in foil and set on a baking sheet
• Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until cooked through
• Remove from oven and let cool completely in the foil
• Unwrap, remove skin and any remaining bad spots

Butternut Squash

• Scrub thoroughly
• Split in half with a large butcher knife. Place on cutting board and rock knife on the surface of the squash until you can get the knife to go in, then put pressure on it and it should split in half. Be careful, butternut squash is very hard
• Scoop out seeds and any thread-like substance
• Place on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet with the open side down
  
• Bake at 350°F for 45-60 minutes. Check every once in a while to see if it's softening
  
• Remove from oven and let cool completely
  
• Scoop out the squash, removing any dark spots if it baked a bit too long

Apples, Pears, other fruits

• Peel and seed fruit, cut into pieces
• Simmer in ¼ inch of water OR steam until tender

Carrots

• Peel and slice into coins
• Simmer in ¼ inch of water OR steam until tender
  • You can also put a little water in a pan with them and bake at 350°F for 45-60 minutes

Canned Vegetables (Peas, Green & Yellow Beans, etc)

• Look for cans that say "no salt added"
• Drain liquid, set aside
• When puréeing, if it's too thick add some of the liquid from the can
• Note: if you're using things you canned yourself or for extra safety with store bought cans, bring it to a boil first to make sure there's no bacteria

Fresh Green & Yellow Beans

• Remove stems, cut in small pieces
• Steam until tender

Avocados

• Remove pit and scoop out

Bananas

• Make sure bananas are ripe, not yellow, but without bruising
• Peel and remove brown spots

Peaches

• Place peaches into simmering water for about 90 seconds
• Remove and let cool, then remove the skin
• ​Remove pit and any dark stringy flesh around the pit
• Great for babies who are a bit constipated

Purée & Freeze

• Purée in food processor or blender until smooth. As the baby gets older, you can pulse instead so it's a little chunky like jarred baby food
• Carefully spoon into an ice cube tray
• Cover with plastic wrap and freeze
• Once frozen, pop out cubes of baby food and store in a freezer bag labeled with the type of food and the date prepared. Good for about a year in the freezer
• To serve, remove one or two cubes and thaw to room temp or slightly warm (NOT hot)

Mashed Potatoes

• Peel and boil potatoes as normal
• Whip up to make sure there's no lumps
• I don't recommend freezing because potatoes get gritty when frozen, so this works well if you're making mashed potatoes for yourself, just set some aside before adding anything to the potatoes

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