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    Homemade Baby Food Done Right

    Jennifer D., RD Dietetics and Nutrition Manager at The Women's Hospital 10/04/2018

    Steps to making homemade baby food:
    Rule of thumb: plan on at least 30 minutes a week to prepare the baby food!
    1. If making from fresh: select fruits/vegetables that are not bruised, shriveled, moldy or slimy. Wash produce just before you will begin making the baby food. 
    If making from frozen: cook frozen fruits/vegetables in a microwave or on the stovetop to steam the food.
    If making from canned: pour canned fruits/vegetables into a colander or strainer and rinse cold water over them for one minute and skip to the puree step. 
    1. If a fork slides easily into the food or it can be mashed with a fork, you are ready to move onto the next step. If not, keep cooking until it can be mashed.
    2. Pour the cooked food and juices into a blender or food processor and puree.  You are trying to blend the food to a soft and smooth texture for your baby to eat. This is the most important step in making baby food.
    3. Pour the pureed food into ice cube trays and cover them.  Allow the ice cube trays to freeze for 8-10 hours.
    4. Pull out a freezer storage bag and write the type of food and the date on the bag. This type of freezer bag is important to keep the food fresh.
    5. Remove the baby food trays from the freezer and quickly run hot water over the back of the tray. 
    6. Next you should twist the ice cube tray to pop the baby food cubes out and into the freezer storage bag.  Place the storage bag in the freezer. 
    Tip: frozen baby food cubes can be stored in the freezer for 2-3 months before needing to be thrown out!
    Serving Homemade Baby Food
    1. Remove the baby food cubes from the freezer that you are going to serve and place them in a dish.
    2. Thaw the cubes in the refrigerator. This will take about 3-4 hours. If you do not have that long, you can warm the cubes in a hot water bath on the counter or thaw baby food cubes in the microwave on defrost cycle.
    Note: be careful when thawing baby food in the microwave because it can create extremely hot spots in the food!
    Thinning and Thickening Homemade Baby Food
    To thicken baby food, you can add vitamin-fortified dry cereal such as baby oatmeal or rice cereal.  Mashed bananas, yogurt, or silken tofu may be other options to thicken food to the right consistency. The best way to thin baby food is to add breast milk or infant formula. 
    Good luck with your newest adventure and enjoy this exciting time!
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