For both K and D we used a combination of baby-led weaning and homemade purees. K was done with purees when he turned 1, but D isn’t as coordinated with chewing or picking up food, so we’ll probably keep spoon feeding him some meals for a while! I’ve learned a lot of shortcuts through all this experience. Here are my gear recommendations and basic recipe!

1. A blender. We were gifted the baby bullet which works fine, I like that it’s smaller and comes with the cute jars with screw tops – great for traveling.

2. Ice cube trays with lids. After blending the food, I keep some for fresh use and freeze the rest. My set has survived about a year of nearly constant use (6m with K, 6m+ with D), and it’s still going strong! I just run the trays under hot water and the cubes come out easily.

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3. Freezer bags. I let the cubes freeze overnight and then dump them into freezer bags. For K I meticulously labeled what each was since I often only made purees of one or two foods at a time. For D I more often make purees of entire meals, and then don’t bother labeling, since I don’t care what it is if it’s a full meal – sorry D!

4. Small jars with lids. For the fresh food, or for thawing/heating the cubes. You can cram four frozen cubes into one jar.

5. Munchkin Baby spoons and 6. Bumkins wipe-able bibs. Again, these have survived years of constant use and are still going strong. I love just being able to rinse the bibs out in the sink and hang to dry.

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My general recipe will probably not be surprising to anyone, but it wasn’t obvious to me when I first started making baby food! I use:

  • Protein – a chicken drumstick or thigh, boneless/skinless fish fillet, ground turkey, lentils (we don’t eat beef or pork but obviously those work too!)
  • Grain/starch – rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.
  • Green veggie – broccoli, green beans, spinach, asparagus, etc.
  • Orange/other veggie – squash, sweet potato, carrot, bell pepper, cauliflower, etc.

I try to have the most protein, with somewhat less of the grains/veggies. All the ingredients can be fresh or frozen.

And then, all you have to do is:

  • Add everything to a pot that’s frozen, cover with water
  • Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, add any fresh ingredients, stir occasionally
  • Once everything is cooked and tender (at least 20 minutes), turn off the heat
  • Once cooled, shred the chicken from the bone
  • Use a slotted spoon to put everything in the blender, adding the water/broth from the pot
  • Blend, continuing to add water from the pot, until you’ve reached the consistency you want (if it’s still warm, remember it will thicken some when it cools down)
  • Split into some fresh servings and then for freezing.

Easy peasy! And way cheaper than buying. I make a batch every few days so that if I’m particularly lazy or busy I have a good freezer stash.

Do you make your LOs food? Share your tricks!