6-8 months Baby Food Recipes

What are “Stage 1″ Baby Food Recipes?

Start out slowly, preparing a tablespoon sized portion of whatever food you have chosen to begin with. Some parents begin offering their babies solid foods by using their (clean and washed) finger as a spoon. They say that this helps their babies take to solid foods because the “new” spoon and the “new” food all at once seem to confuse baby.

You will probably only manage to have baby eat 1/2 of the tablespoon sized portion the very first times you begin solids. Don’t fret if your baby does not “finish” a meal.

Commonly Offered Stage 1 Baby Foods:

Stage 1 Veggies:
Beans (Green) | Carrots | Peas | Sweet Potato | Squash

Stage 1 Grains:
Rice | Oatmeal | Barley

Banana puree

Bananas are often a favourite food for little ones. They are easy to prepare, filling, and tasty, as well as being a good source of potassium.

Ingredients

1 small ripe banana
1-2 tsps of baby rice
2 tbsps of breastmilk or formula

Method
Mash the banana well until smooth. Mix the rice and milk, and stir into the banana. Adjust the texture with milk or rice to make it runnier or firmer.

Carrot and parsnip puree

This tasty root vegetable mixture is a good source of beta-carotene. In season, parsnips have a delicious natural sweetness that your baby may love to taste.

Ingredients

1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 parsnip, peeled and diced

Method
Steam the vegetables until tender. Puree in a blender or mouli and adjust the texture with boiled, cooled water or your baby’s usual milk.

Broccoli and cauliflower puree

This combination of brassica vegetables is a good source of iron and vitamin C.

Ingredients

1 large broccoli floret
1 large cauliflower floret

Method
Steam the vegetables until they are tender. Puree in a blender or mouli and adjust the texture with boiled, cooled water or your baby’s usual milk.

Sweet potato mash

This mashed vegetable meal is a gorgeous colour and a good source of beta-carotene.

Ingredient

1 sweet potato

Method
Steam or boil the sweet potato until it is tender. Drain and mash well, adding your baby’s usual milk to make an appetising consistency.

Potato and spinach puree

This is a nourishing meal for your baby. It provides your baby with both beta-carotene and vitamin C.

Ingredients

1 medium floury potato, peeled and quartered
20g (a handful) spinach

Method
Boil the potato in unsalted water until tender. Steam the spinach over the potato in a sieve for the last few minutes of cooking. Drain and mash the potato with a little of your baby’s usual milk. Puree the spinach and add to the potato. Adjust the texture with boiled, cooled water, breastmilk, or formula.

Pear and apple puree

This delicious mixture of fruits will provide your baby with plenty of vitamin C.

Ingredients

1 ripe pear, peeled and sliced
1 apple, peeled and sliced

Method
Place the pear and apple in a small saucepan with one tablespoon of water and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is tender. Puree in a blender or mouli.

Lentils with butternut squash

This sustaining mixture of pulse and vegetable will provide your baby with iron, beta-carotene and fibre.

Ingredients

50g split red lentils
120g butternut squash, peeled and diced

Method
Boil the lentils in water until soft. Steam or microwave the squash until tender. Drain the lentils in a sieve. Add the squash to the sieve and place the sieve over a bowl. Press the mixture through the sieve using a wooden spoon, stir and serve.

Avocado and kiwi puree

Your baby may really enjoy this refreshing, colourful combination. It is a good source of healthy fat (monounsaturated fat) and vitamin C. Kiwi fruit can be a bit sharp if they’re not fully ripe, so taste a fruit from your punnet first.

Ingredients

Half a ripe avocado
1 ripe kiwi fruit

Method
Mash the avocado well. In a separate bowl, peel and mash the kiwi. Push the kiwi through a sieve to remove the pips, then mix with the avocado.

Cantaloupe melon puree

Cantaloupe melons are smallish, with green mottled skins and orange flesh. If you can’t find them on your shop’s shelves, any other melon will work well. Cantaloupe melons will provide your baby with beta-carotene and vitamin C.