How to Make Homemade Food for a 6-Month-Old Baby
Around 6 months of age your baby is ready to be introduced to new foods and textures. While you should still be providing milk or formula, you can also give your baby whole grain cereals and pureed fruits, vegetables, egg yolks, some dairy and some meats, if you choose. Making your own baby food gives you control over what the baby food is made of, which is especially helpful if you have a baby with known food allergies. After you've introduced cereals to your baby, try preparing fruit or vegetable purees.
Things You'll Need
- Fresh or frozen fruits or vegetables
- Filtered or spring water
- Pots
- Blender
- Jars
Instructions
Wash your produce. Run the fruits and vegetables under cold water using a clean produce brush to remove any dirt and grit. Peel or blanch the produce to remove the outer layer, which may be covered in wax or pesticides. In addition to removing waxes and pesticides on the skin, peeling fruits and vegetables gets rid of the strong flavor many peels have that some babies don't like. Alternatively, because some nutrients are lost with peeling, you can also blanch the fruits or vegetables in boiling water for several seconds. Remove the fruits or vegetables and then wipe them clean with a towel. Cook the fruits and vegetables to break down cellulose, which can upset a baby's fragile stomach. Some vegetables, such as squash and sweet potatoes, can be roasted in the oven. Apples and pears can be cooked and made into a sauce using a small amount of water. Stone fruits (fruits with a large seed in the middle, such as peaches, plums or cherries) should be cooked with their skins and pits to keep the fruit from becoming too sour. Other fruits and vegetables should be boiled or steamed. Cool the cooked fruits or vegetables for roughly a half hour, or until they can easily be handled with bare hands. Puree the cooked produce in a blender or in a bowl with an immersion blender. You may need to add a little water or yogurt to get the consistency you desire. If the food is too thick your baby's stomach might become upset. You are aiming for the consistency of a thin, commercial applesauce. Store the food in sanitized jars in the refrigerator for approximately two days or seal the food in sanitized jars using a hot water bath or pressure canner.
