Baby foods: homemade

With homemade baby foods, you know exactly what your baby is eating. You have control over all the ingredients in the meals, especially added salt and sugar. It also introduces your baby to tastes and textures of family foods.

Homemade baby foods are cheaper to prepare than buying ready-made baby foods.

Making baby food

You can use fruit, vegetables, pulses, meat or fish to make baby food. Liquidise, puree, chop or mash the ingredients, depending on the stage of weaning.

Weaning: starting your baby on solid foods

Follow these step-by-step guides when you're making baby food:

Fruit

1. Wash fruit under cold running water.
2. Peel and cut into small pieces, discarding core, pips, seeds or stones.
3. Stew fruit in a small amount of water - ripe fruit requires less heat and water to soften.
4. Liquidise, puree or mash depending on the stage of weaning.
5. Add breast or formula milk if texture is too thick.

Vegetables

1. Wash vegetables under cold running water.
2. Peel, trim and slice.
3. Steam or boil vegetables in small amounts of water to minimise any loss of vitamins and minerals.
4. Liquidise, puree or mash depending on the stage of weaning.
5. Add breast or formula milk if texture is too thick.

Meat, poultry, fish or pulses

1. Remove all bones.
2. Stew, bake, steam, grill or boil until tender, as you would with family meals.
3. Ensure it is fully cooked and tender.
4. Liquidise, puree or mash, depending on the stage of weaning.
5. Add breast or formula milk if texture is too thick.

Freezing homemade baby food

You can prepare batches of food and freeze in small portions in ice-cube trays.

Cover the filled trays with a lid, cling film, tin foil or freezer bags before placing in the freezer.

Label and date with a waterproof marker. Ideally, use the meals within 1 month of freezing for better taste.

Preparing frozen food

Defrost the amount of food you need for each meal.

Reheat in a saucepan or microwave. Reheated food must be piping hot all the way through. Stir the food, allow to cool and then test the temperature in your mouth before giving it to your child.

If you use a microwave to heat your baby's food, stir the food well and test the temperature in case of hot spots.

Ask your public health nurse, practice nurse or GP for more weaning advice.

Finger foods and healthy snacks after weaning

Baby-led weaning