Baby foods: homemade

When you prepare your baby's food at home you know exactly what your baby is eating.

Preparing homemade baby foods helps you:

• introduce your baby to the tastes and textures of family foods
• have control over all the ingredients in the meals, especially salt and sugar

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

Making baby food

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

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

Meat, poultry, fish or pulses

1. Remove all bones.
2. Stew, bake, steam, grill, air-fry or boil.
3. Ensure it is fully cooked and tender.
4. Liquidise, purée or mash, depending on the stage of weaning.

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, purée or mash depending on the stage of weaning.

Fruit

1. Wash fruit under cold running water.
2. Peel and cut into small pieces, removing core, pips, seeds or stones.
3. Stew fruit in a small amount of water - ripe fruit needs less heat and water to soften.
4. Liquidise, purée or mash depending on the stage of weaning.

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. It's best to use the meals within 1 month of freezing for better taste.

Preparing frozen food

Defrost the amount of food you need for each meal overnight in the fridge.

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.

Baby-led weaning

Finger foods and healthy snacks after weaning