How to Cook Homemade Baby Food with Vegetables

Your baby will learn to love your cooking at an early age.

Homemade baby food is a great way to get a baby to start eating their vegetables and fruits the natural way. It's also less expensive to make baby food in your own kitchen. You can experiment with different creations to find the food your baby likes. Your baby will be happy, and so will you when you see you have a fuller wallet.

Things You'll Need

• Steamer or double boiler
• Food processor or blender

Instructions

1. Buy vegetables like carrots, sweet and white potatoes, green beans and squash. The fresher the vegetables the more nutrients and flavor the homemade baby food will have in it. You can use frozen vegetables as well; just check the ingredient label to ensure no extra salt or sugar is added.

2. Sanitize your work space and wash your hands thoroughly.

3. Scrub and then peel the carrots, potatoes and squash. Clean the green beans and cut off the ends. Cube the larger vegetables and cut the green beans in half.

4. Steam the vegetables. Put an inch of water in the bottom of a double boiler and bring to a boil over high heat. If you don't have a double boiler you can make the homemade baby food by using a sauce pot and steamer.

5. Once the water is boiling put one of the vegetables in the top of the double boiler or steamer basket. The water in the bottom of the pot should not be touching the basket. Put a lid on the pan or double boiler.

6. Younger babies need their baby food pureed very smoothly so you want to cook the vegetables until they are soft. Reduce the heat and let the water simmer for about eight minutes for the carrots and beans. The potatoes and squash will need to steam for up to 20 minutes.

7. Remove the steamer basket or top of the double boiler. For older babies you can use the same baby food recipes and simply mash the vegetables by hand. For younger babies you'll need to finish the baby food in the food processor or blender. Dump the vegetables in and then add a small amount (2 to 3 teaspoons) of breastmilk, formula or water to thin. Puree the vegetables until smooth and all the lumps are gone.

8. Put the food in a storage container and cool it in the refrigerator.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make large batches of vegetable baby food at one time and freeze them for later use. Pour cooled food into a paper cupcake liner or a clean ice cube tray and cover with foil.

• Reheat the frozen food in a heat-resistant container in a pan of hot water.

• Do not add any sugar, salt or any other additives to the baby food.

References

• University of Maine: Food Cooperative Extension; Making Your Own Baby Food; Nellie Hedstrom; 2002