What To Puree For Baby Food And How To Do It

Parents looking for baby food online need to consider a lot of things. More than the cost (which is often high), they also have to think about the flavor and whether or not the brand they want will provide the nutrients their baby needs. The good news is that your baby can have most of the table foods you prepare for the rest of the family; you just need to prepare them differently. What can you puree for baby food? Find out here. 

First Things First

Before discussing what to puree for baby food, let’s first talk about how to know when your little one is ready for solids. 

Most babies are ready for solids once they reach 6 months. But experts say each baby is different, so parents must look for clues indicating that their baby is ready to expand their diet beyond the breast or formula milk. 

Some of these clues include: 

• Diminished or absent tongue-thrust reflex (when the baby pushes their tongue on the roof of their mouth). This reflex helps prevent choking, but it also pushes food out of their mouth. 
• Good and steady head and neck control. If your little one still struggles to keep their head upright, then they are not yet ready for solid foods. 
• Interest in and ability to grab food and put them in their mouth. 
• Doubling their birth weight. 

If the pediatrician gives you the go signal, but your baby appears irritable or frustrated when you feed them, try to wait for a couple more days. 

Puree for Baby Food: A Quick Guide

Before purees, your baby’s first food will probably be a combination of dry infant cereals and breast or formula milk. 

Initially, prepare a thin mixture for your baby and give it to them for a few days to determine if they can tolerate it. If they develop diarrhea, repeated vomiting, or rashes, they might be allergic to cereals. 

Once you determine they can have cereals without a problem, make thicker preparations. Three to five days later, you can introduce other foods one at a time.  

What To Puree:

Foods you can puree for baby food are fruits, vegetables, and even meat. While it’s preferable to use fresh produce, you can also use the canned and frozen varieties; just be mindful of their content as they might have extra sugars, salt, or fats. 

Fruits and Vegetables

You can use almost all kinds of fruits and vegetables, like ripe bananas, prunes, peaches, pears. For veggies, consider potatoes, sweet potatoes, and squash. 

Just limit their high-nitrate vegetable portions to 1 to 2 tablespoons per feeding. Examples of high-nitrate vegetables are cabbage, carrots, celery, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, and turnips. 

Meat

You can use meats, such as poultry and fish. Remove the bones, connective tissues, skin, and visible fats. 

Eggs

You can also puree eggs – just make sure they are well cooked until both white and yolk are solid. Babies younger than a year old should only have the yolk because egg white might cause an allergic reaction. 

Grains

Puree for baby also calls for grains as they are excellent sources of carbohydrates. You can use rice or pasta, and cook them until they are very soft before mashing. 

Beans and Peas

Cook beans and peas per instructions; do not add salt or other seasonings. 

What NOT To Puree for Baby Food: 

Do not give your baby baked goodies or any foods that might contain honey. Also, if you come across raw fruit puree elsewhere, be sure to heat it first before giving it to your little one. 

How to Puree:

To puree means to “process” the food until it is soft, liquid-like, and has a smooth texture. Below is the step-by-step process of preparing puree for baby:

Key Takeaways

What can you puree for baby foods? It turns out you can use most foods from fruits and vegetables to grains and meat. The important thing is to prepare them properly and give them one at a time. If you feel like choosing puree for baby food is too much for you, don’t forget that buying pre-packed baby food is also okay. Simply talk to the doctor about what’s best for your baby. 

Learn more about Baby Nutrition here.