How to make your own baby food

Making your own baby food is easier than you might think and can be less expensive than buying prepackaged baby food. It's also convenient because you can use any produce, grains, and meat you have on hand.

Homemade baby food can be as simple as a pureed or mashed version of what you're serving the rest of your family. This also gets your baby used to eating the same food as everyone else, a strategy that could pay off during the picky toddler years.

Before feeding your baby homemade baby food, be sure they're ready to start solids. Babies typically don't need anything other than breastmilk or formula until they're 6 months old, and they're usually ready to start solids around then.

Signs your baby is ready to start eating solids include having good head and neck control, being able to sit up, and being interested in food – they'll show this by opening their mouth and leaning forward when food is near.

You can start with baby cereal or a single pureed or well-mashed fruit, vegetable or even meat. Introduce a variety of single-food purees first; once they've tried several of those, you can start combining multiple foods.

Feed your baby with a soft-tipped spoon, and be patient as they learn to eat. When they turn their head away, lean back, refuse to open their mouth, or start to fuss or play with the spoon, they're done eating.

For more inspiration, check out our age-by-age guide to feeding your baby, our gallery of baby food recipes, and our guide to finger foods.

To make baby food, you'll need a tool to grind or puree. Possibilities range from an electric baby-food maker to a good old-fashioned fork:

• A baby-food maker. This all-in-one tool first steam-cooks and then purees fruit, vegetables, and meat. Some models can defrost and reheat previously prepared food. Since babies usually only eat purees for a short period of time, many parents might not have the space or want to invest in a baby-food maker – but there are plenty of tools already in your kitchen you can use.
• A blender or food processor. Some parents like them, since it's really easy to throw food in together and blend it. But others find them too cumbersome and don't like the amount of cleanup required for small jobs.
• A hand blender. This handheld electric gadget purees food like a blender, but works in the opposite way: You place it into the food rather than vice versa.
• A hand-turned food mill with different blades for various textures of food. Many parents say this portable, non-electric gadget is their favorite tool.
• A baby-food grinder. Non-electric, portable, and very inexpensive, this simple tool breaks down chunks of food like the mill, but it only has one setting. Read reviews before ordering – the grinders don't always work as well as they promise. However, some parents swear by them.
• A steamer can be perfect for softening vegetables to mash into baby food, though you can usually do this just as well in a microwave or over the stove.
• A fork. This ubiquitous piece of cutlery is all you need to transform easily mashed foods such as baked sweet potatoes, avocados, and bananas into a meal for your baby.
• A strainer or sieve to get rid of larger chunks or seeds. This isn't necessary, but can help make purees easier for your baby to eat when they're first starting solids.

Choose fresh fruits and vegetables, and try to use what you buy within a few days. When fresh isn't available, frozen is a good option as well. Use a rainbow of colors of produce in your baby's food – a variety of colors means a variety of vitamins and nutrients.

Some great ingredients to use in baby food include:

• Avocados make a great first food because they're soft and easy to mash, and a great texture for your baby to start solids with. They also contain healthy fats and other essential nutrients.
• Bananas are also soft and easy to mash, and are easily a favorite for how naturally sweet they are. Bananas are also full of potassium and vitamins.
• Berries are full of vitamins and antioxidants – plus, they're tasty!
• Green vegetables like broccoli and green beans are packed with vitamins for your baby. Steam them until they're very soft and puree on their own, or blend with other foods.
• Beans are a perfect food to mash up for your baby. They're a tasty source of protein, vitamins, and minerals like zinc and iron.
• Meat such as chicken, turkey, beef, or fish will give your baby protein. You can use meat you've prepared for the whole family (make sure it's well cooked), and puree it for your baby, on its own or mixed with other food.
• Sweet potatoes are tasty and packed with vitamin C. Cook the sweet potato to soften it, then mash or puree it for your baby.
• Squash can pair well with other veggies or fruits. Cook it well so that it's soft, then mash or blend it.
• Oats are full of fiber and, if fortified, iron. You can buy baby oatmeal at the store and mix it with breast milk, formula, or other pureed baby food. You can make homemade oatmeal by grinding oats and mixing them with a liquid, but experts don't recommend it since homemade oatmeal isn't fortified with nutrients your baby needs. (More on that below.)

When preparing to make your own baby food, keep your baby's eating abilities in mind. They aren't able to chew much, and are just getting used to swallowing food. Make sure any tough parts of the food (such as skin), or any potential choking hazards (like seeds or pits), are removed.

Cook the food you're using until it's very soft and tender. Mash and puree it, and mix with any other foods if you're making a combination. If you need to thin the food, mix it with some water, breast milk, or formula.

When first introducing your baby to solids, start with a single type of food. Feed it to them for a few days before introducing another single food. Once your baby has had a variety of single foods with no allergic reaction, you can start combining them together for different tastes.

You can also feed your baby whatever you're making for the rest of your family, as long as it doesn't have added sugar, honey, or salt. While you're cooking, set aside a small portion for your baby before you add seasonings. Once your baby gets used to the taste of plain food, you can add herbs and spices to introduce them to new flavors.

When preparing fruits and veggies for baby food, make sure they're skinned well and that any pits or large seeds are removed. You don't necessarily need to strain the small seeds in berries, since they aren't a choking hazard. Your baby probably won't digest the seeds very well, so you may see them in their diaper later – but that's nothing to worry about.

Wash your produce before serving it to your baby. You can rinse it with water, soak it in a water bath (with a bit of white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or baking soda), or boil it – which has the added benefit of softening your produce before you puree it for your baby.

Remove any outer shells around vegetables like peas or edamame. With citrus fruit like oranges, you might want to remove as much of the membrane as you can, since that part of it can be tough and might not blend as well in a puree.

Once all skins and seeds are removed, cook your fruit or vegetable (if needed) until it's soft and can be easily mashed or pureed.

Since bananas and avocados are already soft, you don't need to cook them before mashing or pureeing. You can peel, mash with a fork, and serve. If the texture is too thick for your baby, mix it with a bit of water, breast milk, or formula.

Fortified baby cereal is a good source of iron and zinc. It might be made out of oats, barley, rice, wheat, quinoa, or multiple grains. With fortified baby cereal that you buy at the store, all you need to do is mix it with some breast milk, baby formula, or water.

When your baby is first getting used to eating solids, mix it with more breast milk or formula to make it thinner and easier to swallow. To start, try mixing 1 tablespoon of baby cereal with 4 tablespoons of water, breast milk or formula. As your baby gradually gets more used to eating solids, you can mix it with less liquid so it's thicker.

You can make baby cereal from scratch, but it won't have all the added nutrients that store-bought cereals are fortified with, like iron, zinc, and vitamins.

If you make your own baby cereal at home, make sure that you grind whatever grain you're using very finely for your baby, then cook it in boiling water. Add warmed breast milk or infant formula to thin it out.

You can also prepare it in reverse, cooking the grain first and then blending it into a puree. Then you can serve it to your baby right away, or freeze it for later.

You can make baby food from beef, chicken, turkey, pork, or fish. Keep in mind that some types of fish (such as marlin, tilefish, and shark) aren't safe for babies because they have high levels of mercury.

Babies are especially sensitive to bacteria in undercooked meat and could get food poisoning, so be sure to cook all meats to the right temperature: 145 degrees Fahrenheit for fish and whole cuts of beef and pork, 160 degrees for ground beef, and 165 degrees for chicken and other types of poultry, as well as all kinds of leftovers.

Since chunks of meat can be choking hazards, especially when your baby is first starting solids, puree the meat for your baby until it's a thin consistency. Also be sure that all the skin, gristle, and bones are removed.

If your baby doesn't like the taste of meat by itself, try mixing it in a puree with a fruit or vegetable.

Here are some extra pointers for storing and serving baby food:

• Serve food no warmer than body temperature.
• Take care if you heat meals in the microwave. Microwaves heat unevenly and can create "hot spots" – areas of the food that are much hotter than others – so be sure to stir microwaved food well and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.
• Dish out only the amount of food you think your baby will eat at that feeding. You'll need to toss what's left over in your baby's bowl because your baby's saliva will get into the mixture and make it easier for bacteria to grow in the food.
• Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and use them within a couple of days.
• Try freezing baby food in ice cube trays to make it easier to store and serve. After the cubes are frozen solid, remove them and store in plastic freezer bags. Frozen fruits and vegetables will last six to eight months in the freezer; meat and fish will last one to two months.
• Babies can't drink cow's milk until they're a year old, so don't use it in homemade baby food. If your baby food is too thick for your baby to swallow, thin it with plain water, breast milk, or formula.
• Feeding your baby potentially allergenic foods (such as smooth peanut butter, eggs, and dairy) early can help prevent a food allergy. If your baby is at higher risk for a food allergy – if they have chronic eczema or if a sibling or parent has a food allergy – talk to your pediatrician about the best way to introduce potentially allergenic foods.
• Remember that it's okay to buy prepackaged baby food if it works better for your family – it has all the same nutrients your baby needs to grow and thrive.