Making your baby’s food from scratch can be fun and stress free. The result will be super nutritious food that may even be tastier for your little one than processed baby food. When you start introducing solids into your baby’s diet, you’ll want to puree them. Baby’s very first foods are known as stage one foods.

Stage One Baby Foods

These are foods that are highly pureed and strained and rank low on the allergy scale. Typically, you introduce them when your baby is between six and eight months old. Stage one foods are more easily digested since they are the first solids being introduced into your baby’s diet. The (1) Beechnut Baby Food Company introduced the term as a way to let parents know that the foods included were OK for infants enjoying their first solid foods.

When you begin the process of introducing solids, it’s important to start with one food at a time and to leave three days in between before trying another. (3) It is also recommended that you wait until your baby is at least one year or older to introduce foods that are common allergy triggers.

Here’s a handy list to take with you when shopping for baby’s first foods:

Stage One Fruits:

Apples

Avocados

Apricots

Bananas

Mangos

Papaya

Pears

Pumpkin

Prunes

Stage One Vegetables:

Green Beans

Carrots

Peas

Sweet Potatoes

Squash

Stage One Grains:

Oats

Rice

Now let’s turn them into nutritious first meals for your baby with the stage one recipes below:

Baby’s First Oat Cereal

Ingredients:

1/4 cup ground oats

3/4 cup water

Directions:

Grind oats in a food processor until they form a fine powder.

Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the ground oats, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, being sure to continue to stir.

Serve with formula or breast milk to make a runny cereal and add in desired stage one pureed fruits. (Optional)

Baby’s First Applesauce

Ingredients: (Use as many apples as you would like; this recipe can be made in bulk and frozen for later)

Gala or Macintosh apples

Water

Directions:

Start by peeling and coring the apples.

Cut the apples into small chunks.

Place the apple chunks in a sauce pan and cover them with water.

Boil the apples for a couple of minutes or until they are tender.

Puree the cooked apple chunks in a food processor and add small amounts of water at a time until they are thinned down.

That’s it! You’ve just created a delicious homemade applesauce.

Baby’s First Avocado

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado

Directions:

This stage one food is super simple to make and only takes one ingredient: the avocado itself.

Start by peeling and pitting the avocado. Throw the pit away.

Remove the avocado meat and place it in a mixing bowl.

Mash the avocado with a fork.

Since avocados are naturally soft, there is no need to puree. Just mash them into a mushy consistency before serving.

Making your baby’s food at home doesn’t have to be complicated, and the result provides your baby with added health benefits that packaged baby food doesn’t have. Homemade baby food also saves you money in the long term, since it can be made in bulk and frozen for future use. Give it a try and watch your baby reap the benefits.

Resources:

1. http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/stage1_homemade_baby_food_recipes.htm

2. http://www.beechnut.com/foods/stage-1/

3. http://www.justmommies.com/babies/babys-first-foods-chart