Simple Homemade Food Ideas For Babies Before Age One

Weaning your baby can be both fun and a challenge.

From 6 months old , your baby will need to be fed other food in combination with breastmilk as baby will require more nutrients such as  iron the breastmilk can no longer supply.

I’ve shared some of the food recipe I cook at home on the blog, but If you’ve got toddlers and a baby, You will most likely do what I call multi-cooking; cook for the demanding/selective toddlers, cook for hubby and moi and also cook for our upcoming eater, tam. Tamtam is 11 months old now (can’t believe she’s going to be one soon); she was on breastmilk exclusively for 6 months and wouldn’t take any of the baby cereals in the stores so I learnt to cook baby food.

No regrets! No regrets at all, not certainly with all the benefits of breastfeeding your baby but I wish someone had prepared me that some babies do not readily take other food. She even refused to take formula!

Big dilemma! I didn’t experience this with my other kids.  In my mind, I thought it was going to be a smooth transition like the rest. Weaning was one of the fears I had about breastfeeding but I soon realized that not all babies readily want to transition to solid whether breastfed exclusively or not. Another parenting lesson for me; true when people say no two babies are the same, babies from the same parents also have different peculiarities.

Even after 2 kids, this was new for me, My other kids ate the baby cereal I got from the stores readily, they were even feeding from a bottle when I open the teat a little wider, (that was my no stress, no mess method, especially when we were out and about). I spoon fed at home where we could handle all the mess.

Though little madam refused to take baby cereal, I got a hint from her, I noticed she showed interest in what we were eating and she was always eager to eat with her other siblings. So what did I do? Obviously, I sought into my kitchen.

Here are 10 homemade baby foods prepared from ingredients you can easily get in the stores and in the market considering food rich in iron, lean protein and vitamins. I tried them one step at a time, one food item at a time and she takes at least 7 of them.

Oatmeal

Cook oatmeal and add breastmilk or formula to make it creamy. Spoon feed baby. Cook it a bit light at first and make it thicker as baby becomes comfortable with it.

Age: from 4 - 6 months

Mashed Potatoes.

Mashed potatoes are my baby’s favourite. Once I saw her nibbling so ravenously on the potato chip her sister passed to her, I knew our trial and error was over. She prefers the Irish potatoes to the sweet potatoes (more nutritious but they are seasonal here), so I transformed potato into a variety of yummy dishes for my baby. Later, I hope to share with you the different potato recipe I whipped up. But for starters, boil or steam potatoes until soft and mash into a smooth paste. No need for sugar or salt, add formula milk or breast milk to sweeten it. When baby is able to tolerate only potatoes, you can introduce some other food to combine with potatoes such as butter (low salt or unsalted). As they get older add tomatoes, carrots, peas , chicken, eggs and fish.

Age: from 7 months.

Carrot

Boil or steam until soft. Puree or mash into a smooth paste and spoon feed baby. Carrots can be added to other food as soon as baby can tolerate it alone. Other veg such as cauliflower and broccoli can also be prepared this way.

Age: from 7 - 8 months.

Plantain

Plantain is delicious; everybody likes plantain whether as dodo (fried), roasted (boli) or boiled. For babies, boil, mash into a smooth paste and spoon feed baby.

Age: from 7 months.

Yam flour (Amala)

Every Nigerian mum will tell you to introduce ‘swallows’ as soon as you are ready to wean your baby. Amala is very soft so most babies can tolerate it. I love amala, eating it remind me of going to ‘bukas’ (*wink*). So, which child of mine wouldn’t like amala? They love it too.

Prepare soft amala at home and serve together with okro or ewedu (cooked with pureed fish/ground crayfish). I usually feed with more okro/ewedu than amala.

*Okro (Okra) and Ewedu a.k.a Jute leaves are both green veg and contains all the nourishment of leafy vegetables.

Age: 6 - 8 months.

Fruits

Puree Fruits such as avocado pears, apples, bananas, mangoes and feed baby with spoon. This is one way to start your babies on smoothie (use a single fruit at a time).

Squeeze orange juice in their feeding bottle or cut into small pieces big enough for baby to hold, remove seeds and give as finger food. Pawpaw, Mango, banana and apple slices can also serve as finger foods as they grow older.

Age: from 6 - 8 months.

Eggs

For some reason, my kids don’t like boiled eggs as babies until they grow older so I combine it with other foods so as not to miss out on its benefits: Break an egg and steam with boiled potatoes, rice or pasta, then mash together.

You can also make an egg custard; whisk egg with some of your baby formula, steam or heat gently on medium heat till it sets like a pudding.

Age: from 10- 12 months.

Meat

Meats such as chicken, beef, turkey are rich in iron. Give baby as finger food to nibble from 6 months. Then puree and add in combination with other food such as rice, pasta as they grow older.

Age: from 6 - 8 months.

Fish

Fish is the healthiest source of omega-3 fatty acid for babies and as they grow into toddlers. Fish such as salmon, mackerel (popularly known as Titus fish in Nigeria) are nutritious fish for your baby. Remove bone and mash. Also add in combination with other food such as rice, pasta, beans as they grow older.

Age: from 8- 10 months.

Yoghurt

Yoghurt is yummy and healthy for your baby (full of calcium baby will need for strong bones). You can feed babies plain unsweetened full fat yoghurt.

Age: from 6 - 8 months.

Rice and Pasta

Boil rice or pasta until soft, puree and feed baby. As baby grows older, you may leave the normal texture and combine with other food such as tomatoes, carrots, chicken, peas etc.

Age: from 10 - 12 months.

Beans

Beans are another baby friendly food, rich in protein. Peel skin and cook until soft, mash and add ground crayfish or mashed fish. As baby grows older, you may stop mashing it and combine with other food such as tomatoes.

Age: from 8 - 10 months.

Those are the baby foods I’ve managed to try for my baby. Are you are a new parent or already have older kids? what do your babies and other kids eat and enjoy? Please share your thoughts, would love to hear from you and if you find this information useful please share with your friends and families.

Note it is globally recommended that breast milk / formula should be the main food you feed your baby for the first 6months of life.

Yours truly,

The contents here are opinions only, please consult with your child’s pediatrician/health care provider before and if you have any issues regarding introducing solids to your baby.

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