Recently, my husband and I were taking a training class with our puppy, Gracie Cakes. The dog trainer suggested that we class attendees head to the grocery store and buy jars of baby food as training treats for the dogs — apparently, dogs love the common pureed ingredients used in commercial baby foods. I say this to explain how I found myself standing in a baby food aisle for the very first time in my life. I realized, as I stood there not knowing where to even begin, that I had raised three babies to healthy adulthood and, until Gracie Cakes the terrier, had done so without ever twisting the lid from a commercial baby food jar.
There are a myriad ways to conceive and raise healthy, happy babies and a variety of strategies parents may use to manage the transition from breastfeeding or formula to solid foods. Being longtime foodies, my husband and I chose to practice what is now called “baby-led weaning,” which in our house more or less meant that the babies ate what we ate just as soon as they were old enough to do so and primarily fed themselves, rather than being spoon-fed by us.
Now our babies are grown and starting to have babies of their own, and as they’re beginning the process of determining how they want to feed our precious grandchildren, the topic of homemade baby foods has re-entered my mind and kitchen. I’ve particularly been thinking about the transition from basic “Stage 1” baby foods like organic rice cereals, avocado, sweet potatoes, bananas, and applesauce, to foods with more complex flavors and substance.
Every baby’s development is different, but until they’re somewhere between four and six months old, their tongues have a “thrust reflex” response that protects them from choking. The tongue automatically protrudes to push things out, rather than swallowing it farther back in the mouth. So although they’re good swallowers and great nursers, they’re lousy at chewing and terrible at getting food from the front of the mouth to the back. Additionally, their digestive tracts aren’t yet able to manage much complexity in their food without upsetting the stomach and bowel tract. As they get closer to six months old, the thrust reflex gradually diminishes, their digestive tract matures and—equally importantly—they hit the stage of development where they start to be able to sit up. At this point, children are usually ready to take on their first semi-solid foods. Note the “semi-” in this statement. First stage baby foods have to be very smooth and thin enough in consistency to easily slip past that inexperienced little tongue. Flavors are simple and foods are low-allergy and very basic.
Somewhere between seven and ten months old, most babies are ready for thicker, more textured foods. These “Stage 2” foods can be introduced when the tongue thrust reflex is completely gone and baby is beginning to figure out chewing. Little humans don’t get their molars until they’re over a year old, but they are remarkably effective at mashing soft things between their gums (just ask any nursing mother!). At this same time, their digestive tract is also ready for new experiences. Now they can handle more fibrous food items, higher amounts of protein, more acidic foods, and other culinary firsts, provided they are mashed or pureed and not very complex. Think lentils, berries, egg yolks, potatoes, tofu, and (FINALLY!) a few herbs and spices!
Babies older than ten months have developed some important skills for further culinary exploration: more advanced swallowing abilities, stronger “chewing” muscles (and perhaps a few teeth to go with them!), and the coordination to (occasionally) transport food into their own mouths. Soft, small chunks of fruit, vegetables, and proteins may now be appropriate, and adding herbs and spices to these solids ups the flavor value so that we don’t need added salt and sugar to make our food enjoyable. Also, opening up your child’s palate when they’re young to a wide variety of flavors helps them be happier, less picky eaters when they’re older.
A good way to begin is to offer your baby lightly spiced versions of foods they’ve already successfully tried and liked. By offering one new flavor at a time, you can then watch for reactions to that herb or spice. If your baby enjoyed it and didn’t experience any digestive upset or allergies over the next three or four days, you can incorporate that flavoring and try another one. If your child shows any signs of stomach upset, diarrhea, or allergic reactions like a rash, it may be too early or the wrong food for your baby, and you’ll be able to isolate the culprit easily.
Some great baby-friendly seasonings to explore include:
And here are some baby-tested recipes to investigate with your little eaters. Enjoy!
Soy products aren’t easy for young babies to digest, but at around eight to ten months of age, their digestive systems become strong enough to process tofu and love it. Adding tofu chunks to some of their favorite fruits in a form that they can pick up by themselves makes this a favorite meal for the small set. It’s also very portable for midday snacking. This recipe assumes that baby is already comfortable with apples and bananas and has had a successful introduction to plain tofu.
Ingredients
Directions
Pro Tips:
Red lentils cook faster and are smoother than some other types of lentils, making them a great choice for soups, dips, and baby food. Yellow split peas or other lentil varieties can be substituted here. This recipe assumes baby has already had happy experiences with squash and lentils.
Makes enough for multiple meals. Make ahead and freeze in baby-size portions for quick dinners.
Ingredients
Directions:
Pro Tip:
In many parts of the world, people start feeding their babies mild curries before they’re a year old, and for good reason. With no “heat,” mild curry blends are full of warm, nourishing goodness. When your baby has successfully incorporated some herbs and spices into their diet, try this very mild curry blend sprinkled on a variety of naturally sweet or savory dishes.
Ingredients
2 tsp. organic turmeric root powder
2 tsp. organic coriander seed powder
2 tsp. organic cumin seed powder
1 tsp. organic (sweet) cinnamon powder
1 tsp. organic ground ginger
3/4 tsp. organic yellow mustard seed powder
3/4 tsp. organic ground white pepper or 1/2 tsp. organic ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. organic cardamom powder
1/2 tsp. organic clove powder
1/2 tsp. organic nutmeg powder
Directions
This curry powder blend can be used in a number of ways that will make babies happy:
You might also enjoy:
Heidi is an award winning freelance writer with a passion for urban homesteading. She has been honored to receive a number of literary prizes including the esteemed Pushcart Prize and an Individual Artists Award in Creative Writing from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is proud to have earned a certificate of completion for the Herbal Medicine Making Course at the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. When she isn’t working in the garden, cleaning the henhouse, preserving food, crafting herbal formulations, or writing and editing content for really fantastic small businesses, you’ll likely find her with her nose in a book.
Recently, my husband and I were taking a training class with our puppy, Gracie Cakes. The dog trainer suggested that we class attendees head to the grocery store and buy jars of baby food as training treats for the dogs — apparently, dogs love the common pureed ingredients used in commercial baby foods. I say this to explain how I found myself standing in a baby food aisle for the very first time in my life. I realized, as I stood there not knowing where to even begin, that I had raised three babies to healthy adulthood and, until Gracie Cakes the terrier, had done so without ever twisting the lid from a commercial baby food jar.
There are a myriad ways to conceive and raise healthy, happy babies and a variety of strategies parents may use to manage the transition from breastfeeding or formula to solid foods. Being longtime foodies, my husband and I chose to practice what is now called “baby-led weaning,” which in our house more or less meant that the babies ate what we ate just as soon as they were old enough to do so and primarily fed themselves, rather than being spoon-fed by us.
Now our babies are grown and starting to have babies of their own, and as they’re beginning the process of determining how they want to feed our precious grandchildren, the topic of homemade baby foods has re-entered my mind and kitchen. I’ve particularly been thinking about the transition from basic “Stage 1” baby foods like organic rice cereals, avocado, sweet potatoes, bananas, and applesauce, to foods with more complex flavors and substance.
Every baby’s development is different, but until they’re somewhere between four and six months old, their tongues have a “thrust reflex” response that protects them from choking. The tongue automatically protrudes to push things out, rather than swallowing it farther back in the mouth. So although they’re good swallowers and great nursers, they’re lousy at chewing and terrible at getting food from the front of the mouth to the back. Additionally, their digestive tracts aren’t yet able to manage much complexity in their food without upsetting the stomach and bowel tract. As they get closer to six months old, the thrust reflex gradually diminishes, their digestive tract matures and—equally importantly—they hit the stage of development where they start to be able to sit up. At this point, children are usually ready to take on their first semi-solid foods. Note the “semi-” in this statement. First stage baby foods have to be very smooth and thin enough in consistency to easily slip past that inexperienced little tongue. Flavors are simple and foods are low-allergy and very basic.
Somewhere between seven and ten months old, most babies are ready for thicker, more textured foods. These “Stage 2” foods can be introduced when the tongue thrust reflex is completely gone and baby is beginning to figure out chewing. Little humans don’t get their molars until they’re over a year old, but they are remarkably effective at mashing soft things between their gums (just ask any nursing mother!). At this same time, their digestive tract is also ready for new experiences. Now they can handle more fibrous food items, higher amounts of protein, more acidic foods, and other culinary firsts, provided they are mashed or pureed and not very complex. Think lentils, berries, egg yolks, potatoes, tofu, and (FINALLY!) a few herbs and spices!
Babies older than ten months have developed some important skills for further culinary exploration: more advanced swallowing abilities, stronger “chewing” muscles (and perhaps a few teeth to go with them!), and the coordination to (occasionally) transport food into their own mouths. Soft, small chunks of fruit, vegetables, and proteins may now be appropriate, and adding herbs and spices to these solids ups the flavor value so that we don’t need added salt and sugar to make our food enjoyable. Also, opening up your child’s palate when they’re young to a wide variety of flavors helps them be happier, less picky eaters when they’re older.
A good way to begin is to offer your baby lightly spiced versions of foods they’ve already successfully tried and liked. By offering one new flavor at a time, you can then watch for reactions to that herb or spice. If your baby enjoyed it and didn’t experience any digestive upset or allergies over the next three or four days, you can incorporate that flavoring and try another one. If your child shows any signs of stomach upset, diarrhea, or allergic reactions like a rash, it may be too early or the wrong food for your baby, and you’ll be able to isolate the culprit easily.
Some great baby-friendly seasonings to explore include:
And here are some baby-tested recipes to investigate with your little eaters. Enjoy!
Soy products aren’t easy for young babies to digest, but at around eight to ten months of age, their digestive systems become strong enough to process tofu and love it. Adding tofu chunks to some of their favorite fruits in a form that they can pick up by themselves makes this a favorite meal for the small set. It’s also very portable for midday snacking. This recipe assumes that baby is already comfortable with apples and bananas and has had a successful introduction to plain tofu.
Ingredients
Directions
Pro Tips:
Red lentils cook faster and are smoother than some other types of lentils, making them a great choice for soups, dips, and baby food. Yellow split peas or other lentil varieties can be substituted here. This recipe assumes baby has already had happy experiences with squash and lentils.
Makes enough for multiple meals. Make ahead and freeze in baby-size portions for quick dinners.
Ingredients
Directions:
Pro Tip:
In many parts of the world, people start feeding their babies mild curries before they’re a year old, and for good reason. With no “heat,” mild curry blends are full of warm, nourishing goodness. When your baby has successfully incorporated some herbs and spices into their diet, try this very mild curry blend sprinkled on a variety of naturally sweet or savory dishes.
Ingredients
2 tsp. organic turmeric root powder
2 tsp. organic coriander seed powder
2 tsp. organic cumin seed powder
1 tsp. organic (sweet) cinnamon powder
1 tsp. organic ground ginger
3/4 tsp. organic yellow mustard seed powder
3/4 tsp. organic ground white pepper or 1/2 tsp. organic ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. organic cardamom powder
1/2 tsp. organic clove powder
1/2 tsp. organic nutmeg powder
Directions
This curry powder blend can be used in a number of ways that will make babies happy:
You might also enjoy:
Heidi is an award winning freelance writer with a passion for urban homesteading. She has been honored to receive a number of literary prizes including the esteemed Pushcart Prize and an Individual Artists Award in Creative Writing from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is proud to have earned a certificate of completion for the Herbal Medicine Making Course at the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. When she isn’t working in the garden, cleaning the henhouse, preserving food, crafting herbal formulations, or writing and editing content for really fantastic small businesses, you’ll likely find her with her nose in a book.
