86 HOMEMADE BABY FOOD COMBINATION IDEAS.
Combining different foods together can make homemade food more fun and interesting for your baby. Little ones need variety as much as adults do, so don’t be scared to try different textures and flavors. Experimenting with different food combinations is a great way to expand your baby’s palate and it could possibly help them avoid becoming a picky eater later on. I remember hearing about a study (or a few studies, I don’t know the source I’m sorry!) that showed that eating habits and food preferences are developed mostly by age 2. So give your baby a healthy start by giving them a diet full of various wholesome veggies, fruits and meats.
I’ve been making my son homemade baby food since he was old enough to eat it. While it can be time consuming and somewhat overwhelming trying to figure out what to make, it is absolutely worth it. Not only does it save tons of money compared to buying pre-made baby food, but you are ensuring that your baby is getting the best nutrition and the highest quality produce and meats. All while keeping preservatives, allergens, food colorings, fillers, and other nastiness out of your baby’s food.
Typically I like to batch cook to save time. I bought these baby food freezer trays which make it easy to freeze and store cubes of purees in freezer bags so you can defrost individual cubes as you go. And it makes it easy to try different combinations by filling them with one ingredient at a time. I even make quinoa cubes! Now that he’s moved onto finger foods, I still batch cook and freeze. I usually steam most foods, but I like to cook certain things in the oven like sweet potato’s.
I prefer to warm the frozen cubes on the stove, but you can microwave as well. It takes a little more time to heat on the stove, but I have learned some questionable things about microwaves and their safety (even though they are considered “safe” by all kinds of outlets) and I prefer to stick with the tried and true, old school stovetop. Just put a splash of water in a pot, throw in your frozen food, heat on medium until the water starts to boil, then cover and lower to simmer until warm. I usually break up the frozen pieces with a fork as I go and I’ll leave some small pieces frozen when I take it off the stove so it melts and chills the food a little so it’s cool enough for baby to eat faster. But make sure there are no frozen pieces left before giving to baby!
You can also always give baby some of whatever you and the rest of your family is having for dinner so you only have to cook once for everyone. But especially in the puree stage, its easier in my opinion to batch cook.
Depending on what stage baby is in (see below) you can puree, mash, or give finger foods. There are guidelines below, but always talk with your doctor and use your best discretion when deciding what your baby is ready for.
Side note, and I feel like this goes without saying but I’m going to say it anyways, you do not need to season baby’s food. I repeat, don’t use salt, pepper, or sugar when cooking for your babies. Their little kidneys can’t process it. Yep, even chicken and meat, no salt! You may think it will taste bland, but not to worry. Your little one has never tasted salt. First off they don’t know what they’re missing plus it’s unnecessary, secondly the fruits and vegetables you’re feeding them are new, exciting, and full of flavor to them all on their own. And never ever ever add sugar, fruit is sweet enough by itself!
Disclaimer: I am not a dietitian or nutritionist! I have personally done a lot of research while figuring out what to feed my baby and this is what I’ve come up with.
4-7 months
Avocado + banana
Apple, prune +cinnamon
Apple + apricot
Beet + plum
Parsnip + pear
Peach + ginger
Turnip + apple
Peas + carrots
Peach + pear
Spinach + banana
Peas, pear + spinach
Broccoli, cauliflower + carrot
Prunes + pears
Prunes + banana
Sweet potato + apple
Oatmeal + any fruit puree (I use almond milk)
Oatmeal, almond butter + banana
Chicken + pears
Chicken, broccoli + zucchini
Butternut squash + pear
Bison + green beans
Sweet potato + beet
Steak, squash + spinach
Pumpkin + cinnamon
Banana + pear
Plain hummus
Sweet potato + parsnips
Chicken, zucchini + squash
Bison + broccoli
Squash + green beans
Beets + pear
Spinach, peas + bison
Chicken, apple + spinach
FOR STAGE ONE:
4-6 months: Blended to Runny Puree
6-7 months: Smooth + slightly thicker puree with no lumps
6+ months
Beet + hummus
Pea, parsley + hummus
Spinach, artichoke + hummus
Avocado + hummus
Edamame + hummus
Pear + blueberry
Apple + blackberry
Butternut squash + quinoa
Broccoli, chicken + pineapple
Sweet potato, mango + chia seeds
Cauliflower + spinach
Guacamole with no salt
Blueberry, avocado + pear
Cod, sweet potato + carrot
Salmon, butternut squash + parsnips
Chicken, sweet potato, broccoli + coconut milk
Turkey + broccoli
Pork, sweet potatoes + peas
Black beans + quinoa
Butternut squash, banana + quinoa
Cauliflower, kale, chicken + quinoa
Raspberry + sweet potato
Carrot, apple + hemp seeds
Peas, broccoli, steak + navy beans
Black beans + sweet potato
Black beans + zucchini
Mango, kale + ginger
Pork + apples
Spinach + lentils
Edamame + mango
Bison, sweet potatoes + peas
White fish, carrot + spinach
Chicken, green bean + avocado
Chicken + spinach
Peach, Raspberry + quinoa
Salmon + sweet potato
Zucchini, cabbage + lentils
Broccoli, pear + tahini
White Fish, sweet potato + pumpkin
Sweet potato, kale + chickpeas
Turkey, zucchini + golden beet
Tofu, carrot + zucchini
Scrambled eggs, spinach + zucchini
MORE COMPLEX COMBINATIONS TO TRY
Spinach, banana, quinoa, coconut butter + chia seeds
Cauliflower, chicken, ginger, pear + quinoa
Butternut squash, green beans, quinoa + bison
Chickpeas, cauliflower, tahini + turmeric
Zucchini, blueberry, cinnamon, chicken + hemp seeds
Peas, zucchini, hemp seeds, chicken + avocado
Apple. blueberry, spinach, banana, chia seeds + coconut butter
Navy beans, blueberry, golden beet, ginger + coconut butter
Broccoli, green beans, chick peas, chicken + flax seeds
Beet, sweet potato, date, chia seeds + cinnamon
FOR STAGE TWO AND THREE
7-8 months: Thicker puree with increased texture
8-9 months: Minced and mashed with soft lumps.
9-12 months: Minced and finely chopped.
I hope this helps! I know it can be daunting trying to figure out what to cook and what food goes with what, so hopefully this makes it a little easier. Feel free to drop your own favorite combos in the comments! Enjoy!
xx
SHOP THE POST
Disclosure: Please note that the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. Please understand that I have experienced all of these companies, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something through my links. I hope you love these products as much as I do! Thanks!
