Infant Recipe: Basic Baby Food

When dealing with Celiac Disease the best way to ensure the foods you eat are gluten-free is to make them yourself. This includes food for your youngest with Celiac as well. All that is required to quickly and easily prepare your baby’s meals is a blender or food processor for pureeing chopped foods.

This is not a specific recipe, rather it is a method for making basic baby food. For the youngest eater, you can make smooth, easy-to-swallow baby food. And as your child grows, you can change the consistency relatively easily. When starting your baby on solid foods remember to always introduce one food at a time, spacing a few days in between each new food. Doing this gives you the ability to take note of any adverse reactions to certain foods.

Making Homemade Baby Food

Ingredients:

• Water, breast milk or prepared formula

Fruits:

• Apples
• Pears
• Bananas
• Papayas

Vegetables:

• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Butternut squash
• Sweet potatoes
• Pumpkin
• Rutabaga
• Parsnips

Optional:

• Rice Cereal

Directions:

1. Choose your ingredient(s). Remember to start off using one at a time, but as your child successfully tries each ingredient you can mix and match (i.e. apple & banana or carrots & pumpkin) for new flavors.
2. Cut your ingredient(s) into small, bite-size pieces. They will cook faster and be easier to puree.
3. Cook your ingredient(s) by either steaming or baking until they are soft.
4. Ripened bananas and papayas don’t require cooking, just peel and mash if using them.
5. Once your ingredient(s) are soft, use a blender or food processor to puree them while adding water, breast milk, or formula.
6. The consistency of the puree will depend on where your child is at regarding eating. Infants just starting out will need a thinner consistency whereas more seasoned eaters can have it thicker. Also, if you plan on adding rice cereal you will want the consistency thinner as the cereal will thicken it up.
7. Once your food is pureed to the consistency you want, you can stir in some rice cereal if you choose to do so.

If you’d like to check out other recipe ideas, check out our gluten-free recipes page!