10 Easy Stage 1 Baby Food Recipes (& A Complete Guide)

10 Easy Stage One Baby Food Recipes Introducing solids to your baby is a major milestone and so much fun—now your little one can join you for family meals!—but you might feel like you don’t have a clue about how to get started. You've mastered feeding them one way for six months, and now the rules are changing. You may not be sure when your baby is ready for stage one foods, or how to make your own baby food. But don’t stress, here’s everything you need to know about stage one baby foods, plus ten delicious purees that are ideal for introducing solids. When Can You Start Introducing Solids? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. And remember that weaning is a process—your baby will still get most of their nutrients from breast milk or formula even after you’ve introduced solids for their first year of life.. Most babies start demonstrating signs of readiness by the time they are six months old, including: Your baby sits up alone, without support. Your baby demonstrates head and neck control. Your baby opens their mouth when food is offered. Your baby doesn’t automatically push anything out of their mouth with their tongue (loss of the tongue thrust reflex). Your baby brings objects to their mouth. Your baby tries to grasp small objects. Your baby is very interested in watching other people eat. If you can answer “yes” to most of these questions, your baby is ready to start solids. And don’t forget—timing matters. Plan to introduce food when your baby is happy, not overly hungry, and not tired (generally an hour or so after breast or bottle feeding). The First Feeding: Setting the Scene for Success That very first spoonful is more about exploration than nutrition. Here's how to make it a positive experience: Create a Calm Environment: Turn off the TV and minimize distractions. You want this to be a calm, focused moment of connection. Offer a Tiny Amount: Start with just 1-2 teaspoons of puree on a soft-tipped baby spoon. Don't be surprised if most of it ends up on their chin, bib, or in their hair! Expect Funny Faces: Your baby is experiencing a brand new texture and taste. Puzzled looks, grimaces, or shivering are all normal reactions and don't necessarily mean they dislike the food. Follow Their Cues: If they lean in with an open mouth, offer another small bite. If they turn their head, clamp their mouth shut, or get upset, that's their way of saying "I'm done." End the session on a positive note and try again another day. What Is Stage One Baby Food? Stage one baby foods are foods used to introduce solids to your baby, who is just beginning to transition from exclusive breast- or bottle feeding. These foods are meant for brand new eaters, and are typically purees that are very smooth and runny in texture, making them easy for your baby to move around in their mouth, and to swallow. Stage one baby foods are usually single-ingredient purees that are blended and/or strained to remove any chunks or fibers, ensuring that they’re easily consumed by babies who are just beginning to explore solid foods. You’ll begin incorporating more ingredients (and texture!) once your baby is ready for stage two foods. A Glimpse Ahead: Stage 2, Stage 3, and Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) Stage one is just the beginning. Understanding what comes next can help you see the bigger picture of your baby's eating journey. Stage 2 Foods (around 6-9 months): These purees are thicker in consistency and often combine two or more ingredients. This is where you'll start mixing favorites and introducing new flavor combinations. Stage 3 Foods (around 9-12 months): These have more texture, with soft chunks, mashed foods, and small pieces of soft-cooked foods to encourage chewing. This stage helps bridge the gap between purees and table foods. A Note on Baby-Led Weaning (BLW): You may hear about this alternative approach where, instead of spoon-feeding purees, you offer babies soft, finger-sized pieces of whole foods to feed themselves from the start. While this article focuses on purees, many families do a combination of both methods! The most important thing is that your baby is offered safe, nutritious foods in a way that works for your family. When Should You Introduce Common Allergens? In 2019, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated a clinical report on infant and childhood allergies—it concluded that introducing common allergens (like peanuts, eggs, and fish) early while transitioning to solids helps prevent or minimize allergic reactions later. Tips for introducing allergens: Only introduce allergenic foods one at a time, every few days, and observe how your baby is reacting to the food. Introduce a small amount of allergenic food at first, then gradually increase the amount served through their first birthday. Continue to expose your baby to allergenic foods several times a week for the next six months—frequent exposure is essential to food allergy prevention. Always introduce new allergens at home, during the daytime (not right before bed), so you can monitor your baby for any potential reaction. Signs of an allergic reaction can include hives, rash, swelling of the face or tongue, vomiting, or difficulty breathing. Call your pediatrician immediately if you suspect a reaction. Call 911 immediately if you feel it's a severe reaction (which is when more than 1 "system" is involved--for example, coughing and hives OR vomiting and a rash AND SO ON). A Note on Incorporating Iron into Your Baby’s Diet Iron is an essential nutrient for your baby and plays a crucial role in their healthy growth: it supports brain development, is a key component of hemoglobin, and helps immune function. Breast milk or formula provides sufficient iron for babies in the first six months of their lives, but as your baby grows, their iron stores decrease. Introducing iron-rich foods, like fortified cereals, pureed meats, beans, and dark leafy greens is important to prevent anemia and its related health issues. You can boost iron absorption by pairing iron-rich foods with foods high in Vitamin C (like berries, citrus, or bell peppers) once you move to combination purees. Food Safety & Storage Making your own baby food is rewarding, but food safety is paramount. Here are the non-negotiables: Start Clean: Always wash your hands, countertops, and equipment (blender, cutting boards) with hot, soapy water before you begin. Cook Thoroughly: Steam, roast, or boil all vegetables and fruits (except for soft ones like bananas and avocados) until they are very tender. Cook all meats to their recommended safe internal temperature. Cool Down Quickly: To prevent bacteria growth, don't let freshly cooked purees sit on the counter for more than two hours. To cool them quickly, you can place the container in an ice bath. Refrigerate Promptly: Store freshly made purees in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze for Later: For longer storage, freeze purees in ice cube trays or silicone freezer molds. Once solid, pop the cubes out and store them in labeled freezer bags for up to 3 months. Thaw Safely: Never thaw frozen baby food at room temperature. Thaw cubes overnight in the refrigerator, or for a quicker method, reheat them directly from frozen on the stovetop or in a microwave-safe dish. No Double-Dipping: Saliva contains bacteria that can break down the food. Always portion out what you need for a feeding into a separate bowl and feed from that. Discard any leftovers from your baby's bowl. What Tools Will You Need to Make Your Own Baby Food? Making your own baby food isn’t difficult, but you will need a few essential tools and equipment. A good blender, food processor, or immersion blender. If you’re thinking of making your own baby food exclusively, investing in a high-quality food processor or blender is worth it (plus, you can make your own smoothies and pesto!). They have stronger motors and sharper blades, and can break down any fruit or veggie—even their peels—retaining more nutrients and creating a smoother consistency. An immersion blender is a great, space-saving option for making smaller batches directly in the pot you cooked in. A steamer basket. Steaming is the preferred cooking method for making baby food because it helps retain those oh-so-important vitamins and nutrients. A steamer basket makes cooking produce easy, and eliminates the need for straining with a colander. Look for a stainless steel or silicone steamer basket, as they are durable and easy to clean. Baby food storage containers. One great thing about making your own baby food is that you can make it in bulk and freeze for later. Ice cube trays are a popular option (make sure when you cover the tray the plastic wrap comes in contact with the food to prevent freezer burn), or you can use containers specifically designed for baby food that have portion markings. Silicone freezer trays with lids are an excellent investment, as they make it easy to pop out single portions and are reusable and easy to clean. A fine-mesh strainer (optional but helpful). For foods with stubborn skins or seeds (like some berries or peas), pushing the puree through a fine-mesh strainer can ensure an ultra-smooth consistency for brand new eaters. Soft-tipped silicone baby spoons. These are gentle on your baby's sensitive gums and are the perfect size for their small mouths. 10 Easy Puree Recipes These stage one baby food recipes are super nutritious, easy to prepare, and better yet, guaranteed to be loved by your little one. Remember to thoroughly wash your produce before cooking it. Avocado puree. Mash a ripe avocado (you’ll know it’s ripe when it gives a little to your touch) thoroughly with a fork, making sure there aren’t any visible fibers remaining. Add breastmilk or formula until you’ve achieved a thin consistency. Carrot puree. Wash, peel, and chop carrots into a ½” dice for quick cooking. Steam or roast carrots until fork tender (this should take 20-30 minutes), and blend with breastmilk or formula until you’ve achieved a thin consistency. Bean puree. You can use any bean you have on hand: chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, and white beans would all work. Process or blend until smooth, and add breastmilk or formula until you’ve achieved a thin consistency. Mango puree. While you can use fresh mango for this puree, we love that you can avoid all that prep work of peeling and chopping by using frozen. Defrost frozen mango overnight in the fridge, and process or blend until smooth. Add breastmilk or formula until you’ve achieved a thin consistency. Pear puree. Wash, halve, and core your pears (it’s fine to leave the peel on!). Cut into a ½” dice for quick cooking, and steam until fork tender (this should take 20-30 minutes). Process or blend until smooth, and add breastmilk or formula until you’ve achieved a thin consistency. Chicken puree. This is a great recipe for using leftover chicken—use any chicken part you like and your preferred cooking method (just make sure it’s cooked until a safe minimum temperature of 165°). Use a food processor to thoroughly break down the chicken (it will begin to resemble a paste) and add breastmilk or formula until you’ve achieved a thin consistency (pureed chicken is much drier than any cooked produce, so expect to add more liquid). Oatmeal puree. Cook oatmeal according to instructions (traditional oats will take longer to cook than quick cook oats). Once the oatmeal has cooled, process or blend until smooth, and add breastmilk or formula until you’ve achieved a thin consistency. Banana puree. Mash a ripe banana thoroughly with a fork, making sure there aren’t any visible fibers remaining. Add breastmilk or formula until you’ve achieved a thin consistency. Peanut butter “smoothie”. Stir breast milk or formula into unsweetened creamy peanut butter until you achieve the consistency of yogurt. Pea puree. Steam frozen peas for 3-5 minutes until they’re thoroughly cooked. Process or blend until smooth, and add breastmilk or formula until you’ve achieved a thin consistency. Don’t be shy about incorporating different herbs, spices, and flavors, either—introducing a variety of flavors helps develop your baby’s palate, and can reduce the chance for picky eating in the future. Remember, it’s important to introduce your baby to single ingredient solid foods before introducing a new food (and your baby may reject a new food a handful of times before deciding it’s a new favorite—just be patient!). Making your own baby food doesn’t need to be stressful, embrace experimentation and get ready to make a mess.