Preparing baby food and equipment

Here’s some information on how to prepare baby food and some equipment you might need.

Always wash and dry your hands well before you start.

When cooking fresh vegetables and fruit:

• Wash well and remove the skin, pips, seeds, stalks or stringy bits.
• Chop or grate. Graters are useful to grate the fruit and vegetables before cooking. This reduces cooking time and makes food easier to puree.
• To cook, microwave, steam or boil in water until soft.

Babies don’t need any salt, sugar, butter or other condiments added to their food.

To puree cooked food, use a food processor, hand-held blender or push through a sieve until a smooth runny consistency is achieved. A food processor or hand-held blender isn’t essential, but it’s definitely something to think about. An electric hand-held blender is ideal for small amounts of food – you can puree just what your baby needs so there’s no waste.

Some cooked vegetables and soft fruit can be mashed well with a fork or potato masher to a smooth consistency e.g. cooked potato, banana and avocado.

To get the runny texture needed when baby is first starting solids, you may need to add a little expressed breast milk, formula or cooking water.

Homemade baby foods can be frozen in covered small portions and kept in the freezer for 3-4 weeks. Label baby food with the name and date of storage.

As well as using fresh vegetables and fruit, for variety, frozen vegetables and canned fruit can be good convenient options. When choosing canned options just choose those with no added sugar or salt, and drain before pureeing or mashing.

Plates and spoons

There’s no shortage of options here, you’ll be spoilt for choice with plastic baby plates, bowls and spoons. Plastic plates are handy because they’re light and won’t break when they’re dropped. Choose small soft-tipped baby spoons which are gentle on gums and new teeth.

Bibs

They usually don’t cost a fortune, you can get plenty of different versions and will save you a lot of time cleaning your baby and changing their clothes after a meal. There are large and small sizes, plastic versions, cloth versions and different closures like snap buttons. Try to choose something that’s soft on your baby’s skin and that you can easily clean. It’s a good idea to have several so you can go a few days without doing a load of laundry if you need.

Highchair

Choose a supportive highchair with the required 5-point harness and something that is easy to clean and wipe down.  

The materials published on this website are of a general nature and have been provided for informational purposes only. Always consult your medical practitioner or a qualified health provider for any further advice in relation to the topics discussed.