Anyone else out there terrified about the baby food reports recently exposing almost all baby foods of having toxic levels of heavy metals and arsenic? You can bet that as a new mom starting to feed my baby solids at the time this made news, I was looking for all the ways around feeding them to my little. So I started making my own baby food! We started with this pureed carrot baby food because we always have carrots in our fridge. This post explains how to make carrot baby food.
Why did we start with carrots?
First off, we wanted to skip cereal being reports of arsenic levels in rice. We always use a certain brand of basmati rice, but I would rather wait until she’s a bit older to get into that. Oats are fine, and we are just starting to introduce her to oatmeal. That said, we always have organic carrots at home and they’re a fairly sweet vegetable. Carrots are easy to cook up, and puree. Also they’re on many lists of first solids for baby.
How do you make pureed carrot baby food?
This is easy enough. If you’re using baby carrots, you can skip ahead to boiling water on the stove. If you’re using full carrots, you’ll want to wash them, cut the ends off, and peel them. Then cut into 2-3 inch chunks. Once you’ve got them cut up, put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, add your carrots. You’ll need to boil the carrots for about 10-15 minutes (check the tenderness). If you can easily pierce them with a fork or knife, they’re done. Baby carrots will take less time than whole carrots.
Once they’re done, drain the boiling water and rinse the carrots with cold water for about 2 minutes (or place in an ice bath). This will stop the cooking process internally and saves some of the heat liable nutrients. Once the carrots are cooled off, place them in a high performance blender or food processor with a small amount of water (I used about 1/2 cup per bag) and blend. You may need to add water to get the consistency you want. Start by adding a spoonful at a time.
How can I store pureed carrot baby food?
These baby carrots are quite versatile. I normally keep one serving out to serve fresh, and then in small air tight storage containers, I place about 3-4 servings in the fridge. Then the remaining puree I freeze in silicone ice cube trays and then store in air tight containers or freezer bags. The frozen puree is good for 3 months in the fridge. The refrigerated product is good for 3 days, I’ve pushed it to 4 and we’ve been okay, but it’s safer to limit to 3.
Adding spices for older babies?
As your baby eats more solids and you see success with introducing foods, you can start adding spices to their food. Around the globe, this is done earlier than it is in the U.S. I started with cinnamon being we use a lot of cinnamon in our house, from baked goods to curry dishes. Cinnamon carrots are tasty and add a nice twist. I just sprinkled a small pinch on the top of a serving of puree, and mixed it in. The same could be done for basil or garlic powder too.
*Make sure your spices aren’t expired and extremely old. Though spices are dried and shelf-stable for long periods of time, they tend to harbor some bacteria that may cause some issues for babies gut (the adult gut is a lot more mature than a baby’s). It’s not worth the risk if you’re using extremely old spices.
How to feed baby?
Make sure to consult your pediatrician on how to introduce food, what foods, and any spacing intervals. I am not an expert and have not gone through medical school. As a food scientist and a mom, I have some background in food preparation, but every baby is different. Never force your baby to eat. They’ll take solids when they’re ready. We waited until about 5-5.5 months to start feeding her solids of any sort though the pediatrician said we could start around 4 months. As the parent you know your baby best and can read their cues. This stage is more of a play stage than eating a lot, so make sure not to force feed them, as a typical serving is around a tablespoon. At 6 months, they say babies can take 2-3 ‘meals’ a day.
Interested in trying other at home baby food recipes? Check out this homemade applesauce (pureed apples baby food).
Pureed Carrot Baby Food
Ingredients
- 1 baby carrots (bag)
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- *Skip if using baby carrots* Wash carrots. Cut off stems and chop into 2-3 inch pieces.
- Bring water to boil on stove.
- Add carrots and boil for 10-15 minutes (until tender). If they’re easily pierced by a fork or knife, they’re done.
- Drain water, and rinse with cold water or place in water bath to cool carrots off. This stops the cooking process internally.
- Once they’ve cooled, place in blender or food processor with water. Blend until desired consistency. If needed, add additional water by the spoonful.
- Serve fresh, and store remaining in the refrigerator (3 days) or frozen (3 months).
Nutrition
Let me know if you made this for your little one and what they thought! The days go by fast, so enjoy!
-Cassie 🙂
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I loved it! And so did my LO, too! Thank you for the idea.