Recommendations

I will eventually neaten up this page, but this is a summary of the recommendations for preparation.  I have separated it into Baby Led Weaning (BLW) Preparation styles, and Puree Preparation styles.  Keep in mind that I did not start this until after our daughter was 6 months old, so if you are starting before that or just doing purees, you may need to make sure your purees are much much smoother (add more water if freezing, breastmilk or formula if fresh).

BLW Preparation

Asparagus: Cut off woody ends, Snap in half, Steam tender stalks for 10 minutes.  Give top halves of stalk to baby.


Avocado: Cut into ~1inch slices that baby can grab.  Have 2-3 slices for her to play with.  Make sure it is very ripe and smushy.  The second avocado we used wasnt quite as ripe and was harder for her to grab and mash.  While more messy, the more perfectly ripe, the better!

Broccoli: Steam baby hand sized stalks for about 15 minutes.  You may be able to do enough for a few days and put it in a baggie in the fridge, but I just did it each day.  Cool and give to baby!

Butternut Squash: peel a small portion of the butternut squash, and chop into fry shapes.  Toss in olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 (flip a few times). Cool & serve!

Carrots: cut into 1/4 inch thick sticks and steam for 20-25 minutes until soft.

Green Beans: Steam for 5-10 minutes, make sure beans are no longer crispy, but not yet soggy.  Chill and these can easily be saved for a couple of days in the fridge.

Parsnips: Cut into stick shapes, Steam 8-10 minutes, remove from steamer immediately and allow to cool on the counter or in the fridge.  Older parsnips will be tougher, but may be easier for babies that have been eating for a bit.

Peaches: Wash Peach, Slice into 3/4inch slices, hand to child!

Sweet Potato:  This is great as an early food.  Peel the potato, cut into thick fries, toss in olive oil, and bake it at 400 for 10 minutes, then flip and bake for another 10.  Allow plenty of time to cool, then serve to baby.

Zucchini: Grill spears of zucchini with some olive oil.  Roughly 20 minutes cook time (rotate a few times until soft)

Puree Preparation

Asparagus Puree: Cut off woody ends, Steam stalks for 10 minutes, puree with some water from the steamer, remove any super stringy parts.

Broccoli: Roasted with Olive Oil - 400 for 30-40 minutes.  Pureed with Chicken stock.

Butternut Squash Puree: Bake a half of a butternut squash at 375 for 1-1.5 hours until flesh is fork tender.  Scoop out, mash and spread into ice cube trays.  Freeze for later!

Carrot: Roasted with Olive Oil - 400 for 40-50 minutes.  Pureed with Chicken stock.
Carrot Puree: blend steamed carrots and a little bit of water from the steamer to a thick consistency.

Cauliflower: Roasted with Olive Oil - 400 for 40-50 minutes.  Pureed with a little bit of Chicken stock.

Eggplant: Grilled as one inch slices with Olive Oil, 10 minutes per side. Pureed with a little bit of Chicken stock.

Green Bean Puree: Toss an handful of steamed beans into a blender/food processor with a little bit of water (beans are pretty watery themselves so they dont need much)

Parsnip: Roasted with Olive Oil - 400 for 30-40 minutes.  Pureed with a little bit of Chicken stock.

Peaches: Puree straight! Dont add water (I added a little, and they came out too thin!)

Sweet Potato Puree: Pierce the skins of the sweet potatoes, wrap in foil and bake for 1-1.5 hours.  Peel off the skins, mash the flesh and spread into ice cube trays.  Freeze for later!

Zucchini: Grilled as one inch sticks with Olive Oil, 10 minutes per side. Pureed with a little bit of Chicken stock.