The short answer
- Australian guidelines suggest starting solids at around 6 months, with iron-rich foods among the first.
- Steam or cook until soft, purée smooth, no added salt, sugar or honey.
- Freeze small portions straight away; in the fridge, use purée within 24 hours.
- Never keep homemade baby food at room temperature, in jars or bags.
Starting solids
Australia's infant feeding guidelines suggest introducing solid food at around 6 months, when your baby shows signs of being ready, with iron-rich foods such as meat, poultry, fish, legumes or iron-fortified cereal among the first, alongside vegetables and fruit. Your child health nurse or GP can help with timing and what to start with.
Making purées yourself means you know exactly what's in them. A vacuum sealer helps with the part that takes time: keeping small portions safe and fresh in the freezer.
Making purée
1 · Cook until soft
Wash, peel and dice vegetables or fruit and steam them until tender; small pieces cook faster and keep more of their vitamins. Meat is simmered in water until very tender. Vegetables can also be cooked sous vide in a sealed bag: LAVA's time for carrots is 85 °C for 50 minutes.
2 · Purée
Blend smooth with a stick blender, thinning with a little cooking water. As your baby grows, leave it a little coarser.
3 · No salt, sugar or honey
Babies don't need added salt or sugar, and honey must not be given before 12 months.
First recipe: carrot and potato
Ingredients
1kg carrots, 350g potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil or butter.
Method
Peel and dice the vegetables, steam until soft, purée with a little of the cooking water, then stir in the oil or butter. Pumpkin, broccoli or parsnip can stand in for the carrots; cooked meat can be blended in once your baby is eating meat.
Storing it safely
Freeze in small portions
Cool the purée quickly, spoon it into an ice-cube tray and freeze. Then seal the cubes in a vacuum bag, label and date them: no freezer burn, and you take out only what you need.
Helps: R-Vac bags · Labels
Fridge: within 24 hours
Fresh purée in a closed container in the fridge, used within 24 hours.
Thaw and reheat
Thaw in the fridge, heat until steaming hot all through, stir, and let it cool before feeding. Don't refreeze thawed purée, and throw away what's left in the bowl.
Never at room temperature. Homemade baby food in jars or bags must not be kept in a cupboard: a vacuum doesn't make it safe, and some bacteria grow without air. Fridge for a day, freezer for longer. Ask your child health nurse or GP about how long frozen portions should be kept.
LAVA AustraliaOfficial LAVA distributor and vacuum-packaging specialists since 2018.
