Absolutely Everything You Need To Make Your Own Baby Food

Is your babe ready to start eating food? Look no further, I have compiled the ultimate list of everything you need to get started with your baby food journey!

When my first daughter was at the age where food could be introduced, I made the decision to not purchase baby food. This is a privilege I acknowledge lots of people don’t have, and I was so grateful to be able to choose this route.

Making all the food she was going to eat was a big undertaking and would require some extra supplies. I did lots of research on how to make this as efficient a process as possible without buying a ton of very baby specific items.

fyi: I opted to not do baby led weaning. Most of the supplies I talk about below are still relevant if you take the BLW route, but obviously some won’t be.

When babies first start their journey with foods, single-ingredient purees are the safest way to start. It will make it very easy to determine what/if allergies are present, how their tummy reacts, etc.

Cooking Baby Food

Even though the beginning of this baby food journey consists of mostly single ingredient recipes, I still relied heavily on this cookbook. It was very informative and gave good suggestions for first foods to try. Even just being able to see how long to steam something was helpful! My copy is falling apart because it lived on my counter for almost a year 😅

• I really didn’t want a bunch of baby specific kitchen appliances all over the place, so I bought this food processor instead. Its actually been one of my most used appliances since buying it! I use it 2-3 times a week outside of making baby food.
• If you don’t think a food processor is right for you, this baby blender is super popular, too.
• I have a pot with a steamer insert to steam veggies which works wonders! You can also just use this so you don’t have to buy a whole new pot.

Serving & Storing

• We’ve tried several types of plates and bowls and these are hands down our favorite. Made from recycled bottles, they are earth friendly and come in a million color combos! We actually use their cups, bowls, plates, and cutlery! Big fans.
• These glass baby food storage jars are the perfect size for new eaters. Plus, the glass will never stain and they’re freezer safe! I often make a whole squash (or larger veggie), portion it out into the jars, then freeze what won’t be eaten right away. Or once they’re eating a variety of foods – have a freezer stash of different foods on a rotation to keep things interesting.
• These reusable squeeze pouches were perfect for my little one when she was on the move and wanted a snack. We put purees in them, and then applesauce, yogurt, etc once she got older. We still use them today and she’s almost 3. They’re dishwasher safe, which is the best.
• To use along with the snack pouches are these silicone pouch toppers. Not only do they keep the contents from spilling out of the pouch, they are nice on teething gums, and soft for little mouths.
• We also took full advantage of these collapsible snack cups! They fit a surprising amount of goldfish, cheerios, small fruit, whatever. And again – dishwasher safe… kind of a must. My almost 3 year old still uses them!

Eating

• I am such a die-hard fan of this “non high chair” that I’ve convinced several other mom friends to make the jump. It takes up ZERO floor space, is machine washable, and packs away into a small pouch. I just bought a second one for my youngest and will never buy anything different.
• Here’s the tray that clicks on to it. I didn’t have this initially, but bought it after a few days because its so convenient. Has a built in cup holder so they can’t knock it over!

Happy Cooking!

I hope this guide was helpful to you in some way. Making your own baby food is so rewarding (when they like what you give them 😅) but can be a little overwhelming to start. Did you find anything especially helpful in your journey? Let me know in the comments!

Are you expecting? Read my top parenting tips I’d only tell my BFF 👀