So you've hit an exciting milestone with your baby and started solids! Congratulations! If your baby is anything like mine, you're now staring at a cabinet full of purees that your baby wants nothing to do with. They're excited about baby-led weaning and only want to eat what they can get their hands on. Don't worry! You can upcycle that cabinet full of baby purees into something fun and exciting for your baby AND all of the food you bought won't go to waste.
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What is baby-led weaning?
The main idea behind the "baby-led weaning" craze is that babies wean themselves off of purely pureed foods and gain the ability to eat slightly modified versions of what their parents are eating for their meals.
*Keep in mind, every baby is different and progresses at different stages when it comes to eating. I followed my baby's lead and started her a little later than some of our friends.*
I found using apps like "Solid Starts" and watching videos about baby-led weaning was a great way to learn how and when to serve my baby each type of food.
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Here's 5 Ways I Up-Cycled My Purees:
- 1) The easiest way to begin the transition is to mix purees into foods that are a little thicker. For example, mixing purees into Greek yogurt or thickening the purees with baby cereal or oatmeal is a great way to add protein and give your baby a new texture without completely moving away from what they are familiar with.
- 2) Use purees like butternut squash, vegetable blends and even sweet potato as a "pasta sauce" for your babies. It is recommended that babies start with large, flat, wide noodles for easy grasping. Using their purees as a sauce is the perfect way to continue integrating vegetables into their diet.
- 3) Freeze them! I searched "baby popsicle molds" and compared reviews until I found what I liked. My baby LOVES frozen mango puree or any of the "fruity" baby foods frozen. These mini popsicles are a hit with teething babies and allow for a different sensory experience than what they get with their every day food.
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- 4) Turn them into pancakes. I experimented with adding flour and eggs into the purees and turning them into pancakes and my daughter devoured them. This is also a sneaky way to get your babies to eat the purees they are not crazy about. Almost every puree becomes unrecognizable in pancake form with a little cinnamon in the batter and some butter on top. The recipe varies depending on the thickness of the puree, (for example mango and peach puree is often much thinner than sweet potato or apple or banana) but the general recipe I have been using is one egg, 1/2 cup flour and one 4 ounce container of baby food. Once whisked together, you will be able to tell if you want to adjust the thickness of the batter. If it is runny, add a little more flour. If it is too thick, you can integrate a second type of puree. After making sure the pancake is flat, crisp and cooked all the way through, I cut the pancakes into strips so that they are easy to pick up.
- 5) Turn them into a dip or topping. Sometimes, it isn't even about transforming the item, rather than disguising it in a new form. I can offer my daughter baby food on a spoon and she will refuse it, but if I spread it on top of a bagel, piece of toast or the pancakes mentioned above, she eats it! So a baby food pancake with another type of baby food on top means she's getting two types of food in one bite and doesn't even know it. I recently made sweet potato pancakes and topped them with an apple, pumpkin, granola puree and she cleared her plate!
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These are just five ways that I have personally tried, but I have also seen baby food turned into smoothies, muffins and more! It is a fun way to experiment and learn how to create a no-waste environment in your kitchen.
*Don't forget to keep a food log for possible allergens, check baby-led weaning guidelines for each type of food and let your baby show you what they are ready for.*
Every journey is different. Enjoy it!
-Savannah Kater, publisher, Macaroni KID Daytona Beach, FL
