Starting Solids? Here Are 5 Homemade Baby Food Ideas (That Are Also FULL Of Good Stuff)

Whether breast or bottle fed, your baba will gradually need to discover new tastes and textures. With lots of different advice out there, weaning is a notoriously confusing stage, especially for first-time mamas. Don't worry, we're here to help! Current Irish guidelines state that you should wait until your baba is six months of age before you start weaning. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland recommends that babies should be weaned as close to six months as possible and no earlier than seventeen weeks. However, like anything, the timing of introducing solid food depends on each baby’s individual nutritional and developmental needs but most babies begin to show signs that they are ready to be weaned. Here's some clues to keep an eye out for:

• They are still hungry or restless after a milk feed.
• They are able to sit propped-up and hold their head steady.
• They open their mouths or imitate chewing when they see others eating.

Start with fruit and vegetable purees but you can gradually build up to fish and meat when you feel they are ready. To make life a little easier - we have put together five great first taste suggestions for your little one when they're ready to get messy: 1. Green bean, carrot, and potato purée Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Ingredients: 30g carrot (½ small carrot) 20g potato 30g green beans ½ teaspoon of rapeseed oil Method: Peel, wash and dice the carrot and potato. Cook the vegetables in a small saucepan of boiling water for about 10 minutes. Place the cooled vegetables in a blender. Add the rapeseed oil and green beans. Add 1 tablespoon of water and blend until smooth. If necessary, add 1 more spoonful of cooking water. Serve warm but make sure to check the temperature before giving your baby. 2. Broccoli and chicken breast purée Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes Ingredients: 50g of broccoli florets 10g chicken cutlet ½ teaspoon of rapeseed oil 100 ml of water Method: Wash and cut the broccoli florets into small pieces. Boil the broccoli florets for 6-7 minutes. Place in a blender with the cooked chicken and water until a smooth purée is obtained, then add the rapeseed oil. Serve warm after checking temperature is suitable for baba! 3. Pear and apple crumble Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Ingredients: 35g of golden apples 35g of pears (conference) 20g almond powder 20g of flour 20g butter Method: Peel and diced the fruits. Boil the fruit over a low heat until very soft. Leave to cool. Preparation of the crumble: Preheat your oven to 180 ° C. In a mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour and almond powder) and butter with your fingers into a crumble texture. Bake the mixture in oven at 180 ° C for about 10 minutes. At the end of cooking leave to cool. Sprinkle a small amount of the crumble over the apple and pear compote. Can be served warm or cold. 4. Fennel and potato purée Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 6 minutes Ingredients: 150g of fennel (makes about 40g of purée) 15g of potato 1 drop of rapeseed oil 100ml of water Method: Wash and cut the fennel into very small pieces. Wash, peel and cut the potato into small cubes. Place the fennel and potato in a bowl, add the water, cover with a food film and cook for 6 min in a microwave oven at 900W. Mix with a mini chopper until a smooth purée is obtained, pass it through a fine strainer and then add the rapeseed oil. As always, check the temperature before giving to your baby. 5. Carrot, peas, and chicken purée Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes Ingredients: 40g of carrots 40g of peas 10g of chicken 1 sprig of chives ½ teaspoon of rapeseed oil 50ml of water Method: Steam the chicken. Thinly chop the chives and mix with cooked chicken and rapeseed oil. Boil and add peas. Blend until mixture is a smooth purée Heat the recipe in the microwave oven for 30 sec, power 900 W. Serve warm to your baby but test for hot-spots first! For more information on the award-winning Mamia range, visit the Aldi website.