Summary
Prep: 5 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
Ages: Babies 6m+
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Makes: 1 bowl carrot puree
Carrots are good for…
Carrots are a great source of beta-carotene, fiber, vitamin K, potassium and antioxidants. Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that gets converted into Vitamin A in the body. Carrots promote a strong immune system in babies and also contain some iron, calcium and vitamin C. A great healthy option for babies.
When can I give carrots to my baby?
Carrots are perfect to introduce to baby during stage 1 weaning, that is from 6 months onwards. In order to prepare the carrots for baby, you simply boil or steam the carrot pieces and blend them.
In our recipes we always cut a few ‘baton’ shaped pieces of our fruit and vegetables. We then steam or boil these along with the rest of the fruit or vegetable chunks. When it’s time to serve the puree we set these to one side and blend the rest.
That way we can feed baby puree, while also letting baby practice eating with these soft ‘batons’. They can practice picking up the pieces and bringing food to their mouths. As well as mushing the carrots around and playing with the different textures.
What to be careful of with carrots
Raw carrots should not be given to babies as they don’t have teeth yet to chew them with. Whole pieces of raw carrot would end up in their mouths and this could pose a choking hazard. Make sure any carrots are steamed or boiled until they are soft enough for baby to be able to mush them about with her gums.
Carrot Puree or Finger Food
Ingredients
- 1 carrot
- Water or baby’s milk
Instructions
- Peel and chop the carrots into long baton that are thick enough for baby to grasp.
- Steam or boil all the pieces for 10 minutes, until soft.
- If you wish to keep them as finger food then you can serve the batons as they are. Or you can set a few steamed carrot batons to one side to serve with the puree.
- Place the rest of the carrot pieces in a blender. Add a little water and blend into a thick puree.
- If you need to, add more water until you get your desired consistency for the puree. If you prefer you can add baby milk instead of water to make the carrot puree creamy too. Serve while fresh.
Carrot Puree
Step by step guide:
Peel and Cut Carrots into Long Batons
Peel and cut your carrots.
If you’re serving some as finger food it’s important that you cut them the right shape for baby to grasp. They should be like sticks or batons that are quite long and thick.
This makes them easier for baby to grab. Babies pick up foods using their whole fist, so you need the pieces of carrot to be long enough to be able to poke out of the top of their clenched fist so that baby can eat them.
Steam the Carrot Pieces
Using a regular steamer or a baby food steamer, steam the carrots for 10 minutes until completely soft.
You can also boil them if you prefer.
Blend Into a Puree (Optional)
If you’re serving it as a puree, place the steamed carrots into a blender with a little water. Blend until you get a smooth, thick puree.
You may need to add more water to get a thinner or smoother consistency in which case you can do this and blend again.
You can also use baby’s usual milk to blend it with (instead of water) if you prefer to make a creamy carrot puree.
Serve as a Puree or as Carrot Batons (or Both)
You can choose to serve steamed carrots either as a puree by blending (as above) or as finger foods by offering them as batons.
Another option is to do both. This means you can blend some of the carrots into a puree and feed baby the puree with a spoon. But also set aside a few pieces of steamed carrot batons to not puree and lay these out in front of baby.
That way they can play with the pieces and work on the finger food while also getting the nutrition from the puree bites too.
Pin it for Later
Carrot Puree for Baby
Carrot Puree
Ingredients
- 1 Carrot
- Water or baby's milk (formula or expressed breast milk)
Instructions
-
Peel and chop the carrots into long baton that are thick enough for baby to grasp.
-
Steam or boil all the pieces for 10 minutes, until soft.
-
If you wish to keep them as finger food then you can serve the batons as they are. Or you can set a few steamed carrot batons to one side to serve with the puree (optional).
-
Place the rest of the carrot pieces in a blender. Add a little water and blend into a thick puree.
-
If you need to, add more water until you get your desired consistency for the puree. If you prefer you can add baby milk instead of water to make the carrot puree creamy too. Serve while fresh.
