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Learn this simple approach to making baby food combinations with this master list of ideas. With this post, you’ll always have ideas for easy baby meals that both taste great and are realistic for you to execute…even with a busy schedule!
Moving from homemade baby foods made with just one single ingredient to combinations in stage 2 baby food is such a fun stage of feeding babies because things can get so much more flavorful and interesting! And it means that you can batch cook basic purees and then combine them in so many delicious ways to keep things interesting and nutrition varied.
And while I am not opposed to sometimes buying baby food, each of these ideas is super easy—even if you are very busy. I love to have a stash of these in the freezer to use for quick meals in a pinch. (And to be honest, we still use them in the toddler years as easy ways to offer up veggies!)
Scroll to the recipe at the end of the post for all of the details, and read through the post for answers to common questions and basics about making baby food combos.
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Ingredients in Baby Food Combinations
To make the baby foods in this post, you’ll need basic ingredients (that will obviously vary according to which specific puree you choose). The base purees are made with:
Apples
Bananas
Blueberries
Butternut Squash
Carrots
Mango
Pear
Peas
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
TIP: Then, to mix things into combinations, you can add in peanut butter, plain whole milk yogurt, Baby Oatmeal, Baby Rice Cereal, and other purees including those made with beans, chicken, pineapple, avocado, peach, and more.
How to Make Stage 2 Baby Food Combinations Step-by-Step
Here’s a look at the simple process involved in making this sort of stage 2 baby food. Scroll down to the bottom of the recipe for the full information.
Make your base purees.
Store or freeze until ready to combine.
Stir together the purees, adding any optional spices or ingredients, until uniform.
TIP: I like to make the single ingredient purees and freeze them, then mix and match frozen cubes of purees into yummy combinations. This ensures that you have flexibility to adjust if baby doesn’t love one combination and that you can change up the flavors you’re offering regularly.
How do you combine baby food?
With the way I do it, you simply make two purees (or one puree if you plan to combine it with something like yogurt or oatmeal) and mix them together. You can really do any combinations that sound good to you. I have 10 base purees and 5 easy combination ideas for you to get started, but then you can totally run with it!
Start with Blueberry Puree, then transform it into these fun flavors.
+ plain whole milk yogurt = Blueberry yogurt
+ Baby Oatmeal = Blueberry Oatmeal
+ Banana Puree = Blueberry Banana Puree
+ Mango Puree = Blueberry Mango Puree
+ Peach Puree = Blueberry Peach Puree
Baby Food Combinations with Butternut Squash
Smooth Butternut Squash Puree is a great base as it’s rich in nutrients and has a naturally mild flavor. (Any of these would be great with a tiny pinch of cinnamon.)
I prefer to freeze batches of baby food in a silicone ice cube tray overnight, transfer it to a zip top freezer bag, then store it until I’m ready to serve or combine it. You can then mix and match from the single ingredient purees you have in the freezer by adding a cube or two of two purees to a container.
If you do that the night before you plan to serve the food, it will thaw and be ready to stir together.
This makes it easy to batch cook and have a lot of option to feed baby at home or at daycare.
Best Tips Success (Stage 2 & Stage 3)
These Stage 2 baby foods are great to introduce after baby has started solids with single ingredient homemade baby foods
For a 6 month old baby, 1-2 tablespoons baby food may be plenty for a single serving. For a 9 month old baby, they might want ¼ cup or more.
Adjust the servings based on your child’s hunger, using a roughly one to one ratio of the purees in each combination.
I’d love to hear your feedback on these ideas, so please comment and rate the recipe ideas below! I appreciate all of your comments so much.
Baby Food Combinations (50 Easy Stage 2 Recipes)
For a 6 month old baby, 1-2 tablespoons baby food may be plenty for a single serving. For a 9 month old baby, they might want ¼ cup or more. Adjust the servings based on your child’s hunger, using a roughly one to one ratio of the purees in each combination. Nutrition will vary according to the combinations you use.
Prepare each puree. Freeze in a silicone ice cube tray, transferring the cubes to a freezer bag once solid, or store in the refrigerator as needed.
Place roughly equal amounts of the two (or more) purees you plan to combine into a bowl. Stir together. (If the purees are frozen, place a cube or two of each into a bowl or storage container. the night before you plan to serve and let thaw overnight in the fridge before stirring together. Or thaw at room temperature for about 2 hours.)
When you add the baby cereal (rice or oatmeal) would this be before freezer storage or after you thaw puree to serve? I want to make many batches and freeze them but not sure about the shelf life of the cereal once made.
Thank you in advance
You can do it either way. That said, I would probably make the fruit and veggie purees ahead and then make the baby cereal more in the moment and add one of the thawed purees in.
I like to place a cube or two into a small container (that has a lid that seals well) into the fridge the night before I plan to serve it and it usually thaws well. You can also let sit at room temperature for an hour or two or heat in the microwave in 15 second increments (it typically doesn’t take long at all to thaw it if you didn’t plan ahead).
When you add the baby cereal (rice or oatmeal) would this be before freezer storage or after you thaw puree to serve? I want to make many batches and freeze them but not sure about the shelf life of the cereal once made.
Thank you in advance
You can do it either way. That said, I would probably make the fruit and veggie purees ahead and then make the baby cereal more in the moment and add one of the thawed purees in.
Pls can I put in the freezer till the next day?
Yes, you can freeze in a small container (that’s freezer-safe) or in an ice cube tray.
Thank you so much for these!! I wanted to make my own baby food with my toddler but at the time was working full time and really trying to focus on being able to breastfeed/pump to last a year, so I didn’t want to overwhelm myself. I did a mix of. BLW and store-bought purées for her. With my second I’m now a SAHM and feel a lot more confident about breastfeeding and being able to make it a year or more, so I really want to try and make her baby food! This is very helpful!
I’m so glad it’s helpful and glad to hear about your increased confidence too!
What’s the best way to thaw the frozen baby food cubes in time for eating so it won’t go bad?
I like to place a cube or two into a small container (that has a lid that seals well) into the fridge the night before I plan to serve it and it usually thaws well. You can also let sit at room temperature for an hour or two or heat in the microwave in 15 second increments (it typically doesn’t take long at all to thaw it if you didn’t plan ahead).
Thanks!