Let’s talk about stage 3 baby food! What is it? How do you make it? When can your baby have it?
Plus I’m sharing my top 20 best stage 3 baby food recipes for 9-12 month olds!
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Stage 3 Baby Food
After reading reports of toxic heavy metals in store bought baby food I feel like I’ve been on a roller coaster of a ride searching for the best foods to feed my baby.
I tried out a baby food delivery service and you can read about that disaster here. After that failed me I learned how to make stage 3 baby food because I felt that was the safest and most healthy option for our Hailee.
Before I share these recipes for stage 3 baby food let’s go over a few frequently asked questions about making your own baby food.
What is stage 3 baby food?
Stage 3 baby food is thicker puréed food with small soft chunks that are easy for baby to chew.
Stage 3 purées allow baby to safely explore new textures from the same foods they’ve been enjoying. These new soft chunks will helped further develop babies chewing skills to get them ready for finger foods.
These thicker mashed foods with a lot of texture also pack a blend of flavors due to their multi ingredient recipes.
What ages is stage 3 baby food for?
You’re probably wondering, when can I give my baby stage 3 foods? When is it safe for baby to start chewing soft chunks of food?
As always consult with your pediatrician and ask if your baby is ready for stage 3 baby foods first. This is usually between 9-12 months of age and around the time baby is able to crawl with their belly off the floor.
What is the difference between stage 2 & stage 3 baby food?
Stage 2 baby food is a little thicker than stage one. It also has two ingredients as opposed to one.
Stage 3 baby food is different because it’s even thicker than stage two and it has the small soft chunks. Stage 3 baby food also can have more than two ingredients to introduce your baby to a variety of different blends of flavor.
How to make stage 3 baby food?
Don’t know how to make stage 3 baby food? It’s actually very simple and similar to the first two stages.
Simply steam fruits and vegetables until they are very soft. Then put them in a blender until the consistency is thick and chunky. You can also add cooked grains like quinoa, amaranth, rice etc.
I used a steamer and my Cuisinart to make my stage 3 baby food. But there are baby food makers out there that can make things a little easier and faster.
20 Stage 3 Baby Food Recipes For 9-12 Months
You may notice that I didn’t include measurements for these recipes. This was my first time making homemade baby food and it was a trial and error process for me.
I added ingredients until I got the consistency I was looking for. I did list the ingredients in order of most to least. Definitely go very light on the spices.
Apricot Banana Pudding
Sweet Adzuki Bean Porridge
- Adzuki bean
- Sweet potato
- Apple
- Date
- Cinnamon
Minty Cauliflower Pea Soup
- Peas
- Cauliflower
- Coconut milk
- Mint
- Parsley
Ratatouille
- Pear
- Zucchini
- Yellow squash
- Sweet Potato
- Tomato
- Red bell pepper
- Eggplant
- Kale
Polenta Mushroom Raghu
- Carrot
- Polenta
- Mushroom
- Tomato
- Onion
- Garlic
- Oregano
- Parsley
Coconut Chia Pudding
- Japanese sweet potato
- Butternut squash
- Apple
- Chia seeds
- Coconut milk
- Vanilla
Bell Pepper Apple Mash
- Sweet potato
- Apple
- Red bell pepper
- Quinoa
- Chard
Mushroom Spinach Medley
- Adzuki Bean
- Quinoa
- Mushroom
- Spinach
- Garlic
Kale Pear Quinoa Bowl
- Pear
- Chickpeas
- Quinoa
- Kale
Broccoli Mash Bowl
- Sweet potato
- Broccoli
- Apricot
- Amaranth
- Flaxseed
Squash Quinoa Combo
- Butternut Squash
- Quinoa
- Kale
- Flax Seed
- Spirulina
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Chickpeas
- Cucumber
- Quinoa
- Tomato
- Olives
- Parsley
- Ginger
Mexican Quinoa Salad
- Black beans
- Avacado
- Tomato
- Quinoa
- Corn
Beet Bash
- Beets
- Apple
- Chickpeas
- Lentils
- Mint
- Garlic
Kale Carrot Salad
- Carrots
- Chickpeas
- Beets
- Kale
- Lemon juice
- Ginger
Asian Quinoa Salad
- Carrots
- Cabbage
- Quinoa
- Almond Butter
Hearty Green Bean Salad
- Pumpkin
- Green beans
- Quinoa
- Tomato
- Almond butter
Cucumber Quinoa Salad
- Cantaloupe
- Cucumber
- Quinoa
- Lemon juice
- Basil
Creamy Amaranth Corn Chowder
- Corn
- Amaranth
- Quinoa
- Red bell pepper
- Celery
- Coconut milk
Chili Bowl
- Zucchini
- Kidney Beans
- Tomato
- Lentils
- Red bell pepper
- Celery
- Garlic
What do we think of these stage 3 baby food recipes?
Hailee has been such a good sport testing out all of my baby food creations and I’m glad to report that she likes them all!
Let me know if you end up making any of these recipes. Tell me how it went and what your baby likes or doesn’t like in the comments below!
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