Peas Child Meals (Stage One)

July 19, 2024

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Wealthy in protein, fiber, nutritional vitamins, and minerals, my peas child meals is the best stage one child meals for infants as younger as 4 months outdated. Made with simply two easy substances, it has a contemporary, delicate taste, and studying make pea puree for child is simple!

Should you’ve by no means made child meals from scratch earlier than, it may appear intimidating, however making home made child meals peas is definitely tremendous straightforward and cost-effective.

My inexperienced peas child meals has a light style with a creamy texture that your child will love! It’s additionally very wholesome on your baby and straightforward to customise primarily based in your child’s age and tastes.

If it’s your first time making child meals at dwelling, try my fast begin child meals recipe information!

🫛 When Can Infants Begin Consuming Peas?

Infants can begin consuming peas as quickly as they’re prepared to begin strong meals, usually between 4-6 months of age. At that age, for a stage 1 child meals, I might puree the peas or mash them earlier than serving them to my child.

Just like grapes, entire peas are a choking hazard till your child is about 3 years outdated. At about 12 months outdated I might begin making mashed peas for my youngsters and I’d serve them as a finger meals. Mashed peas have been very easy to make when my youngsters have been toddlers – as soon as cooked, I’d merely mash them with a fork or potato masher.

👶 Do Peas Make Infants Gassy or Constipated?

Peas mustn’t trigger gasoline or constipation in your child. Peas are excessive in fiber, so they need to truly assist to alleviate constipation as a result of the fiber helps to melt your child’s stool and make it straightforward to move.

My pea puree recipe for child is without doubt one of the finest first meals choices for infants as younger as 4 to six months outdated. It has a contemporary, delicate taste, making it good for infants. Each of my youngsters began consuming this puree round 5 months of age.

That is considered one of my favourite purees, as a result of candy peas are a powerhouse vegetable that’s allergen-friendly and nutrient-rich. They’re excessive in nutritional vitamins A, B6, C, Okay, folate, iron, and zinc, supporting immune well being, bones, and crimson blood cell formation. Plus, peas are excessive in protein, fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients (supply).

I additionally love that making pea puree for child is tremendous straightforward and inexpensive! My recipe solely requires one ingredient plus water. It’s easy to make and a lot cheaper than shopping for a store-bought model like Gerber child meals peas.

One other good thing is you could take my recipe and create many various pea puree mixtures for child. There are such a lot of completely different variations you can also make by mixing it with different child meals or just including herbs (see my ideas under!)

However my favourite factor about my peas child meals is you could truly make an enormous batch and retailer it within the freezer for months later, making fast meals on your child prepared in minutes!

Newest Recipe Video!

🥘 Elements

You solely want two easy substances to make my child peas recipe and one is water! For detailed directions and dietary info, see the recipe card on the backside of this put up.

Ingredients for peas baby food recipe on a wood cutting board.

Frozen Inexperienced Peas: I like to recommend utilizing frozen natural peas since they’re flash frozen when picked, requiring no further prep. You can too use backyard contemporary peas, however they require extra prep time, particularly if nonetheless of their pods. I used 2 baggage of 16 oz peas for this recipe.

Water: Used to skinny out the puree, I all the time begin with 8 ounces of filtered water. You may all the time add extra water one ounce at a time till you attain your required consistency.

🔪 How To Make Peas Child Meals

Studying puree peas for child is very easy and takes only a few steps! Try my video under to see the step-by-step course of in motion.

Steam The Peas: To start, I add a bit of water to a big pot and place a steamer basket on prime. Then I steam the peas for 3-5 minutes till they’re tender.

Puree Peas: After the peas are steamed, I pour them right into a blender or meals processor and add about 8 ounces of water. I mix till clean, including extra water one ounce at a time if wanted to attain the specified consistency. You can too simply add the water to the pot and use a hand blender.

Be aware: Boiling the peas is another choice. I merely add the peas and water to a pot over excessive warmth and convey to a boil. Subsequent, I cowl the pot and scale back the warmth to a simmer, cooking the peas for about 5-7 minutes till tender however not mushy. Then I add each the cooked peas and the cooking water within the blender.

Put together For Freezing: As soon as blended, I pour the puree evenly into ice dice trays. Then I let it cool, wrap the trays in plastic wrap or cowl them, and pop them within the freezer. The cubes will maintain within the freezer for as much as 4 months.

Thaw To Serve: When prepared to make use of, I thaw a dice in a single day within the fridge in a small bowl. You can too place the dice in a bowl over scorching water on the counter till it’s fully defrosted. Pureed peas for child might be served at room temperature or barely warmed.

Pea puree for baby in a black serving bowl.

My #1 Secret Tip for when making my child pea puree is to not overcook the peas! Steam the peas till they flip shiny inexperienced and are barely gentle to retain their vibrant inexperienced coloration and dietary worth. As soon as cooked, instantly submerge them in an ice bathtub to cease the cooking course of.

Different Suggestions To Maintain In Thoughts:

Use Child Meals Storage Containers: This lets you make one batch, freeze, and have a provide for the complete month or extra! You’ll save tons of time and all the time have a wide range of contemporary, home made purees prepared on your child.
Use A Excessive-Powered Blender: I used a Vitamix. It will probably deal with massive batches and pulverizes the whole lot right into a clean texture much like store-bought child meals. You don’t want a “child meals maker”. And if in case you have a Vitamix you should utilize it for thus many different issues apart from child meals!
Regulate The Consistency: In case your pea puree for child is just too thick I simply add a bit of extra water. You can too add breast milk or method simply earlier than serving to your child.
Introduce New Flavors Progressively: I like to recommend beginning with single-ingredient peas for infants and steadily introduce new flavors and mixtures. This helps establish any meals allergic reactions and permits infants to regulate to new tastes.

📖 Pea Child Meals Mixtures

Deciding what to combine with pea puree for child is the enjoyable half! The probabilities are infinite. Listed here are a few of my favourite peas mixture child meals concepts:

Peas And Apples: Some infants might not like peas on their very own, however they are often made palatable by mixing them with one other fruit puree! My youngsters all the time liked apple and pea puree. Different fruits like pears, bananas, peaches, and mangoes are good choices too.

Peas And Carrots: Smashed peas and carrot child meals is a traditional mixture! I might additionally use different greens like candy potato, butternut squash, cauliflower, or common potatoes when serving this to my youngsters and so they all labored effectively.

Different Inexperienced Greens: Take my child pea puree recipe and mix in another inexperienced veggies like spinach or broccoli. You could possibly additionally combine it along with my zucchini child meals or pureed inexperienced beans.

Add Protein: Child meals with peas is simple to combine along with chickpeas, my straightforward child lentils recipe, yogurt, and even gentle tofu for a protein increase!

Add Wholesome Fat: Strive mixing in some floor flaxseed, avocado puree, or a bit of little bit of olive oil, coconut oil, natural ghee, or butter! You can too combine it with breastmilk or natural child method proper earlier than serving (however don’t combine it with breastmilk or method and retailer it for later).

Herbs & Spices: When contemplating what to combine with peas for child meals don’t neglect about herbs and spices. I launched delicate herbs and spices to each of my youngsters at round 7-8 months of age. You may attempt contemporary herbs like mint, basil, parsley, or cilantro. Different flavors and spices that your child would possibly get pleasure from embrace a splash of lemon juice or lime juice, or a pinch of floor ginger, garlic powder, or cumin.

🍽 How To Serve Peas To Child

As soon as your child is prepared for solids, you’ll be able to add a bit of little bit of inexperienced pea puree to a small baby-safe spoon and let your child experiment with it. Allow them to contact it, put little bits of their mouth, and see how they prefer it.

Alternatively, you’ll be able to feed it to them instantly if they’re leaning ahead and opening their mouth already.

Once you begin strong meals, 1 tablespoon of my peas child meals is greater than sufficient for a “meal.” So begin with small quantities and work your manner up from there as your child will get used to consuming!

Different Fast Feeding Suggestions

In the case of beginning solids, one of the simplest ways to make sure your little one turns into an adventurous eater (and never a choosy eater), is to show them to completely different tastes and completely different textures (apart from candy, gentle meals) early on.
Observe your child’s lead! Don’t attempt to make your child eat as soon as they’ve indicated they’re full or finished (e.g. they’ve turned away from the spoon, stopped opening their mouth, or began enjoying with or pushing away the meals). It’s additionally alright to let your child discover with the spoon and the meals on their very own. It’s going to make a multitude, nevertheless it encourages your child to develop key abilities for self feeding.
Be persistent! Generally it will probably take as much as 50-100 tastes of recent meals for a child to simply accept them. In case your child doesn’t just like the puree at first, maintain attempting, and don’t quit!
Add spices to my peas child meals recipe! Don’t be afraid to show your child to all types of tastes and flavors. Keep away from utilizing “scorching” spices like chili powder, cayenne, or crimson pepper, however delicate and candy spices, in addition to all herbs, are nice choices.

✔️ Serving Solutions For Older Infants, Children, And Adults

As soon as you know the way to make peas for child you’ll be able to rework it right into a recipe that you should utilize for older infants, youngsters, and adults too. It’s very easy to change my pea child meals recipe with little or no effort.

Older Infants: To make a stage 2 pea puree for child, depart some chunks within the puree for extra texture. This introduces them to a special consistency whereas nonetheless being straightforward to eat. Unfold the chunky puree on some toast for child led weaning.

Toddlers: Flip mushy peas for child right into a smoothie by mixing it into this pineapple cucumber smoothie or fruit and vegetable smoothie. You could possibly additionally combine some into my oat flour pancakes, rice, or pasta to sneak in some extra veggies.

Older Children and Adults: Use my pea puree as a dip, unfold, or sauce. Mix the peas with garlic, lemon juice, and a little bit of olive oil to pair with crackers or flatbread. You can also apply it to this grilled cheese pita sandwich or these black bean quinoa burgers.

🧊 How To Retailer

Fridge: As soon as the inexperienced peas for child cool fully, I switch them to an hermetic container and place them within the fridge for as much as 4 days. When able to serve, I reheat the puree barely within the microwave after which take a look at how heat it’s earlier than serving. Slightly hotter than room temperature (or simply at room temperature) is ideal.

Freezer: For longer storage, I portion the puree into ice dice trays, like these from Mumi & Bubi or a lined silicone ice dice tray, and freeze the newborn meals in a single day. You can too use plastic wrap. As soon as the puree is frozen, I pop the cubes out and retailer them zip-top freezer bag for as much as 4 months.

Defrost: When prepared to make use of, I switch the specified variety of pea puree cubes to the fridge in a single day. The following day, I stir the thawed puree and heat it barely within the microwave.

❓Recipe FAQs

CAN I USE FROZEN PEAS FOR BABY FOOD?

Sure, you should utilize frozen peas when making my pea puree for child. However don’t serve your child frozen peas with out pureeing them, as they’re a choking hazard.

CAN YOU USE CANNED PEAS FOR BABY FOOD?

I don’t advocate utilizing canned peas for child meals. Some cans nonetheless comprise BPA. Additionally, they aren’t as contemporary or flavorful. In actual fact, they’ll have fairly a pungent odor and acidic taste.

ARE PEAS A CHOKING HAZARD?

Entire peas generally is a choking hazard for infants, particularly these underneath 3 years outdated. You will need to puree or mash the peas completely earlier than serving them to infants and youthful toddlers. As your little one will get older and might deal with extra textures, you’ll be able to serve peas which can be mashed or damaged into smaller items to scale back the danger of choking.

Baby food with peas in a black serving bowl.

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📋 Recipe Card