Blueberry Baby Food - Nutritious Blueberry Recipes for Your Baby - Homemade Baby Food & Baby Food Recipes

Blueberries for Baby Food and Feeding Your Baby Blueberries -

Age for Introducing Blueberries to Baby: 8-10 Months Old

 

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The Goodness of Blueberries for Your Baby:

Blueberries have a whole host of nutrients in them and they are often referred to as a "Super Food" due to this.

 

Blueberries are high in antioxidants and contain fiber, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. They are also thought be cholesterol reducers.

 

Blueberries are a wonderful healthy food and make a great snack food for babies and adults alike. One of the greatest things about blueberries for snacking is their portability. There is no need to prepare blueberries, just wash 'em and toss 'em in a small bag or snack bowl and off you go.

 

VITAMINS:
Vitamin A - 78 IU
Vitamin C - 14 mg
Vitamin K - 28 mcg
Folate (important during pregnancy) - 22 mcg
Niacin - .60 mg

MINERALS:
Potassium - 112 mg
Phosphorus - 17 mg
Magnesium - 22 mg
Calcium - 9 mg
Sodium - 2 mg
Iron - 1.40 mg
Also contains trace amounts of zinc, manganese and copper.

Contains 16% of DV of fiber too.

 

When can I give Blueberry to my baby - Around 8 months of age

There is much confusion about when you may feed your infant blueberries. A lot of the confusion stems from the fact that the commercial baby foods use blueberries in their "Stage 2" foods that are targeted to infants between 6-8+ months old. Many believe that blueberries fall under the "no berries until after age 12 months old" rule.

 

What about Blueberry Allergies?

 

Blueberries are not a common allergen - they are not in the allergenic "berry" family. Blueberries are related to cranberries - cranberries appear on many lists of "least allergenic foods". The blueberry is native to North America and is closely related to the cranberry. The blueberry shares no "family" relationship with the strawberry or blackberry or raspberry. Blueberries are not related to strawberries, raspberries and the like. Those "true" berries may be mild to highly allergenic. There are horticultural differences in blueberries/cranberries and straw/rasp/blackberries as well.

 

By "true berries" we are referring to those berries that pose allergy problems for infants and are in the same family.

 

In the book, Managing Food Allergy and Intolerance, blueberries are recommended between 6-9 months old. There are also several other pediatric allergy books that say that blueberries are ok from 6-9 months old as well. Please note that some studies show that blueberries "are, however, rarely allergenic" but "may trigger allergic reactions. Most common symptoms, if any: swelling of the lips and eyelids, itchy swollen rash."

 

The odds are great that your baby will not have an adverse reaction to blueberries if they are introduced between 8-9 months old. However, the most important thing you can do prior to introducing blueberries is to thoroughly discuss it with your baby's pediatrician. This is doubly important if your baby has shown any signs of food allergies.

 

How to Store Blueberries

 

To store blueberries, simply toss them into the refrigerator in a bag or a covered bowl. Blueberries will maintain their freshness for up to two weeks (if they last that long and are not eaten up sooner.) in the refrigerator. It is very easy to freeze blueberries as well. There is no need to blanche or coat with sugary syrups, simply toss in a freezer bag, remove all the air and store for up to 3 months.

 

Blueberries do not lose their nutritional value over short periods of storage as the pigment in their skins protects their antioxidants.

 

Basic Blueberry Baby Food Recipes

 

Blueberry Baby Food Recipes - Blueberry Puree

Ingredients

1/2 pint of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 c. water

 

Directions

Bring water to a boil. Add blueberries and simmer for 15 minutes until soft.
Reserve liquid and use a slotted spoon to transfer blueberries to blender/processor/mixer and puree.
If needed, add some of the liquid to blueberries.
Add cereal (if desired) to thicken up - *You can save the liquid to serve as juice or to blend in with cereals etc..

 

 

Blueberry Cereal

 

Add pureed blueberries to baby's homemade rice, oatmeal or barley cereal

 

 

Blueberry Tofu Mush

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup Blueberry Puree
1/2 packet of Firm Tofu

Directions

Combine all of the above ingredients - Add water if needed

Transfer to a blender or food processor. Puree or chop as needed for your baby's age and texture requirements. This makes a great finger food snack.

 

 

Blueberry Cottage Cheese Drizzle

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup of fresh blueberries (washed and picked through for stems and other debris)
1 cup of Cottage Cheese (use 2% with small curds)

 

Directions

In a glass bowl, warm the blueberries in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  Wizz the blueberries in a blender until smooth and juicy.  Drizzle the blueberries over cottage cheese and serve.  If needed, mash the curds to a texture/size your baby can tolerate.

 

This makes a quick and easy finger food full of antioxidants, protein and calcium.  You can also offer baby her own bowl and hand her a spoon; this will cling to the spoon and is a good food for self-feeding practice.

 

 

Blue Quinoa

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup of fresh blueberries (washed and picked through for stems and other debris)
1 cup of cooked quinoa

 

Directions

Prepare quinoa according to package directions

(if you have lost the directions, it’s 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water.  Boil water, add quinoa then simmer for 10-20 minutes)

In a glass bowl, warm the blueberries in the microwave for about 30 seconds and then squish blueberries with a fork.  Stir the blueberries into the quinoa and add 3 tablespoons of mashed sweet potato.  Serve warm.  Very colorful and very nutritious.

 

 

Foods Good to Mix With Blueberries:

Rice, Oatmeal, Barley, Quinoa, Buckwheat and Mixed Grain Homemade Baby Cereals
Apples
Bananas
Pears
Plums
Yogurt

 

 

Visit our Combinations page to see more Homemade Baby Food Combination Ideas

 

 

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