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.
(You may also like Mango Puree, baby-led weaning foods, and early finger foods for baby.)
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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.
- Serve with a spoon or in a reusable pouch.
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!
Best Baby Food Containers
For storing baby food, I like these Wean Green Storage Cubes (they are glass and are insanely durable—I’ve been using the same set for 8 years), these Beaba Clip Containers, and these Wee Sprout Containers. My go-to reusable pouches include this silicone one from Squeasy Gear and these Wee Sprouts BPA-free plastic ones. (I prefer the 3 ounce size for babies in both pouch options.)
Apple Baby Food Ideas
Once you make basic Apple Puree, you can combine it with so many yummy flavors!
- + plain whole milk yogurt = Apple Yogurt
- + Baby Oatmeal = Apple Oatmeal
- + Spinach Puree = Apple Spinach Baby Food
- + Carrot Puree = Apple Carrot Baby Food
- + Butternut Squash Puree = Apple Squash Baby food
Banana Baby Food Ideas
Try these easy combinations that start with Banana Puree.
- + Peanut Butter Puree = Banana Peanut Butter Baby Food
- + plain whole milk yogurt = Banana Yogurt
- + Baby Oatmeal + Banana Oatmeal
- + Bean Puree = Banana Bean Puree
- + Avocado Puree + Banana Avocado Puree
Baby Food Combinations with Blueberries
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.)
- + Pear Puree = Squash Pear Puree
- + Bean Puree = Squash Bean Puree
- + Banana Puree = Squash Banana Puree
- + Applesauce = Squash Apple Puree
- + plain whole milk yogurt = Squash Yogurt
Baby Food Combinations with Carrots
Start with Carrot Puree, then add in new flavors!
- + Apple Puree + Sweet Potato Puree = Carrot Apple Sweet Potato Puree
- + Pear Puree + Sweet Potato Puree = Carrot Pear Sweet Potato Puree
- + Banana Puree = Carrot Banana Baby Food
- + Quinoa Baby Food = Carrot Quinoa Baby Food
- + Bean Puree = Carrot Bean Puree
Baby Food Combinations with Mango
Mango Puree is a cinch to make and is so intensely flavorful—which makes it play really well with other purees!
- + plain whole milk yogurt = Mango Yogurt
- + Baby Oatmeal = Mango Oatmeal
- + Banana Puree = Mango Banana Puree
- + Avocado Puree = Mango Avocado Puree
- + Peach Puree = Mango Peach Puree
Pear Baby Food Combinations
Ripe pears make delicious Pear Baby Food that freezes and combines well.
- + Avocado Puree = Pear Avocado Puree
- + Baby Oatmeal + Cinnamon = Pear Cinnamon Oatmeal
- + Banana Puree = Pear Banana Puree
- + Pea Puree = Pear Pee Puree
- + Carrot Puree = Pear Carrot Puree
Baby Food Combinations with Peas
Keep a bag of frozen peas in the freezer and homemade Pea Puree is just minutes away. Then try:
- + Apple Puree = Pea Apple Puree
- + Pear Puree = Pea Pear Puree
- + Mango Puree = Pea Mango Puree
- + Banana Puree = Pea Banana Baby Food
- + Pineapple Puree = Pea Pineapple Puree
Baby Food Combinations with Spinach
My Spinach Baby food already has peas in it (to ensure it’s smooth and mellow in flavor). You can also combine it with:
- + Apple Puree = Spinach Apple Puree
- + Pear Puree = Spinach Pear Puree
- + plain whole milk yogurt = Savory Spinach Yogurt
- + Quinoa Baby Food and pinch Parmesan cheese = Spinach Parmesan Quinoa
- + Bean Puree = Spinach Bean Puree
Sweet Potato Baby Food Ideas
Start with a batch of Sweet Potato Baby Food and then try these yummy options:
- + Chicken Puree = Sweet Potato Chicken Baby Food
- + Bean Puree = Sweet Potato Bean Puree
- + Applesauce = Sweet Potato Applesauce
- + Carrot Puree + Cinnamon = Cinnamon Sweet Potato Carrot Puree
- + Bean Puree + Cumin = Mexican Sweet Potato Bean Puree
How to Store Baby Food—and Send it to Daycare
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.
- Read more about the differences in Baby Food Stages.
- Find my best tips for Baby Food Storage.
- Add in a little mashed avocado, coconut oil, or Prune Puree to help with baby constipation.
- Serve with a spoon or in a reusable pouch.
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.
1-2 tablespoons Banana Puree combined and one of the following:
1-2 tablespoons Pear Puree and one of the following:
1-2 tablespoons Pea Puree and one of the following:
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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.
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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.)
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Serve or store for later.
- Taste the purees and add more of a sweeter one if needed.
- Add small pinches of spices like cinnamon, ground ginger, and cumin to add flavor.
- Add small pinches of ground flaxseed to add healthy fats.
- Serve with a baby spoon or in a reusable pouch.
- Pack for daycare if needed in small airtight containers.
- Serve cold or warm just slightly.
- If. baby has a dairy intolerance, use a nondairy, unsweetened nondairy yogurt.
- If baby has a nut allergy, use a nut-free alternative that’s unsweetened such as Sunbutter.
Calories: 5kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 2mg, Potassium: 11mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 30IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 5mg, Iron: 1mg
This post was first published September 2020.