Chicken Zucchini & Carrot Baby Food Recipe

Worried about finding nutritious and delicious first foods for your little one? Look no further than this dynamic trio: chicken mince, carrots & zucchini! Perfectly portioned in reusable pouches, this recipe offers a convenient and eco-friendly way to keep your little explorer fuelled throughout the day.

Homemade Chicken Mince, Zucchini & Carrot for babies.

Soft on gums yet bursting with benefits, chicken mince is a nutritional powerhouse. It provides protein for building strong muscles and bones, along with vitamin B6 and the powerful antioxidant selenium – all crucial for healthy growth and development. Plus, its mild flavour is a winner with most babies, making it a fantastic first food option.

But the fun doesn't stop there! We've added vibrant carrots to the mix, offering a healthy dose of vitamin A to support a strong immune system. Zucchini, with its gentle sweetness and water content, adds a touch of texture and dietary fiber while keeping things light on little tummies.

Chicken, Carrot & Zucchini Refillable Pouches: A Winning Combo for Tiny Taste Buds

 

This recipe is a perfect base for exploring flavours as your baby grows. As they venture past 8 months, feel free to introduce other vegetables or even a touch of pureed chicken liver for an extra nutritional boost.

Ready to create this delicious and convenient meal for your tiny foodie? Let's get cooking!

Ingredients:

2 zucchini, diced
500g of chicken breast mince
1 cup of carrots, diced
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
1 cup of homemade vegetable stock or water

Instructions:

Step 1: In a large deep skillet, over medium heat with olive oil, combine the garlic, carrots and chicken and cook until half soft. Add stock or water to keep mixture moist whilst cooking.

Step 2: Add the zucchini. Cover and simmer until zucchini are of mashing consistency, and the liquid is almost gone (about 10 minutes). Add liquid as needed to keep the mixture from browning.

Step 3: Mash with a fork for an older baby or puree until smooth for a younger baby.
Step 4: If preparing your baby food recipe in bulk freeze the puree into ice-cube trays or spoon it straight into Little Mashies reusable food pouches and then store them in the fridge or freezer. For instructions on how to fill a refillable pouch you can read our blog. For info on how long to freeze specific baby foods for we have the information here.

Step 5: Label and date your homemade pouches so that you know when to use the puree by. There is a space on the back of the Little Mashies yoghurt and baby food pouches so that you can write all the details.

Step 6: To clean your reusable food pouches you can check out our Little Mashies video here. Little Mashies are see through when held towards light, so it is very easy to see that all of the food is washed out. Because of the specifically designed curved shape, all of the food washes straight out when held upside down under a tap. Little Mashies can also be used in the dishwasher and steam sterilisers, and are BPA free, Phthalate Free, and PVC free. 

Want more Little Mashies refillable pouch recipes?

   

Baby-Led Weaning Chicken Mince Baby Recipe Guidelines

This recipe takes a delicious detour for our baby-led weaning friends! Ditch the purees and pouches, and instead, let your little one explore the joy of self-feeding with chunky, grab-and-go versions of the classic chicken, carrot & zucchini combo.

Perfect for Tiny Hands: For baby-led weaning, we're ditching the baby cutlery sets and embracing finger foods! This recipe focuses on larger pieces, roughly the size of two adult fingers. This makes it easy for your little one to grasp, explore, and gum safely.

Safety First: Of course, safety is paramount. All ingredients should be well-cooked to ensure they're soft enough for little gums to manage. We also want to avoid any potential choking hazards. For example, skip foods that can break off, and opt for thicker slices that won't easily snap in half.

The Little Mashies Sucky Platter: This is where the magic happens! Introduce your baby to the prepared ingredients on their very own Little Mashies Sucky Platter. Watching them explore textures, shapes, and flavours is a delightful part of the baby-led weaning journey.

Beyond the Basics: As your little one progresses (around 6-9 months), feel free to experiment with different shapes and sizes. Remember, the goal is to encourage self-feeding exploration in a safe and stimulating way.

Chicken baby led weaning recipe

Baby-Led Weaning Milestones: A Guide to Food Progression

As your little one embarks on their baby-led weaning adventure, you'll witness a fascinating evolution in their ability to explore and handle food. This guide provides a roadmap to navigate the different stages of food size and texture appropriate for baby-led weaning:

9 Months and Beyond: Tiny Treasures (2-4 Grains of Rice):

Around 9 months, food takes on a new dimension! While we want to encourage self-feeding exploration, safety remains the top priority. Here, we trade in the chunky pieces for "tiny treasures." Think of them as bite-sized morsels, roughly the size of 2-4 grains of rice. This ensures that even if swallowed whole, the pieces are small enough to avoid choking hazards.

Traditional Mash vs. BLW Exploration: This stage is where traditional baby food recipes might introduce mashed food with some texture. However, in baby-led weaning, we offer the same ingredients in a way that empowers self-feeding. Tiny, chopped pieces encourage exploration of different textures and tastes, while still prioritising safety.

12 Months and Up: Bite-Sized Adventures (Fingernail Size):

By 12 months, your little one's grasping and gumming skills have likely taken significant strides. Time to graduate to bite-sized pieces! Imagine the size of your fingernail – that's the perfect starting point for these bite-sized adventures. This mirrors the progression in traditional weaning methods, where food is gradually introduced in manageable pieces.

Remember, Every Baby is Unique: It's important to acknowledge that every baby develops at their own pace. Some may have a full set of teeth by 12 months, while others might have just a few. The key is to observe your baby's individual progress and adjust food size and texture accordingly.

Safety First, Always: We cannot emphasise this enough – safety is paramount! Never leave your baby unattended while eating. Additionally, aiming for mealtimes together at the table fosters a positive association with food and allows you to monitor your little one's exploration closely. Our suction plates and silicone baby bibs are great for keeping the home mess free.

Embrace the Journey: Baby-led weaning is a beautiful adventure filled with exploration, discovery, and (of course!) a bit of mess. This guide equips you with the knowledge to navigate the different stages of food size and texture, allowing your little one to flourish on their self-feeding journey. Remember, every bite is a step closer to becoming a confident and independent little eater!

Zucchini baby food recipes baby led weaning
It helps set the expectation for later in life and you can be a role model for how to eat well. Around 18mths you can offer your little one larger serves again (so a whole apple for example) so that they can learn to take smaller bites themselves, to chew, and to swallow.

Little Mashies baby pouch reviews

These Are Great
POSTED BY JENNIE
Spoon feeding was just too slow for our hungry little man - these are great! So much better being able to feed him home cooked food through a pouch rather than buying them! Satisfying hearing him hum 'yum yum yum' while he was sucking away :-) 

Fantastic!
POSTED BY A CUSTOMER
It's great to be able to pack easy to eat, healthy snacks that the kids love without the wasteful packaging. We so far have used them for yoghurt in lunch boxes. Look forward to using them for home made baby food when bubs is big enough for that. 

Terrific bought a set for a friends kids as well
POSTED BY JODIE
It is great to be able to make fresh and healthy snacks not full of sugar. You know what it is that the kids are eating

Littlemashies - shop now

 

BABY feeding FAQS

Simply add it to the cart, pop in the coupon code, and it will remove 100% of the price.

At 6 mths of age you can introduce a range of puree's to your baby (see our baby food recipe book and use coupon code RECIPE to remove 100% of the price at the checkout).

For baby led weaning you skip the baby food puree altogether and start with large (2 finger sized) pieces of the food. We would of course do this on our Little Mashies sucky platter! So from 6-9mths of age in baby led weaning foods should be the size of about 2 fingers so that the baby can pick it up and self feed. They also need to be well cooked so they are soft, and with no loose pieces (for example tiny florets that can break off on broccoli, or a slice of apple that's so thin it can break when gnawed on).

From around 9mths with baby led weaning you chop the food very small (to avoid choking). I would suggest 2-4 grains of rice in size. It's a small piece so that if they swallow it whole they won't choke. In traditional baby food recipes this is the stage where we mash food so it has a little texture.

At around 12mths of age in baby led weaning the food goes up to bite sizes (and this is the same in non baby led weaning kids), about fingernail sized pieces. Of course some babies will be on a different timeline depending on whether they have heaps or a few teeth.

Every baby is different and you just have to watch carefully and get to know how your baby is with food. Never leave them alone whilst eating, and I also recommend sitting them at a table with you for all meals if you can. It helps set the expectation for later in life and you can be a role model for how to eat well. Around 18mths you can offer your little one larger serves again (so a whole apple for example) so that they can learn to take smaller bites themselves, to chew, and to swallow.

It is widely recognised that babies should start solids around 6 months of age. At this time reusable baby food pouches can be really convenient to take your homemade healthy puree with you when you are out and about. Spoon attachments are available so you can feed your baby directly from the pouch from 6 months old. Without a spoon attachment babies usually start feeding themselves pouched food around 8 months old. This is when they hit their independant phase and what to do everything themselves. A pouch is a lot cleaner than a bowl and spoon in these circumstances. We do however advise that you give your baby a variety of meals, not just ones that are in a refillable pouch.

Refilling your reusable yoghurt pouches is easy! Simply turn the reusable food pouch upside down and open the wide double ziplock at the bottom of the pouch. Once the zipper is open you can spoon yoghurt into the pouch or pour it in (out of a jug or bottle).

If you are concerned about making a mess you can use a kitchen funnel so that all of the yoghurt stays away from the yoghurt pouch zipper.

Another idea that we commonly do at home when filming videos (but it would also be useful when holding a baby in one arm), anyway.. the idea is that you put the pouch upside down in a glass (with the lid on), open the ziplock and the glass acts like a second hand, holding the pouch still whilst you spoon the yoghurt in. This is what I do when I only have one hand to use for the refill!I also tend to refill my reusable yoghurt pouches in bulk. I'll buy a good quality yoghurt from Coles or Woolworths and will fill a whole 10pk of pouches in one go so they are all ready for snacks on the go.

My kids always want to eat when they are out and refilling the reusable pouches one at a time just doesn't work for us. The only time i do that actually is when I've pureed a meal that my toddler refused, put it in a reusable pouch, and given it to her again. Oh and the other time I do singles.. there are two actually. When we go for ice-cream (it is so much cleaner when in a pouch), and when I have leftover smoothie (again, it stops me getting smoothie all through my car, pram, or playroom).

Little Mashies refillable yoghurt pouches are compatible with pouch filling machines that are on the market. Our spout is universal so even though we don't think you need a filling machine, our reusable pouches will fit. All of our yoghurt and baby food pouches come with anti-choke lids as standard.

Cleaning reusable baby food pouches is easy! We have designed Little Mashies refillable yoghurt pouches without corners so there are no places for food to get stuck (we would hate your little one to get sick from old food stuck in corners)!

When you open the ziplock you can see all the way through the pouch to ensure it is clean. If you have a dishwasher you can clean the pouch using that, otherwise you can wash your reusable baby food pouches by hand and this takes around 20 seconds. Little Mashies squeeze pouches are BPA Free and are safe to wash with warm water.

If you need some meal ideas for your refillable pouch you can find home made yoghurt here, baby food recipes here, and pouch smoothie recipes here.

Now, to clean your Little Mashies food pouches by hand simply open up the ziplock at the bottom and take off the cap. Run warm water through the open ziplock with the baby pouch facing downward so the water comes out of the spout and into the sink. The shape of Little Mashies reusable pouches acts like a funnel, pushing out food and making the pouch very easy to clean.

To start washing your reusable pouch, squirt some dishwashing liquid into the refillable pouch, then use a baby bottle brush to clean the inside walls (just like a baby bottle). To clean the spout use a straw brush (like the ones we have here), and clean it in the same manner that you would clean the teat from a baby’s bottle. Give the reusable pouch a rinse and place it over a kitchen utensil in the drying rack to dry. If you don’t have time to dry it fully place it in the freezer until you are ready to use it again. Do not put wet reusable food pouches in dark cupboards or draws. They are very easy to dry if you have removed the cap, and placed something inside the zipper to keep the pouch open (we use a whisk, tongs or a spatula).

Note that if you continuously wash your pouches in the dishwasher the high temperature will make the zipper wear out more quickly. At home we wash our pouches mostly by hand because it is so quick and easy and then just use the dishwasher when we have had loads of kids over and served reusable yoghurt pouches or smoothies to them all.

Oh and while I remember if you use the code RECIPE at the checkout it will remove 100% off the price of the baby food recipe ebook so you can get some inspiration for your refillable pouches.

Some parents start introducing a sippy cup or straw cup to their babies around 6 mths of age. This can make it easier to transition from breastmilk or bottle feeding around 12 mths of age. Most paediatricians recommend babies 18 mths or older use an open sippy cup rather than a bottle, so anytime before then is fine. This is why we have a 4 in 1 sippy cup, so that you don't have to purchase seperate products as your baby moves through the stages of learning how to swallow and drink. To shop the Little Mashies silicone sippy cup, check out our baby feeding range here.

All of our baby food recipes are contained within our ebook. You can get a free download by using the coupon code RECIPE at the checkout. Simply add it to the cart, pop in the coupon code, and it will remove 100% of the price.