Butternut squash as a first food for babies
Butternut squash is one of my favvvvv first foods for babies. It’s an easy to digest, savoury fruit (not a root veg as you may think!) that when roasted develops a delicious slightly sweet taste. As a finger food it’s also great when roasted because it retains its shape reasonably well to hold- yet pulls apart easily with your fingers- making it the perfect veggie for your baby to gum on safely. It can also be steamed, but loses its shape more this way, and doesn’t have the same complex flavour.
Is butternut squash safe for babies? How to prepare butternut squash for a 6 month old baby safely…
You should scoop out all the seeds as they can be quite large and a choking hazard. I usually recommend removing the skin as it’s quite tough. However, older babies can usually manage to suck the flesh off the skin and quite confidently leave the skin behind.
You can offer this puree recipe alongside the butternut fingers for self-feeding. Both these recipes are suitable from 6 months
Is butternut squash a common food allergen? Can babies be allergic to butternut squash?
Butternut squash - despite having the word ‘nut’ in its name - is not a common food allergen in babies. It can however, in very rare cases cause a contact dermatitis reaction on the hands in some people from touching the fruit.
YOU NEED
One small butternut squash, deseeded, peeled and chopped into finger shaped strips
Extra virgin olive oil
For the puree:
100mls coconut milk drink (unsweetened)
TO MAKE
Roast the squash: Add the chopped butternut squash to an air-fryer tray and drizzle in olive oil. Cook for 20 mins at 180 degrees in your air fryer (or a little longer in an oven around 25-30 mins or so) or until browning and cooked all the way through. Check the strips are soft and squishable between your thumb and forefinger. Allow to cool a little before offering to baby.
Butter nut fingers:
The roasted butter nut fingers can be offered as first finger foods for your baby to explore alongside the puree recipe below
Make the puree:
Add 50g of your roasted butternut squash fingers to a blender with 100mls coconut milk (add it bit by bit initially whilst pulsing the blender, and keep adding until you get your desired consistency, and whizz until completely smooth).
Spoon feeding tip: offer the puree to your baby on a spoon
Baby-led weaning tip: If you’re doing baby-led style weaning you can offer the puree pre-loaded or dipped onto the end of a weaning spoon. Or you can dip the squash fingers into the puree for a texture mix-up
Nutrition boost:
After the first few tastes you have the option of making the puree up with an equal quantity of either veggie or meat stock in place of the coconut milk for an extra nutrition boost. You can also add smooth nut butter, mashed oily fish like salmon or canned coconut milk (in place of coconut milk drink) which is higher in fat and more energy dense
Texture progression:
Once your baby has had some experience with smooth puree you can also start to vary the texture, for example use a fork to mash the squash with a splash of coconut milk instead of blending, or using a mini chopper instead of a full on blender
Above- butter nut squash fingers. Below- puree and fingers for mixed feeding style.
