Baby led weaning with butternut squash is a perfect first vegetable. This wholesome veggie is packed with nutrients and perfectly sweet for new eaters.
If you’re looking for a great, slightly sweet vegetable to serve your baby, this is it. When baked or cooked, butternut squash is sweet and soft, perfect for littles without (or with) teeth!
It’s also perfect for serving to the whole family, just reserve some without the seasoning for baby.
Benefits of butternut squash for babies
When starting solids with your little, we’re looking for something that is perfectly soft when prepared and enticing to littles Here’s what WebMD says about the health benefits.
- Essential vitamins like A, C, magnesium, potassium, and calcium.
- 87% of the vegetable is water, so it’s super hydrating.
- Packed with beta carotene to boost immunity.
- Has lutein and zeaxanthin to protect eyes.
How to prepare and serve butternut squash for a baby
Butternut Squash is a favorite first food for baby. It’s similar to sweet potato in that it’s easy to gum and perfectly sweet naturally. But we’ve got to decide how to serve it!
Puree
BLW is not an end all be all veggie purees are easy option for those just starting solids.
Bake a whole butternut squash (I cover that in this post about mashed butternut squash) the scoop the soft flesh into a food processor or blender to puree.
A little liquid or breastmilk can be added if you need to thin it out.
Practice BLW with purees by offering preloaded spoons!
Mashed
Mashed is perfect for babies! I like to use this Mashed Butternut Squash recipe. I mash it all ahead of time without the sweeteners or butter, then set aside some for baby.
A bit of texture is fine, but avoid any big chunks if giving to a baby 6-9 months.
Feed to baby on the tray, allowing them to use their hand and fingers to pick up and feed themselves. Alternately, give baby preloaded spoons with the squash mush.
Whole
Butternut squash is perfect for serving as whole, baby led weaning approved sticks.
You can cut your squash and steam them in sticks, but personally, we love baking them as butternut squash fries. Use that link to see my favorite recipe – just omit the salt from a section that you’re serving baby.
Read this post to learn about how to cut food for baby led weaning.
If baby is new to BLW, try leaving a bit of the peel (wash it before cutting) on as a grip. It will leave a bit of soft flesh revealed, but give an easy way for baby to grab.
Diced
Cutting them can be a great option to hone baby’s pincer grip. Instead of cutting into fries, dice and bake. You can also take the fries and cut them smaller for baby.
Smoothie
Butternut squash is a great addition to a vegetable smoothie. It adds sweetness and creaminess you might not expect from a veggie!
It would be a great addition to our orange carrot smoothie.
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