Get the recipe: Oranges for Baby (Puree & Baby-Led Weaning)
Oranges for baby? Definitely! Introducing a variety of foods to your baby is so important in their first year, and while orange might not be the first food you try, it’s a great choice to include once they’re ready for new flavors. Great for 6+ months.
Ingredients
Orange Puree with Apple
- 3 large apples, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 orange
Instructions
Orange Puree with Apple
- In a medium saucepan, bring 2" of water to a boil over high heat. Add a steamer basket and add the apples, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes or until tender when pricked with a fork. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Reserve steamer water.
- Add apples to a blender. Then squeeze half an orange (roughly 3 tablespoons) of orange juice into the blender. You can also cut up chunks of the orange (without the peel) and place them in the blender along with the apples, but some of the pulp will remain in the puree, making the puree slightly chunky.
- Puree on medium-high for 60-90 seconds or until completely smooth. You may have to add 2-4 tbsp of reserved water to your puree.
Notes
Age: 6+ months
For Baby-Led Weaning: Cut an orange and serve to your baby's age and eating abilities.
- 6+ months - thin slices or wedges with peel on, membranes removed: Cut oranges into large wedges with the peel on and seeds removed. Your baby can easily grasp these wedges and suck and munch on the fleshy part. You can also supreme an orange by removing the pith and membranes so that you can offer it in slices. Search "how to supreme an orange" on YouTube for a quick tutorial. Another way to serve oranges to your baby is by loading a self-feeding spoon with an Apple Orange Puree and handing it to your baby.
- 9-18 months - small, diced pieces, membranes removed: Serve oranges in bite-sized pieces at this age, with membranes removed, so that your baby can work on using their pincer grasp. You can also continue to serve slices of oranges with the membrane and seeds removed to work on taking bites off larger pieces.
- 18-24+ months - slices or wedges with peel on, membranes on or removed: Depending on your baby's chewing skills, you can try serving larger pieces of orange with the membranes on, such as an orange cut into roughly 1/8ths. Or you can continue to supreme the fruit and serve oranges in diced pieces or larger wedges with the peel on.
- Make sure to wash your oranges if you plan to serve them cut into wedges with the peel left on.
- Although canned oranges are fine, try to offer both canned and fresh oranges in your mealtime rotation. Canned oranges often contain added sugar and are softer, while fresh oranges contain more fiber and a more challenging texture that will promote chewing skills. If buying canned or packaged oranges, look for "no sugar added" or "packed in 100% juice" versus "packed in syrup."
- Remember to serve citrus fruits, such as oranges, with a high-iron food to help increase absorption.
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