There are so many fun activities to do during the summer months! These activities are not only entertaining but also enriching – definitely a great help in honing your baby’s skills and abilities.
It is equally important to have baby-friendly recipes handy to nourish your baby and replenish the energy lost in doing engaging activities. The perfect baby-friendly summer recipe contains these nutrients, gives energy, tastes good, and provides a cool relief from the scorching heat!
Keeping Your Baby Cool During the Summer
If your baby is still exclusively breastfeeding and has not started eating solids yet, stick to breast milk and save these recipes for later (6 months onwards).
To cool your exclusively breastfeeding baby down, express some of your breast milk and pour them into popsicle molds and pop them inside the freezer. Your baby will have a delightful time sucking these breast milk popsicles, giving them nourishment at the same time. These frozen popsicles will also provide relief to a teething baby.
Now, the fun starts when your baby is already starting to eat solids! There are so many cold and baby-friendly recipes you can try this summer. Ranging from juices to frozen desserts, these recipes contain wholesome ingredients that are oh-so-good for your baby.
It is generally better to avoid recipes that are sweetened with sugar. Also, for babies below one year, it is important to remember that they cannot eat honey. Fruit recipes are already sweet, and you can use fruits to sweeten other recipes, too. Do take note of the foods that your baby is allergic to and remove them from the recipe.
Making these recipes is also a great way for your family to bond together. Let your baby join in on the fun by being the chief taste tester! You can also turn it into a learning experience by teaching your baby the names of the ingredients.
Are you ready to begin? Here are 12 easy, delicious, and baby-friendly recipes that you can make this summer!
12 Baby-Friendly Recipes for Summer
1. Fresh Fruit Salad
Your baby will have a great time eating their favorite fruits in salad form. You don’t have to get these fruits in particular; any type of fruit that you already have at home works perfectly.
Ingredients: Refreshing fruits like watermelon, blueberries, kiwi, pineapple
Method: Toss them together in one bowl.
2. One-Ingredient Ice Cream
Did you know that you can make ice cream without a lot of fuss? This recipe doesn’t need you to get an ice cream maker plus an array of other ingredients.
Ingredients: Bananas
Method: Freeze the bananas. Once frozen, throw them into a blender and blend them until smooth.
3. Banana-Blueberry Smoothie
When all else fails, make a smoothie! Banana-blueberry smoothies, in particular, are popular because they are healthy and tasty.
Ingredients: Banana, blueberries, yogurt
Method: Blend the banana, blueberries, and yogurt together until smooth.
4. Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
Chocolate-dipped strawberries are always a good snack no matter what season it is. But during the summer, the refreshing taste of strawberries stands out!
Ingredients: Strawberries, chocolate
Method: Melt your chocolate in a bowl and dip your strawberries into it one by one. Then freeze them for an even more cooling snack.
5. Yogurt-Dipped Blueberries
An equally tasty alternative to chocolate-dipped strawberries are yogurt-dipped blueberries. Then again, why choose only one when you can have both?
Ingredients: Blueberries, yogurt
Method: Dip your blueberries into a bowl of yogurt and freeze.
6. Coconut Milk and Fruit Ice Cream
One-ingredient ice cream is fuss-free, but making non-dairy ice cream with other fruit flavors is almost just as easy.
Ingredients: Fruits of your choice (examples: bananas, avocados, strawberries) and coconut milk
Method: Freeze your fruits. Once frozen, blend them together with the coconut milk. Gradually add the coconut milk until you reach your desired consistency.
7. Frozen Fruit Kebabs
Some great recipes don’t need machines or tools to be made! For this recipe, all you need are fruits and skewers (don’t forget to blunt the pointy tip!).
Ingredients: Fruits of your choice (examples: watermelon, grapes, oranges)
Method: Cut the fruits and stick them into your skewers. You may also pop them into the freezer afterwards.
8. Carrot Milkshake
Carrots are a highly nutritious vegetable, and making them into a milkshake is a delicious way of adding them to your baby’s diet.
Ingredients: Carrots, milk, applesauce
Method: Chop your carrots and steam them until soft. Once cooled, peel them and drop them inside your blender. Add milk (gradually, until you reach the desired consistency) and applesauce to taste.
9. Mixed Fruit Sorbet
A sorbet is always a welcome treat during hot summer afternoons. You can make one at home and without the unnecessary added sugar!
Ingredients: Fruits of your choice (examples: watermelon, kiwi), lemon juice
Method: Cut up your fruits into cubes and freeze them. Once frozen, blend the fruit pieces together. Add lemon juice little by little until you reach your desired taste. You may also need to add warm water to soften the texture.
10. Blueberry-Spinach Smoothie
Adding vegetables is an awesome way to make your smoothies tastier and more nutrient-packed. Spinach is a superfood that will give your baby minerals such as iron.
Ingredients: Blueberries, banana, baby spinach, coconut milk, yogurt,
Method: Prepare your ingredients by freezing the blueberries and the bananas and chopping the baby spinach. Then place them all inside a blender and blend until smooth.
11. Frozen Yogurt Bark
Yogurt is another healthy treat that your baby can eat! For summer, freeze your yogurt into a bark for a cold, delicious treat.
Ingredients: Yogurt, strawberries (optional)
Method: Blend strawberries and mix with yogurt. Line a baking tray with foil and pour in the pink yogurt. Stick it into the freezer, and once frozen, break it into pieces.
Method (Yogurt Only): Line a baking tray with foil and pour the yogurt. Stick it into the freezer, and once frozen, break it into pieces.
12. Fruit Popsicles
Finally, make summer eating more fun with popsicles. This recipe is not only healthy but also helpful in providing relief for teething babies.
Ingredients: Fruit of your choice (examples: mangoes, bananas), yogurt
Method: Blend fruit and yogurt together until smooth. Fill popsicle molds with the mixture and freeze them until solid.
You do not have to go to the store and buy pre-made baby foods for summer! These recipes are easy to make and super delicious! More importantly, they are chock-full of vitamins and minerals, providing your baby with the nourishment and energy they need.
