Recipes for Baby's First Thanksgiving

Babies shouldn't miss out on all of the fun during Thanksgiving dinner. Here are a few homemade baby food recipes made from the ingredients on the table. Chances are that your baby will like them so much, you'll want to bring some of the leftovers home. (Pureed turkey sandwich anyone?)

The following recipes are perfect for babies who are not ready for finger foods or cannot make a whole meal from finger foods yet. Check with your doctor about what age it is appropriate to introduce each type of food. For young babies, set aside some of the whole ingredients (green beans, mashed potatoes, yams, pumpkin) before other ingredients, such as seasoning and cream, have been added.

Baby's First Turkey Dinner: Run a little bit of turkey and sweet potatoes or squash through a food mill. Mix the turkey blend with applesauce until the desired consistency is reached. If your baby is old enough, add a little cranberry sauce to the mix.

Green Beans and Potato Mash: Mash some cooked green beans together with mashed potatoes. You may need to run the green beans through a baby food mill. Dilute the mixture with formula or breast milk until the desired consistency is reached.

Sweet Potatoes and Squash: Mash some cooked sweet potatoes or yams with cooked squash. Babies also like their sweet potatoes mixed with applesauce. Add a dash of nutmeg or cinnamon, if desired.

Sweet and White Potatoes: Mix mashed sweet potatoes with white potatoes for a colorful treat.

Baby's Pumpkin Pie Puree: Save a tablespoon of pumpkin puree from your pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread recipes. Mix it with a tablespoon of prepared rice cereal or oatmeal. If you want, you can add a dash of nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice. The pumpkin puree is filled with beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin C along with other vitamins and minerals. If baby likes her first pumpkin pie, serve this puree as a dessert all season long.

Great Finger Foods for Older Babies and Toddlers

Once again, check with your doctor about what foods are appropriate at what ages for children up to three years old.

-Thin slices of turkey that have been cut against the grain into bite sized pieces

-Green beans that have been cut into bite sized pieces

-Cooked corn kernels

-Sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes

-Stuffing (check the ingredients first and check for chunks of apples, onion, or sausage that are too big for baby to swallow)

-Applesauce

-Apple pie or pumpkin pie for dessert