Ok Mama's! You have some (or maybe a lot) of breast milk, you want baby to utilize all the powerful nutrients in your milk, but want to get creative and help incorporate even more vitamins and minerals. Breast milk smoothies are a delicious way to accomplish all of the above.
These smoothies are particularly useful for teething babies, little ones not wanting to accept mom's milk in the whole form and for those baby's who might be hesitant accepting textured foods. Your baby will happily slurp away on this nutritional creamy treat.
What I loved most about this is, the coldness helps with sore gums while teething, they love it, AND it helped Kinsley (pictured above) learn to drink from a sippy cup, if they are about that age. Water was too runny and just poured in her mouth, yet she couldn't learn to suck with the stopper in it to prevent free flow. I left the stopper out, and the thickness of the smoothie trickled out a little, giving her a taste, but prompting her to want to suck to get more. -Katelyn Schwander, Natural Mama of 6 month old Kinsley
This is also a perfect opportunity to sneak nutritional dense foods such as kale and grass fed beef liver. Beef liver is natures most potent superfood and is loaded with vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron. Many traditional moms have reported that their 12 month olds were speaking in sentences with help from all the nutrients from liver and breast milk supporting the brain and nervous system.
- 1 cup cold or frozen fruit (blueberries, pear, apple, strawberries, etc..)
- ½ chilled banana
- 1 oz. breast milk
- 1 small leaf of kale (optional)
- 1 tsp or cube of liver (optional) (Read how to prepare liver to sneak into food and smoothies)
- Blend ingredients in blender
- Use a strainer to be sure no chunks remain
- Add to the smoothie for your preferred consistency, to thicken or thin, add more breast milk or more fruits (or ice) if needed
- Pour smoothie into sippy cup and watch baby enjoy!
- You can also pour the breast milk smoothie mixture into these awesome BPA-free
popsicle holders, freeze then let baby suck and chew. These are perfect for teething little ones!
I also wanted to share with you my top 10 Natural Mom Blogs to follow to incorporate natural parenting and a real food lifestyle for your family.
- Mommypotamus. Heather is the Mommypotamus. She is a mom who has three beautiful children whom were water born in her living room. You can read their stories on her fantastic blog. She is a researcher. Questioning the status quo comes naturally to Heather, which is why she relies on evidence-based research to guide her decisions on food, vaccinations and birth.
- Homemade Mommy. Lindsey is the Homemade Mommy. She works a full time corporate job on top of being a wife to an amazingly supportive husband and mother to a 4 year old daughter. And she blogs about the importance of real food for families. She's all about keeping it REAL in a FAKE food world.
- Mama Natural. Genevieve has always been interested in health, food and transformation. A sugar addict from the age of 2, she knows firsthand the harmful affects of eating processed foods. She battled weight, digestive and immune system issues for many years. Through a long road of detox, she learned the healing power of real food. This transformation spread into other areas of her life… physical, emotional, and spiritual. She publishes her informative yet entertaining video blog posts every week about her family, natural mama care and natural living. Her videos are not to be missed!
- The Paleo Mom. Sarah is the author behind her blog, cohost of the top-rated and syndicated The Paleo View podcast, and author of two books The Paleo Approach and The Paleo Approach Cookbook. You will find explanations of the science behind the Paleo diet and lifestyle, along with information for autoimmune disease sufferers, articles related to the practical implementation of a Paleo diet and lifestyle, detailed discussions relevant for paleo families and kids’ health, and recipes from kid staples, comfort foods, quick & easy meals, gourmet dishes, treats for special occasions, to snacks and nut-free baking for every family – big or small.
- Whole New Mom. Adrienne is the author of this fantastic blog. She is a writer, a researcher, and is whole food and healthy minded. She writes about whole foods that are family friendly, healthy, non-toxic living, health topics, frugal, simple and sustainable living for families.
- Mama and Baby Love. Stephanie is the Founder and Creative Director of Mama and Baby Love. She is a mentor, healer, writer and businesswoman. M+BL is about real food, motherhood and healing. In addition to her deep passion for helping moms heal, she is a practical and organized gal. She shares a ton of tips and tricks on her blog about how to run a household efficiently and still manage to take care of yourself.
- The Coconut Mama. Tiffany is a real food mama of two beautiful children. She started her blog when she first began her real food journey. She loves cooking with coconut oil and all coconut products. She also enjoys cooking with other traditional fats like animal fats like lard, tallow, butter, and ghee. She promotes the consumption of raw dairy, local pastured eggs, grass fed beef, pastured pork, and pastured chicken.
- Holistic Squid. Emily is a mom and a wife. In her clinical practice, she uses acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, and lots of listening. She specializes in fertility and pregnancy – and also works with families for all sorts of conditions. At home in her kitchen, she is a bit obsessed with real, traditional food, and can be often seen hanging cheese from a giant ceiling hook or stirring a soup pot full of bones. Her blog is a culmination of professional and personal experience and her insatiable passion for learning. And whenever she can, she hops into the ocean!
- The Paleo Mama. The paleo mama shares her experiences as a homesteading, homeschooling, holistic hippie, paleo mama of 2 children. She offers recipes, menus, and mama advice on her popular blog.
- Modern Alternative Mama. Kate is the author of her fantastic blog. She blogs about living the non-mainstream life, debt-free living, home birthing, extended breastfeeding, cloth diapering, non-vaccinating, organic gardening and real-food cooking mama!
This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays.
Main Photo and Post Idea courtesy of my cousin Katelyn Schwander. Thank you.
Have you ever made a breastmilk smoothie for your baby? Do you follow any of my top 10 natural mama blogs? I'd love to know in the comments below!
Thank you! My little man is 3.5 months and breastfeeds so we will be waiting 2.5 more! I’m excited to try when he is ready!
Hello Kayleen!
We started smoothies around 6-7 months. The AAP (American acedemy of pediatrics) suggest babies do not start foods until the age of 6 months. You’ll want to look for signs your child is ready, not just showing an interest in food, but also the ability to sit unassisted. And support their own head/neck. The introduction of foods should not interfere with a nursing (or formula feeding) relationship until after a year. While they can try, explore, and experiment with foods, their main source of nutrion should be breastmilk. We live by the motto “food before one, is just for fun”. Teaching your children about good nutrition from an early age will set them up for success and making positive choices towards a healthy lifestyle. When you do decide to introduce solids, start with one item every 3 days to watch for a reaction to allergies. Don’t start off with super sweet foods, or their pallet will have a difficult time adjusting to savory items. And have fun!
Regarding smoothies, its important to maintain a good fruit/veggie ratio. Fruits are naturally sweet and contain sugars, so be sure to sneak some carrot, spinach, not make in when you can! My daughter is now 2 and we still drink smoothies weekly!
Awesome, thanks Katelyn.
How old did you start giving your babies smoothies?
Hi Kayleen, Katelyn my cousin and co-author of this recipe and mama of the beautiful baby in the picture replied to your question. Hope this helps!