Homemade Ice Milk Lollies (Popsicles) For Weaning
Table of Contents
Homemade Ice Lollies No Added Sugar
Why Homemade Ice Lollies are Great for Baby Led Weaning:
No added nasties: Homemade ice lollies allow you to control exactly what ingredients go into your baby's food. You can avoid artificial colours, flavours, and preservatives commonly found in store-bought options.
Simple, minimal ingredients: When you make ice lollies at home, you can stick to basic, natural ingredients like fresh fruits and Greek yogurt. This simplicity is ideal for introducing babies to new flavours and textures during the weaning process. Great for a teething baby too!
Homemade Vs Store-Bought Popsicles
When it comes to ice lollies, the debate between homemade and store-bought options is a common one. Opting to make your own ice lollies at home offers several benefits worth considering.
Benefits of Homemade Ice Lollies For Baby-Led-Weaning:
Control Over Ingredients: By making ice lollies at home, you have full control over the ingredients used. You can choose fresher, high-quality ingredients and customise the flavours to suit your little ones preferences, dietary needs, or allergies.
Healthier Options: Homemade ice lollies allow you to avoid artificial additives, excessive sugars, and preservatives often found in many store-bought varieties. This lets you create healthier alternatives using natural sweeteners or fresh fruits.
Creativity: Making ice lollies at home opens up a world of creativity. You can experiment with different flavour combinations, textures, and even add nutritious elements like chia seeds, Greek yogurt, or pureed vegetables to make them more wholesome.
Can I Use Breast Milk For The Homemade Ice Lollies?
Yes, you can use breastmilk to make homemade ice lollies. It is important to ensure that the breastmilk is fresh and stored properly before using it to make the lollies. Make sure to follow proper hygiene practices during the preparation process to avoid contamination. Additionally, consider any dietary restrictions or allergies that may affect anyone consuming the ice lollies.
Great For A Teething Baby
Homemade ice lollies can be a great option for soothing teething babies sore gums or sore throats as young as 6 months old. When babies start teething, they often experience discomfort and pain as their new teeth break through the gums.
Ice lollies provide relief by numbing the gums and offering a cool, soothing sensation that can help alleviate teething symptoms.
Here are a few reasons why homemade ice lollies are excellent for teething babies:
Natural Relief: Homemade ice lollies can be made with fresh pureed fruits like mango, banana, or berries, offering a natural and healthy option for teething relief. Avoiding added sugars or artificial ingredients ensures you are providing a safe treat for your little one.
Soothing Effect: The cold temperature of the ice lolly helps numb the gums, reducing inflammation and providing comfort to your teething baby.
The full recipe can be found below!
The Ice Lolly Mould I Use For This Delicious Snack
I use a mould that is a silicone mould. I find this a little easier to remove the ice lollies from the moulds. I like the fact this is a 10 lolly mould, so i can make lots of delicious lollies for my toddler.
Ingredient Information
Milk - I have used semi skimmed milk for the recipe. From 6 months of age to 2 years old it is best to use whole milk, from 2 years onwards semi skimmed milk is ok to use. You could of course use breast milk too if you prefer. See below under recipe notes how to make vegan and dairy free.
Greek yogurt - I have used a plain Greek yogurt as this is the best yogurt to use from 6 months old, as it will have less sugars added compared to a strawberry Greek yogurt for example.
Strawberries - I have used 2 strawberries for this recipe, feel free to use 4 strawberries to make the lolly more strawberry based rather than milk based. Feel free to use other fresh fruit such as blueberries, mango or blackberries.
Serving suggestion
The ice lollies are great served on their own! You can serve them after a main meal such as spaghetti bolognaise, cottage pies or a bean burger. Do not leave them at room temperature as they will melt on a hot day.
Why not make an extra strawberry puree using fresh strawberries blitzed in a food processor or Nutri Bullet, for dipping.
Storage instructions
The lollies are obviously best kept in the freezer as they are a freezer item.
They can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months which is great! If the lollies defrost you will not be able to re freeze.
You could also freeze using a large ice cube tray and place a stick in the middle, to make ice pops.
Once frozen overnight you can remove the lollies and store in a freezer bag, so that you can reuse the moulds for more lollies if needed.
Equipment used to help with this recipe
Ice lolly moulds and sticks - These ice lolly (popsicle) silicone moulds are designed to be easily used and removed with the wooden lolly sticks. Very versatile and can be used to freeze purees and yogurt for a great homemade treat.
Nutri bullet - I have found a blender to be an invaluable tool in the preparation of many of my baby led weaning recipes.
Recipe | Homemade Ice Milk Lollies (Popsicles) For Weaning
Ingredients
Makes 10 lollies
500ml milk (I used semi-skimmed)
200ml Plain Greek yogurt
2 large strawberries, stalks removed (more if you want)
Instructions
Place all the ingredients into a Nutri Bullet or a food processor.
Blitz for a few minutes until smooth.
Pour into your lolly moulds. Place the lid on top and pop in the lolly sticks.
Carefully place into the freezer, overnight is best.
The next day carefully wiggle the lollies out of the mould from the bottom of the lolly and store in freezer bags, or leave them in the moulds and take out when your little one wants to eat them.
Hope you and your family enjoy!
Recipe notes
You can easily make the homemade ice lollies vegan and dairy free, all you will need to do is replace the cow’s milk for a plant based alternative such as a fortified oat milk or coconut milk and a plant based Greek yogurt of your choice.
©The Petit Spoon
Content and photographs are copyright protected and need prior permission to use elsewhere. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to other websites and any social media is strictly prohibited. Sharing and using the link of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated! Share this post now!
An easy to make homemade strawberry ice milk lolly recipe for babies and toddlers from 6 months old! All natural ingredients and nothing artificial added.