Baby first solid food list
When to Start Baby Food
Starting solids is an exciting and important milestone in baby’s development—one that not only opens them up to a brand-new world of flavors and textures, but also puts them on the right path to growing healthy and strong. Here’s what you need to know about how and when to start baby food for a smooth transition.
In this article:
When to start baby food
How to start baby on solids
Best first foods for baby
Introducing allergenic foods
When to Start Baby Food
Knowing when to start baby food is both crucial and tricky. Starting baby on solids too early means you might increase the risk of choking, obesity and bellyaches, but introducing solids too late means you might slow baby’s growth and encourage an aversion to solid foods, among other conditions. Fortunately, doctors have zeroed in on a sweet spot for starting baby food, which is sometime between 4 and 6 months of age—though, ideally, baby should be receiving their nutrition exclusively from breast milk until the six-month mark, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). How to tell if it’s time for starting solids for your little one? Baby will give you clues, including:
• Baby can sit in a high chair comfortably on their own. This is a major sign in terms of when to start baby food, says Lauren Kupersmith, MD, a pediatrician at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone in New York City. It means baby can hold their head up and doesn’t need to be propped up to stay in the upright position, which is important to avoid choking.
• Baby looks interested at mealtime. Babies likes to mimic what we do, so if your child likes to sit up like a big kid and watch you eat, then by all means let them try eating too.
• Baby can move food to the back of their throat to swallow. But if baby tends to push the food out of their mouth—not because they don’t like it, but because they can’t seem to get the food to where it needs to go—hold off on starting solids.
How to Start Baby on Solids
At 4 to 6 months, most of baby’s nutrition will still come from breast milk or formula, so don’t worry if baby doesn’t like eating food right away.
Introducing solids is a gradual process, and every baby learns in their own time. Here are some general guidelines for how to start baby on solids:
• Feed baby with a spoon. Letting your child go at it with their hands may seem tempting (and super-cute), but it’s best that they learn the right way from the get-go. (And even then, be prepared to clean up more than a few messes!) Also, never put cereal (or any other food) in baby’s bottle—it’s a choking hazard.
• Start slowly. When introducing solids, a half spoonful will do at first—you may even want to talk baby through it (“Yummy!”). To make it easier for baby to get accustomed to the idea of swallowing solids, start mealtime with a little breast milk or formula, then offer some food (again, no more than a half teaspoon at a time) and finish off with more breast milk or formula. If baby cries or turns away when you present the spoon, try again some other time. Start off with introducing solids at one meal a day, then slowly work your way up.
The morning is a good place to start, since baby is often hungriest at that time. When starting solids, baby typically won’t eat more than an ounce or two in one sitting.
• Try new foods more than once. Since babies’ tastes will evolve, you may need to try a food 20 times before a baby actually likes it, says Kupersmith.
• Stick with the same food for three days before trying another one. This makes it easy to track whether baby is allergic to a particular food.
• Try foods in different forms. If baby doesn’t like pureed food, try it mashed. After all, baby is learning about new textures as well as new tastes. It may be a case of trial and error until you find a winner.
Best First Foods for Baby
Got baby safely strapped into the high chair and bib? You’re ready to finally start feeding baby solids! There aren’t any official food rules for babies starting solids, and there’s no scientific evidence suggesting you should introduce one type of food before another, assuming the foods aren’t choking hazards.
Nevertheless, baby cereal (such as oatmeal, rice and barley) is an “easy training food,” says Kupersmith, which is why it’s often recommended as baby’s first food; you can always mix it with more milk to build up to a thicker consistency. Many doctors also recommend starting vegetables before fruits, but there’s no evidence that this would make babies like vegetables more when they grow up—babies innately love sweets, and the order of introducing solids to baby doesn’t change that.
So why not simply start introducing solids with something you think baby will like? Here are a few common first foods for baby that are healthy and easy to eat (and, in the case sweet potato and banana, also easy to digest). Whatever you decide to feed baby, mash it with a fork or puree before serving whenever introducing solids.
- Baby cereal, such as oatmeal, rice, barley
- Sweet potato
- Banana
- Avocado
- Apples
- Pears
- Green beans
- Butternut squash
If your child has been breastfeeding, check with your pediatrician about getting a jump on pureed chicken or beef when you’re starting solids.
These foods contain easily absorbable forms of iron and zinc, which baby needs by 4 to 6 months, according to the AAP.
At around 9 months, baby should have already worked their way up to a variety of foods, including cereal, vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs and fish (see below regarding the last two). (Keep in mind, though, that baby will still get the majority of their nutrients from breast milk or formula until age one.) By now, baby will probably settle on three meals a day along with two snacks. Let them consume about 4 ounces of solids at each meal (equivalent to a small jar of strained baby food) and about half that amount for each snack.
Save honey and cow’s milk for after baby’s first birthday—there’s a risk for infant botulism with honey (a type of bacterial poisoning), and baby’s tummy isn’t prepared to digest large amounts of cow’s milk until they’re about one year old. Avoid adult processed foods and foods that are choking hazards (such as sticky foods, like large gobs of peanut butter; hard foods that are difficult to gum, like raw vegetables, nuts, seeds and popcorn; and round, slippery foods that haven’t been cut up, like grapes and cherry tomatoes).
Instead, the first foods for baby, and those in the months that follow, should be soft and served mashed, pureed or (once baby seems ready to move up from the really mushy stuff) cut up into really little bits. “There’s pretty much free reign at that point,” Kupersmith says.
Introducing Solids Chart
Hesitant about improvising your first foods for baby? That’s okay too. If you prefer an “introducing solids chart” to help you plan out baby’s path, the guide below can come in handy.
Image: The Bump
Introducing Allergenic Foods
Much of the confusion around when to start baby food stems from questions concerning allergenic foods. These are foods that babies are most often allergic to. The major culprits include dairy, eggs, fish, peanuts and tree nuts. In the past, parents were advised to hold off on exposing baby to these foods, but now doctors recommend introducing them early, often and in age-appropriate format, which means starting off with purees and soft textures.
“Dairy is an easy starting point, given options such as yogurt and cheese,” says David Stukus, MD, director of the Food Allergy Treatment Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and a spokesperson for the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. You can also try scrambled eggs in small amounts, although baby may not be too pleased with the texture at first.
As far as peanut products go, the National Institutes of Health issued new guidelines in 2017 that encourage parents of children at high risk for peanut allergies to incorporate them into baby’s diet at 4 to 6 months of age. Giving these babies peanut products before the age of one actually decreases their risk of developing a peanut allergy before age 5 by 81 percent, compared to kids who are introduced to peanuts later in life. Parents of kids without the food allergy risk can start peanut products whenever they’d like, as long as the nuts are in an age-appropriate form: Peanut butter can be thinned out with water or mixed into a fruit or vegetable puree, and peanut powder can also be mixed into cereal and fruits.
Don’t give whole peanuts or pieces of peanuts, since they’re a choking risk.
Allergic reactions to food are never just a fluke; they will happen with every exposure. Symptoms can range from mild (such as a rash or vomiting) to severe (such as trouble breathing). If baby has a food allergy, you’ll notice a reaction within minutes or up to two hours after eating the problematic food, Stukus says. If the symptoms are severe, call 911 right away. Otherwise, talk to your pediatrician; she can help confirm whether it’s an allergy or some other type of condition (such as a viral illness).
Expert bios:*
Lauren Kupersmith, MD, IBCLC, is a pediatrician and clinical instructor at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone in New York City, as well as a certified lactation consultant. She earned her medical degree from New York Medical College in 2005.
David Stukus, MD, is the director of the Food Allergy Treatment Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, an associate professor of pediatrics in the division of allergy and immunology and a spokesperson for the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.
He earned his medical degree from University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2002.
Updated January 2020
Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.
The Ultimate Guide to Baby’s First Foods from 4-6 Months Old
If you have a baby between 4 and 6 months old, you’re probably starting to think about what their first foods will be…which means you probably have questions about baby’s first foods, too! Things like: “When should I start?” “Do I need to stick to single-ingredient foods?” and “How do I safely introduce common allergens like peanut butter without freaking out?!” Chances are, you miiiiight be a little overwhelmed at the idea of first foods, too. I know it’s a lot to think about, but the good news is that you’ve found your way here! And now that you’re here, I can help.
As a mom of two and a pediatric dietitian, I’m writing this post to help you navigate the nerves and the new chapter that is buying, preparing, and serving up baby’s first foods! Whether you’re going for purees, baby-led weaning, or a combination of both, consider this your ultimate guide to what first foods to serve and how to introduce them to your baby safely.
P.S. Don’t forget to save this post! I know it’s one you’ll want to come back to again and again.
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Skip right to the first foods info you’re looking for:
- When To Serve Baby Their First Foods
- Safety For Baby’s First Foods
- Purees vs. Baby-Led Weaning: What’s Right For You?
- The Best Foods To Introduce Baby To Between 4 & 6 Months Old
- The Ultimate Baby’s First Foods List
- Best Finger Foods & Baby-Led Weaning First Foods
- The Best Pureed First Foods
- The Best Easy-To-Make First Foods
- The Most Nutritious First Foods
- The Best Vegetarian First Foods
- Foods That Should Be Avoided
- Baby’s First Foods Chart: What, When & How To Serve Common First Foods to 4- to 6-Month-Old Babies
- First Foods For Babies With Allergies
When To Serve Baby Their First Foods
Although some people will serve baby’s first foods earlier, I recommend starting solids closer to the six-month mark.
You want to avoid adding rice cereal or any other food to their bottle, and instead, begin solids when they display the signs of readiness listed below. By waiting to serve baby’s first foods until they’re truly ready, you increase their safety and chances of success as a new eater.
Signs of Eating Readiness
Your baby is ready to start solids if they:
- Can sit upright
- Can sit unsupported
- Have good head and neck control
- Have some practice bringing toys or objects from their hand to their mouth
- Show an interest in food (By reaching for what you’re eating, intently watching as others eat, etc.)
Can I Give My 4-Month-Old Baby Food?
Some pediatricians may okay solids around four months, but again, I generally recommend waiting until closer to six months, and when baby is displaying those signs of readiness.
There are more benefits to waiting than there are to starting earlier. Before six months, babies get everything they need from breastmilk or formula, so starting solids early won’t help them sleep better, grow faster, or, you know, become a professional athlete!
If you want to get your four- or five-month-old baby involved in mealtime, I recommend getting them acquainted with food and eating in these ways:
- Sit them near you while you’re eating
- Give them a silicone spoon to hold (I like NumNum GooTensils, EZPZ Tiny Spoons, and Olababy Training Spoons) and let them practice bringing it to their mouth
- Give them teething toys, like Sophie, or this elephant, to desensitize the gag reflex
FAQ: Do Formula- and Breast-Fed Babies Have Different Nutritional Needs?
Formula and breast milk are both completely nutritionally satisfactory for the first six months of life and beyond.
So when it comes to starting solids, it doesn’t matter whether your baby has been receiving breast milk or formula.
That said, babies who are exclusively breastfed should receive a Vitamin D supplement, as levels in breastmilk are low. Formulas on the other hand are typically fortified with Vitamin D, so formula-fed babies don’t need one. Another thing to consider for a baby’s nutrition is iron. Babies build up an iron reserve from their mothers while in utero, but these stores begin to decline around six months of age for all babies.
Safety For Baby’s First Foods
Safety is a huge concern for parents when starting solids. Whether you start with baby foods, purees, or baby-led weaning, there are certain parameters to follow to make sure baby’s intro to food is safe and successful.
Choking Hazards for 4- to 6-Month-Old Babies
Choking hazards for babies ages four to six months old include any foods that are hard, crunchy, sticky, or chewy, as well those that are dangerous shapes.
Common hazardous foods are:
- Chips
- Popcorn
- Pretzels
- Raw Apple
- Globs of Nut Butter
- Hot Dogs
- Grapes
- Large seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, for example)
- Whole nuts
Many of these foods can be prepared safely to minimize the risk of choking, but they remain a choking hazard if they’re in their “natural” states until children turn four years old.
You can minimize choking risks by making sure your child is seated upright and strapped in a high chair with good trunk support. Foot support on a high chair is also helpful when your baby is starting out because it reinforces their stability, and when they’re more stable, they can chew and swallow more safely!
AAP & CDC Recommendations
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend starting solids around six months of age, but not before four months. Again, some pediatricians may okay solids around four months of age, but I usually recommend waiting until six months to make sure baby is showing the physical signs of readiness I outlined above.
The one exception may be for introducing certain allergens to certain infants, depending on their inherent level of risk. Speak with your pediatrician or allergist to see if they want to start your baby on certain foods early.
Purees vs. Baby-Led Weaning: What’s Right For You?
Before you serve baby their first foods, you’ll need to decide what kinds of foods you want to offer. And while there’s a lot of dialogue and opinions about the “best” way to feed a baby, I want you to know there isn’t one right way to do this. You can start with purees or baby-led weaning, or you can do a combination of both.
Tip: If you take a puree approach, help them learn to self-feed by offering baby preloaded spoons and letting them bring the food to their mouth.
Babies are very intuitive about getting the nutrition they need, so full permission to opt for the feeding style that’s comfortable for you. They’ll be able to get enough to eat either way! If simple textures feel easier and lower-stress for you, start with purees.
If you’re ready to tackle preparing foods in a way that’s safe for baby, go for baby-led weaning. And if you’re on the go a lot or need a caretaker to feed your baby sometimes, maybe a hybrid approach is best. It truly doesn’t matter as long as you’re helping them foster independence in eating, and offering a variety of different foods.
One thing that DOES matter when it comes to feeding your baby is letting them be in charge of how much they eat (while you learn to interpret their hunger and fullness cues). And you can do this whether you’re feeding them purees or finger foods.
Baby Signs Of Hunger:
- Reaching for food
- Moving toward the spoon
- Opening their mouth
- Pointing to food
- Excited at the sight of food
Baby Signs Of Fullness:
- Turning away from food
- Batting spoon away
- Clamping mouth shut
- Playing with/throwing food
- Significantly slowed pace of eating
- No longer showing interest
The Best Foods To Introduce Baby To Between 4 & 6 Months Old
A common question I get is, “What baby foods should I introduce first?” And really, there isn’t one “best” first food.
You do not have to start with only baby cereal or only veggies or fruits. In fact, you shouldn’t! Research shows that introducing babies to a wide variety of foods early on is what’s most beneficial.
That said, my favorite first food is avocado! It’s a wonderful source of healthy fat, and it’s loaded with vitamins and minerals. Fat is essential to the developing brain and central nervous system, so we want to prioritize it within a baby’s first foods and make sure it’s completely unrestricted during their first two years of life.
(We also want to prioritize iron, because it’s a common dietary deficiency, and our babies begin to run out of the iron stores they got in utero by about six months.)
It’s Okay If Baby’s First Foods Have Multiple Ingredients!
You may choose to serve solely single-ingredient foods like avocado or sweet potato, but know that it’s not necessary to do so. It can be really helpful to serve a variety of new foods together, so they get used to different tastes and textures.
Plus, there are nutritional benefits to mixing foods. For example, yogurt—a common first food for babies—can be fortified with mashed fruit, nut butter, or hemp seeds to up the nutritional value. (But if you ever notice a reaction or suspect an allergy to a component of a food combination you’ve been serving, stop serving the suspected allergen and contact your pediatrician.)
PSA: Skip The Baby Cereal
The recommendations from years past telling parents to start with rice-based infant cereals are outdated now. Rice cereals aren’t super nutritious, and we don’t want to rely too much on rice due to potential exposure to arsenic. So instead of cereals, offer new foods in safely-prepared forms. This is way more nutritious, and it exposes them to different flavors, textures, and nutrients which are beneficial for growth and development and can protect them against food allergies and picky eating.
The Ultimate List of Baby Foods
I’m covering allll the best kinds of baby foods separately, so you get all the juicy info and context you need.
Then, I’m combining them all into one big, bad, comprehensive list of the best first foods for baby at the end.
SKIP TO THE LIST
Best Finger Foods & Baby-Led Weaning First Foods
For baby’s first foods, I like to suggest approachable options like avocado, sweet potato, and banana. These can be prepared and served baby-led-weaning-style by cutting them in wedges or crescent shapes that can be gripped with a palmar grasp. Bananas can be served as halves or in thirds-long ways. Just stick to serving items in longer shapes, about the width of two adult fingers, for the first few months of BLW. This way, baby can hold them and bring them to their mouth. Once your baby is a little bit older—usually around 9 months—many foods can be served safely in smaller pieces.
The Best Pureed First Foods
If you’re going the puree route, you can start with many of the same foods. Just mash up the sweet potato, avocado, banana—or whatever else, really!—and serve those as purees.
You may want to thin them some with breastmilk or formula.
But shortly after starting with these foods, I would move on to introducing allergenic foods, because the early and repeated introduction of allergenic foods can be protective against the development of food allergies in babies, specifically for peanuts. Foods like yogurt and peanut butter may be good early options for allergenic introductions and are already in pureed form. Just start with small amounts.
The Best Easy-To-Make First Foods
Foods that are naturally soft are the easiest to prepare for young eaters. Banana, yogurt, apple sauce, and avocado are all great options that are easy to serve with little to no prep. You can also mix creamy nut butter with yogurt and incorporate other mashed fruits, like raspberries and blackberries, to ramp up the nutritional value while keeping prep extremely low.
Don’t feel like you need to shy away from foods that aren’t naturally soft, either! Many other fruits and veggies, like sweet potato, broccoli, and pears, can also be safely served with simple steaming or roasting techniques.
Just make sure to cook these foods until they’re soft enough to be smashed between your fingers, so baby can safely enjoy them, and present them in a shape or style that they can safely navigate. (Soft foods can also be served to them on a pre-loaded spoon if they can’t be eaten by hand, yet.)
Low-Prep First Food Options:
- Banana
- Yogurt (Can mix with mashed berries or nut butter)
- Apple Sauce
- Avocado
- Steamed Veggies (Soft enough to mash between your fingers)
The Most Nutritious First Foods
There are so many great, nutrient-dense choices for baby’s first foods that are safe by six months of age no matter what type of foods you serve. (But it’s true that, if you take a baby-led weaning approach, you’ll probably have more options.) Sardines and salmon (fresh or canned) are both loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, DHA, protein, and tons of vitamins and minerals, which make them highly nutritious first foods! From the plant kingdom, sweet potato and avocado are nutrient-dense foods with a wide variety of vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and magnesium.
The Best Vegetarian First Foods
Vegetarian foods are some of the best first foods for baby! There are tons of wonderful and nutritious fruit and veggie options that suit young eaters, like berries, bananas, avocados, potatoes, broccoli, squash, and many others. Non-produce vegetarian items are great first foods for baby, too. Think tofu strips, eggs (yolk and white), beans, nut butter, and oatmeal.
Just be sure you serve these in safe shapes and forms, and that they’re soft enough to be mashed between your fingers. Always avoid serving things that are hard, sticky, or chewy, and keep in mind that many raw vegetables and fruits are choking hazards (like celery and apple).
Foods That Should Be Avoided
While most foods have a place in most diets, there are some foods to avoid serving your 4- to 6-month-old baby:
Added Sugar
To make sure our babies get the most nutrition possible during this important phase of growth and development, it’s best to avoid added sugar for children under two.
Added sugar doesn’t have much nutritional value, so it’s best to limit it as much as possible and avoid it altogether if possible.
Want to offer baby fun, homemade foods like cookies, bars, and muffins once they are fully established on solids? You still can! Just use the recipes in my No Sugar, Still Sweet cookbook, where everything is sweetened with fruit alone.
Honey
Babies should strictly avoid honey before 12 months of age. Honey can be contaminated with spores of a bacteria called clostridium botulinum. In babies under one, these spores can multiply and produce a dangerous toxin that causes infant botulism.
Related: Honey for Babies & Toddlers
Sodium
Finally, sodium should be limited. For babies ages four to six months, the recommended sodium limit intake for a day is 110 mg, which includes any sodium present in breast milk and/or formula.
Fruit Juice
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no fruit juice before 1 year of age.
Juice offers very few nutritional benefits and therefore isn’t a helpful addition to a baby’s diet.
- Under 1: No Juice
- Age 1-3: 4 Oz Daily Max
- Age 4-6: 4-6 Oz Daily Max
- Age 7-18: 8 Oz Daily Max
The Ultimate Baby’s First Foods List
- Avocado
- Sweet Potato (Mashed or Steamed)
- Broccoli (Steamed or Roasted)
- Pears (Steamed or Roasted)
- Butternut Squash
- Mango
- Banana
- Yogurt*
- Nut Butter* (Mixed-In To Purees or Spread Thin on Toast)
- Oatmeal
- Apple Sauce
- Mashed Raspberries
- Mashed Blueberries
- Mashed Blackberries
- Canned Sardines*
- Canned Salmon*
- Potatoes (Mashed or Steamed)
- Squash (Steamed or Roasted)
- Tofu Strips*
- Baby-Safe Eggs* (Try omelet-style and cut into strips!)
- Beans (Mashed)
*Common Allergens
Baby’s First Foods Chart: What, When & How To Serve Common First Foods to 4- to 6-Month-Old Babies
| BABY’S FIRST FOOD | WHEN TO SERVE | HOW TO SERVE |
| Avocado | 6 Months or Later | Mashed, mixed-in to sauces, and purees, or in wedge shapes baby can grip (BLW). |
| Oatmeal | 6 Months of Later | Prepare with breastmilk or formula. Option to mix in yogurt, nut butter, mashed berries, or mashed banana. |
| Banana | 6 Months or Later | Mashed, mixed into sauces and purees, cut in halves or third-long pieces (BLW). |
| Sweet Potato | 6 Months or Later | Roasted or steamed so they’re soft enough to mash between your fingers. |
| Mango | 6 Months or Later | Cut into wedge-shaped pieces that baby can grip. Or, give baby the pit to work on! |
| Eggs (Common Allergen) | 6 Months or Earlier (If advised by a pediatrician or allergist) | Prepare eggs omelet-style and cut them into strips baby can grip. |
| Yogurt (Common Allergen) | 6 Months or Earlier (If advised by a pediatrician or allergist) | Serve yogurt as-is or mix it into sauces, oatmeals, or purees. |
| Nut Butter (Common Allergen) | 6 Months or Earlier (If advised by a pediatrician or allergist) | Mix nut butters into oatmeal or purees, or spread them thinly over toast. |
| Berries | 6 Months or Later | Mash berries into a thicker, jam-like consistency before serving. Consider mixing mashed berries into other foods. |
| Tofu (Common Allergen) | 6 Months or Earlier (If advised by a pediatrician or allergist) | Cut into thin strips that baby can grasp and fry them up in a pan. Serve cool or warm, not hot. |
| Broccoli | 6 Months or Later | Steamed or roasted so it’s soft enough to mash between your fingers. |
| Apple Sauce | 6 Months or Later | As-is or mixed in to oatmeal, yogurt, or purees. |
| Canned Sardines (Common Allergen) | 6 Months or Later | Whole piece or mashed with other foods. |
| Honey | 1 Year or Later | At 1 year or later, serve mixed-in to yogurt, sauces, or purees, or spread thinly on toast. |
| Fruit Juice | 1 year or Later | At 1 year or later, offer up to 4 oz per day. |
| Sugar | 2 Years or Later | Avoid added sugar before age two, then introduce it gradually and only as-needed. |
First Foods For Babies With Allergies
Food allergies have grown in prevalence over the last 50 years, and it’s now estimated that about 7% of babies have a food allergy! And while that can make choosing a baby’s first foods a little scary, the good news is that up to 80% of kids can grow out of their food allergies. (Especially when those allergies are milk and eggs!)
Important Information on Allergic Reactions & Introducing Allergens
For at least the last decade, parents were told to wait until 12 months or older to introduce the top eight allergens (peanut, tree nuts, eggs, milk, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish) to their babies. Now, things are different. Today, we recommend introducing allergenic foods to your baby when they start solids, which, for most children, is around six months old. Introducing allergenic foods at this point in your baby’s development can reduce the risk of developing some food allergies—especially allergies to eggs and peanuts.
For Babies With Known Allergies
If your baby is already known to have a food allergy, do not introduce that food. But, if baby has certain risk factors WITHOUT a confirmed allergy (like eczema or a family member with a food allergy), consult the pediatrician. You may be referred to an allergist who will determine the best course of action with an introduction.
Introducing Allergens: What To Watch For
Mild allergic reactions may look like new hives around the mouth or face.
More severe reactions can include:
- Vomiting
- Lip Swelling
- Widespread Hives
- Face Or Tongue Swelling
- Difficulty Breathing
- Changes In Skin Color
- Sudden Lethargy Or Limpness
If you notice any of these severe signs, seek emergency medical help immediately.
Make Starting Solids Simple
I know that getting ready to start serving your baby their first foods is nerve-wracking. But with the right info (which you now have) and prep (which you’re equipped to do), I promise you it can be a great experience. Now that you know all the things about safety, allergic reactions, which foods to serve, and how to serve them, go in with your bases covered and just enjoy the time spent with your little one.
I also know that if you decide to go with solids, you might be a little extra nervous about things like gagging and making all foods baby-safe. And, I get it! These things can be intimidating the first few times. Lucky for you though, you’re not alone! You’ve got me in your corner. I’ve been there before, I’ve helped so many parents navigate through it, and I know you can do it, too.
To help you up your confidence, ditch the unnecessary doubts, and feed them well right from the start, I put together my research-backed Simply Solids guide. If you’re about to start—or already on—your baby-feeding journey, Simply Solids is a must-have.
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Baby’s First Foods
Kacie Barnes, MCN, RDN, LD
Summary of baby first foods 4 to 6 months some ideas in case you want a printer friendly list!
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin RecipePrep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 5 mins
Total Time 10 mins
Course Breakfast, Dinner, lunch
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings
Calories 50 kcal
- Avocado
- Oatmeal
- Banana
- Sweet Potato
- Mango
- Eggs (Common Allergen)
- Yogurt (Common Allergen)
- Nut Butter (Common Allergen)
- Berries
- Tofu (Common Allergen)
- Broccoli
- Apple Sauce
- Canned Sardines (Common Allergen)
Mashed, mixed-in to sauces or purees, or in wedge shapes baby can grip (BLW).
Prepare with breastmilk, formula, canned coconut milk or water. Option to mix in yogurt, nut butter, mashed berries, or mashed banana.
Mashed, mixed into sauces and purees, cut in halves or third-long pieces (BLW).
Roasted or steamed so they’re soft enough to mash between your fingers. Or, serve mashed with a spoon.
Cut into wedge-shaped pieces that baby can grip. Or, give baby the pit to work on!
Serve yogurt as-is or mix it into sauces, oatmeals, or purees.
Mix nut butters into oatmeal or purees, or spread them thinly over toast.
Mash berries into a thicker, jam-like consistency before serving.
Consider mixing mashed berries into other foods.
Cut into thin strips that baby can grasp and fry them up in a pan. Serve cool or warm, not hot.
As-is or mixed in to oatmeal, yogurt, or purees.
Calories: 50kcal
Keyword baby
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WHO recommendations for the introduction of complementary foods
08.08.2019
Readiness of the child to complementary foods According to the WHO recommendation, existing for 2018, it is optimal to introduce complementary foods to an infant at 6-8 months. Until six months, the baby's gastrointestinal tract is still not sufficiently formed, all the necessary enzymes are not produced for the assimilation of food other than mother's milk or formula.
And by 9-10 months, the child can already form stable stereotypes of eating only liquid food, and overcoming them will be painful and difficult for the baby.
Thus, WHO defines the following signs of a child's readiness for the introduction of complementary foods: the maturity of the digestive system; extinction of the solid food ejection reflex; the appearance of the first teeth, making it possible to chew; the readiness of the baby to be stable in an upright position; emotional readiness for new tastes and sensations.
Complementary feeding system WHO has developed recommendations for three complementary feeding options: cereals, vegetables, and meat.
Fruit complementary foods are not recommended for cereals and vegetables. This is due to the fact that up to 8-9 months the gastrointestinal tract of the baby is not ready for the absorption of raw fruits and fruit juices. It is vegetables and cereals that will populate the intestines with the necessary bacteria for the absorption of fruits.
Kefir, according to the WHO, is not considered complementary foods because it is not a solid food. The WHO complementary feeding scheme includes kefir only as an additional food from 8 months. The introduction of cow's milk is recommended by WHO only from 12 months.
Any complementary feeding scheme assumes that portions of complementary foods will systematically increase from half a teaspoon to 100-200 g. The first dishes for complementary foods are prepared exclusively with one-component. Each next component is introduced only after complete addiction to the previous one (6-7 days).
Product sequence
The following sequence of introduction of complementary foods is proposed.
- Vegetables at 6 months.
- Porridges on the water (oatmeal, buckwheat, corn) at 6.5 - 7 months.
- Fruit puree, yolk at 8 months.
- Milk porridge at 8-9 months.
- Meat puree at 9 months.
- Meat by-products at 9-10 months.
- Kefir, cottage cheese, yogurt at 9-10 months.
- Fish at 10 months.
- Juice at 10-12 months.
- Berry puree at 12 months.
- Meat broths at 12 months.
The introduction of vegetable oil (olive, sunflower) in puree and porridge is allowed from 6 months: a scheme with 1 drop with a gradual increase to a volume of 1 teaspoon. The introduction of butter begins at 7 months: the scheme is from 1 g to 10 g in porridge.
For formula-fed babies, the first feeding schedule is similar, with a few exceptions. For these babies, it is better to introduce complementary foods from 5 months, because the milk mixture does not give the small body all the “building material”. The introduction of complementary foods differs only in terms: vegetable purees and cereals are introduced a month earlier.
First cereals
If the child's weight is significantly less than normal, WHO recommends starting complementary foods with non-dairy cereals.
For babies, cereals are prepared only with non-dairy, unsalted, semi-liquid, absolutely homogeneous in consistency. The first cereals are prepared from cereal flour (the sorted and washed cereals are carefully ground and crushed).
The following sequence of introduction of cereals is proposed: buckwheat, rice, corn, oatmeal, semolina. It is recommended to cook semolina porridge only once a week, because it contains practically no nutrients, but it is rich in gluten, which can cause problems in the intestines. Proportion for the preparation of the first porridge: 5 g of cereal flour per 100 ml of water. After slightly cooling the finished porridge, chop again. In the finished porridge, you can add 1-2 drops of vegetable oil or a little expressed breast milk.
From 9 months, the baby's nutrition system involves multicomponent cereals, from products already well known to the child. You can already add vegetables and fruits familiar to the baby to cereals. At 9 months, it is allowed to cook barley and millet porridge for babies.
And by 10-11 months, cereals on the water will be a great addition to meat and fish meatballs and steam cutlets.
Vegetable food
The first purees are made from one vegetable.
The sequence of introducing vegetables into complementary foods for babies suggests the following order: zucchini, cauliflower, pumpkin, potatoes, carrots, green peas, beets. These vegetables are introduced within 6-9baby months. After 1 year, you can give your child cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, sweet peppers, white cabbage. After preparing the puree, make sure that the mass is completely homogeneous, there are no fibers and small particles, the consistency is semi-liquid. Don't salt. Add 1-2 drops of vegetable oil or expressed milk.
If the child refuses vegetable complementary foods, cancel this product for 1-2 weeks. Try to temporarily replace it with another and return to it after a while.
Meat supplements
From 9 months old, the first meat purees are recommended for babies.
The first courses are recommended to be prepared from lean meats: rabbit; quail; turkey; chicken.
Complementary foods for a 6-month-old baby are recommended to be introduced in the morning. This will allow you to track the child's reaction to an unfamiliar product before a night's sleep: is there a rash, intestinal disorders, anxiety in the baby, profuse regurgitation. It is better to give vegetables or porridge first, and then saturate with breast milk or formula. Gradually, porridge and a vegetable dish will replace one full meal. The dish must be warm and freshly cooked. Gradually, by the age of 1, your baby will develop taste preferences. You will know what dishes he eats with pleasure. In the meantime, try to fully expand the child's diet with products necessary for growth and development.
Be healthy!!!
Complementary feeding norms for children under one year old
WHEN A CHILD STARTS EATING SOLID FOOD
— Ekaterina Borisovna, at what stage does complementary foods appear in a child's diet?
— Up to 4-6 months, breast milk and infant formula can meet the daily nutritional needs of an infant.
After the body begins to require more energy, nutrients and fibers, and then additional feeding with solid food becomes mandatory in the baby's diet.
Complementary foods have other important roles:
- to introduce the child to a variety of taste sensations, more complex food textures;
- develop chewing and swallowing skills;
- form the correct perception of food through a variety of products.
— At what age is it best to introduce complementary foods and why?
— According to the National Feeding Optimization Program, the interval for the introduction of complementary foods is between the 17th and 26th weeks of life, regardless of the nature of milk feeding. This period is also called the food tolerance window, when the body is ready to try new foods with the least risk of allergies.
Timing of the introduction of complementary foods and types of foods are individual. The height and weight of the baby, the features of his digestion, and the nervous system are taken into account.
For a healthy child, the optimal age for the first complementary foods is 5 months.
Table. Consequences of feeding too early and late
— There are signs that the baby is ready to feed.
- The baby should double its birth weight.
- The child can sit for some time with support.
- The child is able to raise his head up and hold it.
- Spoon ejection reflex gone. To test it, you need to give the baby some water from a spoon - if he does not spill it and drinks it, you can try new foods.
- The baby is more likely to breastfeed/bottle because he doesn't feed on milk or formula alone.
- The child makes tongue movements that form a food bolus.
- The child shows interest at the sight of food - reaches for it, carefully watches how parents eat, grabs cutlery and examines them, opens his mouth when a spoon approaches, turns his head away from the spoon if he is not hungry.
All these signs, being present in one way or another, indicate the readiness of the child to introduce complementary foods.
Aspiration in infants is a condition in which milk or formula, pieces of food, and stomach contents enter the respiratory tract if the child chokes, chokes, or burps.
Forced introduction of complementary foods is not unambiguous, even if the deadlines are running out. Such feeding can provoke choking up to aspiration. Negative emotions experienced by a child during feeding can form a stable refusal of any food, the so-called infantile anorexia. If you refuse a new food, it is better to postpone complementary foods for a while and start all over again with more pleasant dishes for the child.
— Babies do often refuse complementary foods. How to arouse food interest?
- If a child refuses a certain product, it is worth postponing its introduction for a couple of weeks and replacing it with a similar one for now. If the child does not want to eat at all, it is necessary to re-evaluate the signs of his readiness for complementary foods.
A well-hungry baby should be introduced to new foods before breastfeeding. You should also adhere to a certain diet, avoiding chaotic feeding. It is worth choosing foods that the child prefers. You can lightly sweeten the puree with breast milk or formula.
— The kid refuses to eat with a spoon...
— Let him try to eat with his hands, the main thing is to interest him. It is important to introduce the child to the culture of food in time. To do this, he is seated at the table in a special high chair. At first, the baby simply watches how adults eat, then he begins to play with cutlery and show interest in adult food, something is pulled into his mouth. At such moments, you need to try to offer the baby his first adult product. But it should be his dish - vegetable puree or porridge. Products from the common table are already pedagogical complementary foods.
SELECTING THE TYPE OF COMPLEMENTARY FOOD: PEDAGOGICAL OR PEDIATRIC
— How does pedagogical complementary food differ from the pediatric scheme?
— In pedagogical complementary food, food is given from an adult table for information only.
At the same time, milk feeding remains as the main type of nutrition. You can try new foods before, after, or while breastfeeding or formula feeding.
Pedagogical Educational Complementary Food is an introduction to the children's diet of food that adults eat, that is, not processed specifically for the child. The goal is to introduce him to a variety of products.
The baby sits down at an adult table and tries in microdoses - up to one teaspoon - any product from mom's plate.
Pediatric traditional food is, in fact, the first, second and third food with a nutritional function.
What type of complementary foods to choose, pedagogical or pediatric, or a combination of both options, the mother decides:
PROCEDURE FOR INTRODUCING VEGETABLES AND porridge
— What are the best foods to start feeding your baby?
— According to modern recommendations, it is preferable to choose vegetable monocomponent puree or gluten-free porridge as the first meal of complementary foods.
Table. Allowed first foods
Read also
- When to start complementary foods and which foods to give first.
— Ekaterina Borisovna, what types of cereals do you recommend for cereals and when can you give cereals with additives?
— Gluten-free low-allergenic cereals — buckwheat, rice, corn — are used for the first feeding. Gluten is a protein found in cereal grains such as wheat and barley. The baby still does not have enough enzymes that can break down this protein. If it enters the body, digestive problems can occur - colic, bloating, frequent frothy stools - or skin manifestations of allergies. Therefore, gluten cereals are introduced into the diet no earlier than 7-8 months.
With good tolerance to dairy-free and milk porridges, you can try porridges with additives in the form of fruits and berries. You can’t start with these cereals, since you need to track the baby’s reaction to each component.
Therefore, everything is gradual: first, we determine the reaction to the cereal component, then to the milk component, and only then to fruit and berry supplements.
— In what cases is porridge made with goat milk better than regular dairy?
- If the baby is not gaining weight well, is lagging behind his peers in physical development and has a tendency to unstable stools, then most likely the pediatrician will prescribe the first complementary foods in the form of cereals. Kashi MAMAKO ® goat milk is the best solution for these problems. Goat milk will ensure comfortable digestion, selected cereals will become an excellent source of energy, and an additional vitamin and mineral complex will cover the daily requirement for micronutrients, which are so necessary for the baby for full development. In addition, a wide range and delicate texture of goat milk cereals can satisfy the taste preferences of the most demanding picky.
— How to process and grind first foods?
— If a mother decides to prepare a complementary food dish herself, she will have to spend a lot of time on the correct processing of the product.
A prerequisite is the heat treatment of everything that the child receives.
- Puree
Vegetables are thoroughly washed, peeled, simmered and then ground to a smooth puree-like consistency.
- Cooking porridge
The cereal is washed, dried, ground in a blender or coffee grinder, boiled and, if necessary, ground again until a homogeneous creamy consistency is obtained.
— What's more beneficial, homemade food or store-bought food?
— For the first complementary foods, industrial products are preferable. They have a strictly balanced composition in accordance with children's age needs, high-quality raw materials are used for their preparation, and the production technology allows preserving the maximum amount of micronutrients. In addition, it is impossible to trace where this or that vegetable, fruit or cereal, from which we cook at home, was brought to the store. And the safety of baby purees and cereals is confirmed by mandatory certification and strict quality control at all stages of their production and sale.
COMPLETE FEEDING REGULATIONS
— Can complementary foods be given with breast milk or formula?
— Complementary foods should always be given before breastfeeding or bottle feeding. For example, a child ate only 50 g of puree, and by age the feeding volume is 150 ml. Then supplementary feeding with the mixture goes in a volume not exceeding the age norm, that is, in our case it is 100 ml. Breastfeeding can be in any amount.
Complementary food allowance
- First complementary food: one main type of complementary food (after complete introduction into the diet) replaces one feeding, all other feedings are given by mother's milk/milk formula.
- Second feeding: if you start with vegetables, then one feeding is mashed potatoes, the second feeding is porridge, all the rest are also milk or a mixture.
— Is there a universal complementary feeding scheme?
— Medical recommendations exist. However, before starting complementary foods, it is mandatory to consult your pediatrician to assess the readiness of the child and identify contraindications. Changes in the complementary feeding scheme depend on medical indications, the degree of full-term maturity, weight and growth indicators, individual preferences of the infant, as well as on the nutritional traditions of each family. Guideline nutritional guidelines are listed below.
Table. Complementary feeding norms by months in grams
PROBLEMS WITH COMPLEMENTARY FOOD
— What can be a child's reaction to unfamiliar food?
— The introduction of complementary foods is a kind of test for a small organism. It is important to start feeding the baby on time, observing the principle of gradualness. However, things don't always go smoothly.
The most common functional disorders in the introduction of complementary foods:
- colic;
- swelling;
- appearance or increase of regurgitation;
- constipation or loose stools;
- rarely nausea or vomiting.
If all these phenomena are temporary, do not lead to a violation of general well-being, occur only when a certain product is consumed and disappear after its exclusion, then, probably, due to the functional immaturity of the digestive organs, the child is not yet ready for a change in diet. It is worth waiting a bit, and after the resumption of symptoms, try another product or take a break from complementary foods for a while.
Stop complementary foods and see a doctor immediately to determine the cause of problems if:
- changes in health status are persistent;
- the baby is worried about constant pain in the abdomen, persistent regurgitation, vomiting;
- there is no independent stool or pathological inclusions appear in the stool in the form of mucus or streaks of blood.
— How can I add additional foods to my baby's complementary foods to minimize the risks?
— When prescribing complementary foods, the following rules should be observed:
- Do not get carried away with large doses: new vegetable or cereal complementary foods are offered in small quantities, bringing the volume to the age norm within a week.
At the same time, they carefully observe the behavior of the child, the purity of his skin, the nature of the stool. - An unfamiliar product is not given in the afternoon, during illness, teething, before and after vaccination.
- First, the baby tries monocomponent dishes, after - complex ones.
- At 9-10 months, pureed products are gradually replaced by finely ground ones.
- Always spoon-feed before breastfeeding or bottle feeding.
- It is important to maintain lactation, so the breast should be offered after the main meal.
Complementary foods are an interesting and important stage in the first year of life. Proper organization of feeding will help not only prevent many health problems for the baby, but also correct existing ones. In order for the acquaintance with new food to go smoothly and not add trouble to the mother, it is worth following simple rules, coordinating all your actions with the pediatrician, starting the introduction of complementary foods only after assessing the readiness of the baby and, if possible, with special baby food in jars and packs.
