Best first baby foods list

The Best First Foods for Babies 6 to 9 Months – Happiest Baby

By Happiest Baby Staff

You've spent the first six months of your baby's life making sure that they are nourished with breastmilk or formula. As they grow and thrive, you might notice that your little sprout shows you some signs that they are ready to graduate from the bottle or breast to solid foods. If your baby can sit up and hold their head up, that's a great first sign! What's more, if they bring objects to their mouth and show an interest in what you are eating, your curious kiddo might be ready to start eating solid foods.

But what should you feed your baby? Here’s a list of perfect starter foods for your baby from ages 6 to 9 months.

Best Baby Foods at 6 Months

At 6 months, babies may be starting to chew. Though this skill won’t be mastered just yet, they are typically ready to get messy with some mushy, pureed eats—helping them learn about flavor and texture. At this age, the goal is not to satiate your baby with full meals of solid foods but rather to get your child curious and excited about their culinary options.

Because babies are growing so fast, their needs for iron are high to prevent iron-deficiency and support their overall health. Offer your little one iron rich foods like—infant cereal (read up on why you may want to skip rice cereal), well-cooked meat, poultry, mashed beans, and lentils. To keep your baby safe from choking, avoid adding solids like cereal to baby bottles.

Here are some great first foods for Baby to try:

Infant oat, grain, or barley cereals mixed with breastmilk or formula and spoon-fed to your baby
Sweet potato puree
Squash puree
Pea puree
Carrot puree
Mashed banana
Mashed avocado
Mashed or pureed beans
Mashed or pureed lentils
Pureed meats (beef, chicken, or turkey)
Soft, falling apart meats (salmon, beef, chicken, turkey)

Check out more of our favorite first food purees. Or, if purees aren’t your thing, read up on how to start baby-led weaning.

Best Baby Foods at 7 Months

By 7 months old, your baby will probably be eating more solids but not enough to replace breastmilk or formula as their primary source of food. The goal for this month is to keep introducing solid foods to your baby. What's fun is by 7 months, you can get more creative with mixing flavors and adding textures.

Here are a few nutritious and delicious food combos to try with your baby:

Peas pureed with breastmilk (or formula), sweet potatoes, or squash
Kale pureed with blueberry, squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, pears, or bananas
Apples pureed with cauliflower, carrots, pears, prunes, or beets
Beef pureed with broccoli
Chicken pureed with carrots and potatoes
Chickpeas pureed with bananas, apples, or sweet potato
Sweet potatoes pureed with red bell pepper

Seven months is also the perfect age to start giving your baby a plate, bowl, and plastic utensils so they can begin to practice feeding themselves. If your baby is teething, you can place frozen chunks of fruit in a sieve feeder/mesh bag that allows them to gnaw on the fruit without choking. Learn more about helping your baby use a fork and spoon!

Best Baby Foods at 8 Months

By 8 months, your baby is likely eating more solids and relying a little less on milk as a primary meal (though it’s still where they get the bulk of their nutrition!). And they’re probably having lots of fun learning how to use their hands to feed themselves. Something else to consider: Babies should be exposed to potential allergen foods (like peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and fish) before their first birthdays to help prevent future food allergies. Starting at 6 months of age, peanut butter is safe to introduce as long as you are comfortable giving it to your baby.

In fact, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans says that babies can begin having these foods when they start eating solids. But many families often feel more comfortable waiting to introduce these foods until around this age. Of course, consult with your little one’s pediatrician if you have concerns about potential allergen foods.

Here are some foods to add to your repertoire:

Whole eggs, scrambled
Nut butter thinned out with water and mixed with cereal (nut butters are sticky and can cause choking)
Fully cooked fish, like salmon or tuna
Full-fat yogurt

Here are some preparation ideas:

Well-cooked (think over-cooked until falling apart) pasta such as elbows or alphabet shapes
Mashed meat with mashed or ground vegetables such as peas and potatoes or kale and squash
Rainbow on a plate: Using tiny pieces of soft, strained, pureed, and mashed food options, look for a variety of colors to offer. Some fun options could include banana, avocado, sweet potato, peas, blueberry, raspberry, cheese, and chicken.

Best Baby Foods at 9 Months

Though there’s a greater variety of foods babies eat now, formula or breastmilk continues to be their primary source of nutrition until age 1. At 9 months old, babies get more comfortable with self-feeding and eating the foods their families enjoy. After all, eating solid foods is a sensory wonderland of texture, smells, and tastes. Not to mention all that fun making messes with those adorably curious fingers.

As you begin to focus on meal planning for your baby, there are few things to keep in mind:

Babies need four to five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. A serving size for a 9-month-old is less than a quarter cup.
"Eat the rainbow" is excellent advice because it gives your baby exposure to lots of different fruits, vegetables, grains, and starches.

Here are a few menu ideas to help meal plan for your baby…

Breakfast Ideas for Babies

These morning meals pack a nutritional punch—and don’t forget to check out all of our favorite breakfast ideas for babies:

Soft fresh fruit cut up in small pieces (think: banana, raspberries, or blueberries)
Whole-grain waffles or pancakes
Unsweetened oatmeal made with breastmilk or formula combined with cut-up and cooked apples and pears or banana slices. (It is essential to steam the apples or pears to make them soft enough for your baby to mash with their gums.)
Full-fat yogurt mixed with mashed or pureed berries such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, or raspberries
Soft scrambled eggs
Veggie frittata

Lunch Ideas for Babies

Spread hummus on soft crackers or bread
Grilled cheese sandwich with cooled tomato soup
Macaroni and cheese with cooked veggies like peas and carrots mixed in
Pizza bites with chopped bits of spinach in the sauce and melted shredded cheese
Quesadilla made with pureed spinach, squash, or beans

Snack Ideas for Babies

Babies this young won’t likely need to snack too much (remember, breastmilk or formula will provide the majority of your little one’s nutrition). Still, it’s not a bad idea to have snacks on hand for when your mini muncher needs something to eat that’s not quite a meal. A few baby snack ideas:

Apple and carrot slaw
Cheese slices
Full-fat plain yogurt
Hard-boiled egg
Avocado slices
Muffins made with fruits, veggies, and/or whole grains
Fruit and veggie pouches
Sugar-free, whole-grain cereal, like plain Cheerios

Dinner Ideas for Babies

To help your baby get and stay excited about eating solid foods, serve a version of whatever the family is having for dinner. Remember to steam or mash, grind or chop foods into appropriate softness and sizes to prevent choking. Some baby dinner ideas:

Pasta with softened vegetables
Well-cooked rice, soft veggies, and chicken
Baked sweet potato with butter or cheese
Beans or lentils served with rice and veggies
Flaky fish served with steamed zucchini

There are endless variations on what you can serve your baby for dinner. As long as your baby is safe and happy, try to encourage lots of food exploration!

You must not feed any child under the age of 1 year honey, cow’s milk, juice, hard foods like candy, raw vegetables, popcorn, or sticky foods like peanut butter, as these each present choking hazards.

Learn more about feeding your baby:

The Happiest Baby Feeding Guide
The Benefits of Homemade Baby Food
The Best Store-Bought Baby Food

***

REFERENCES

Unlocking Opportunities in Food Design for Infants, Children, and the Elderly: Understanding Milestones in Chewing and Swallowing Across the Lifespan for New Innovations. Journal of Texture Studies, August 2017
Complementary Feeding: A Position Paper by the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) Committee on Nutrition, Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, January 2017
Infant Formula Feeding Practices Associated With Rapid Weight Gain: A Systematic Review, Maternal & Child Nutrition, July 2018
Solid Food Introduction and the Development of Food Allergies, Nutrients, November 2018
US Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025

View more posts tagged, feeding

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Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider.

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

Summary of baby first foods 4 to 6 months some ideas in case you want a printer friendly list!

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Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep 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)

Avocado

Mashed, mixed-in to sauces or purees, or in wedge shapes baby can grip (BLW).

Oatmeal

Prepare with breastmilk, formula, canned coconut milk or water. Option to mix in yogurt, nut butter, mashed berries, or mashed banana.

Banana

Mashed, mixed into sauces and purees, cut in halves or third-long pieces (BLW).

Sweet Potato

Roasted or steamed so they’re soft enough to mash between your fingers. Or, serve mashed with a spoon.

Mango

Cut into wedge-shaped pieces that baby can grip. Or, give baby the pit to work on!

Yogurt

Serve yogurt as-is or mix it into sauces, oatmeals, or purees.

Nut Butter

Mix nut butters into oatmeal or purees, or spread them thinly over toast.

Berries

Mash berries into a thicker, jam-like consistency before serving. Consider mixing mashed berries into other foods.

Tofu

Cut into thin strips that baby can grasp and fry them up in a pan. Serve cool or warm, not hot.

Broccoli

Apple Sauce

As-is or mixed in to oatmeal, yogurt, or purees.

Canned Sardines

Calories: 50kcal

Keyword baby

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Detailed list of all foods for the first 90 days of introduction of complementary foods for a child.

Download the table of complementary foods in PDF format:

Zucchini. Zucchini puree contains only 24 kcal per 100 grams of finished product. Proteins -0.6; fat - 0.3; carbohydrates - 4.6. Contains calcium, magnesium, vitamins A, C, B6 and iron. To save vitamins, we will prepare the first puree for a child for a couple. Zucchini cooks quickly, 10 minutes is enough. The first serving is 5 grams (a teaspoon), even less, at the tip of a spoon. We'll give you a taste of the new flavor. Take a small circle of zucchini (we choose the smallest, youngest baby zucchini, the puree will be sweet), wash well (you don’t need to clean and remove the seeds from young zucchini), cook for 10 minutes for a couple and grind through a sieve. Let the child try. The feeding temperature should be around 40 degrees. nine0006 DEFINITELY try the puree yourself before giving it to a child! Not bitter, not sour, are there any strange aftertastes that may indicate a poor quality vegetable? We offer zucchini for 5-7 days according to the scheme: 5 grams - 10 grams - 20 - 40 - 60 - 60 - 60. The zucchini has passed the test! Let's put it aside for now and move on to the next product.
Cauliflower. Cauliflower puree contains 33 kcal per 100 grams of finished product. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates, respectively: 1.6 / 0.7 / 5.4. Contains calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamins C and B6. To save vitamins, we cook for a couple. We divide the cabbage into small inflorescences, cook for 15 minutes. Grind the first portion (5 grams) on a sieve, prepare large portions with an immersion blender with the addition of boiled baby water, so that the consistency is the same as that of the zucchini. Cabbage, unlike zucchini, contains less water, so it needs to be added. We give according to the scheme: 5-10-20-40-60-60-60. Recall that it is not necessary to give all 7 days, five days will be enough to test for allergens. nine0010
Broccoli. For 100 grams of finished puree 34 kcal. Proteins 2.8; Fats 0.4; Carbohydrates 6.6. Broccoli contains a lot of vitamin A, as well as calcium, magnesium, iron and vitamin C. We prepare mashed potatoes according to the same principle as cauliflower.
Buckwheat porridge. From vegetables to cereals. It's time to try the cereals. Previously, it was recommended that babies start complementary foods with cereals if they are not gaining weight well, or start complementary foods before six months. But it's all MYTH! Well, the baby will not start gaining better if instead of a portion of fatty milk he receives 60 grams of lean porridge cooked in water. Yes Yes! The first cereals are dairy-free, sugar-free and gluten-free! It is important! For the first test, it is still recommended to introduce special baby cereals, which are sold in stores. Why? Because cereals for children's cereals are not treated with rodenticides, unlike ordinary cereals on store shelves. Yes, and making flour from ordinary buckwheat and cooking 5 grams of such porridge will not be so easy as pouring half a teaspoon of prepared store-bought baby porridge with water, stir and give to the baby. Therefore, we suggest buying a pack of special children's dairy-free buckwheat for the first try and cook it according to the cooking method indicated on the package. nine0010
Rice porridge. Same as buckwheat: dairy-free, gluten-free, salt-free and sugar-free. We look at the energy value on the packaging.
Corn porridge. This porridge is the most high-calorie of the three, so it is still better to introduce it as the third one. The scheme is still the same as with vegetables: 5-10-20-40-60-60-60 (the last two days are optional). When the volume of any of the cereals reaches 40 and 60 grams, you can add a little already introduced vegetables to it (also up to 40 grams), so that the porridge is not too viscous and monotonous for the child (“in a dry bag”, as we usually say). nine0010
Pumpkin. Puree and pumpkin will already contain 88 kcal per 100 grams of the finished product. Thus, we gradually raise the calorie content of products. Proteins / fats / carbohydrates - 1.7 / 6.2 / 6.3. We clean and cut it into cubes, steam the pumpkin, about 15 minutes. Puree is introduced as before 5-10-20-40-60-60-60. For portions of 40 and 60 grams, you can try to give it together with the already tested porridge and bring the total volume up to 100 grams.
Apple. It's time to taste fruit. Why weren't they introduced earlier? Because, from birth, a child has a love for sweets, and if you start complementary foods with fruits, then there is a high probability that you will eat vegetables yourself later. We start complementary foods from the most tasteless foods incrementally. The finished puree contains 85 kcal per 100 grams of the finished product. How to cook: wash, peel, cut apples and send to a double boiler or cook in boiling water for 10 minutes (a couple more vitamins will be preserved). Scheme 5-10-20-40-60-60-60. By the way, with regard to fruits, a dose of 60, maximum 80 grams for a child up to a year is quite sufficient. If we then increase the portions of vegetables and cereals, then we will leave the fruits. A large amount of sugar is not good for a child. Up to 40 grams we give applesauce as a separate dish, from 40 grams and more we mix with cereals. Now we will gradually increase the volume and replace breakfast with porridge with fruit, seasoned with a small amount of butter (at the rate of 2 grams of butter per 100 grams of porridge). nine0010
Rabbit. It's time to introduce meat! At this point, the baby should be about 8 months old. It is recommended to start with a rabbit, as this is the most dietary meat. How to cook: we twist the meat in a meat grinder, form small meatballs and weld them a little in boiling water. It’s good if you have a kitchen scale at home and you can immediately prepare meatballs for the required 5-10-20-40 and 50 grams. We throw the boiled meatballs into a colander so that the glass is excess water and they cool, then we freeze. Our semi-finished product is ready! The first 5 and 10 grams are given separately. Boil or steam again and grind with a blender. Starting from 20 grams, grind together with the introduced vegetables. Now you can gradually increase the portions and replace lunch with vegetables and meat seasoned with a small amount of vegetable oil (at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 100 grams of vegetables). Meat, unlike all other products that are necessarily introduced in the first half of the day, is introduced at lunchtime. nine0010
Prunes. We prepare mashed potatoes in the same way as from apples, but first, prunes need to be washed, peeled and soaked for a couple of hours in water, then steamed and chopped with a blender. Portions are the same as for an apple: 5-10-20-40-60-60-60. Starting from 40 grams, mix with porridge.
Turkey. We choose the fillet and give it according to the principle of the rabbit.
Pear, banana, apricot, peach, plum. We introduce these fruits one by one according to the same principle as we introduced apple and prunes. nine0010

So, we have sorted out the safest products for the baby! Selected according to our climate, according to their energy value, composition and vitamin content. To put together a correct balanced diet, you need to know some WHO (World Health Organization) recommendations for complementary foods:

At 6-8 months, the child should receive 60% kcal from breast milk and 40% kcal per day from complementary foods ;
At 9-11 months, the baby should receive 45% kcal from breast milk and already 55% kcal per day from complementary foods ;
The volume of the baby's stomach is approximately equal to 30 ml/kg of the baby's weight;
At 6-8 months, smoothly go to 2 meals based on complementary foods (breakfast and lunch) and the minimum energy density of the meal should be 0. 9 kcal / g for breastfeeding or 1.7 kcal / g for artificial feeding;
Protein requirements for babies 6-9months 1.25 g/kg body weight;
Fat should make up 30-40% of the daily calorie intake of the entire diet.

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Categories of the Malyuk

Top 5 for the first feeding

9 months to 6 months to 6 months Previous milk fully satisfies the baby's need for food and liquids. However, as the baby grows, breast milk or milk formula can no longer satisfy the baby's needs for vitamins, trace elements and nutrients, and then complementary foods are introduced into the baby's menu. What foods are best for a baby's first introduction to adult food? nine0003

Complementary feeding is the introduction of a new, thicker food (compared to breast milk), which gradually and consistently replaces breastfeeding.

When should we start introducing complementary foods?

Larisa Shumina
Pediatrician,
Elizavetinsky
orphanage,
Moscow

According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), for breastfed children with a sufficient amount of breast milk from the mother and normal physical development (weight and growth correspond to the age norm), as well as for children who are bottle-fed using modern adapted mixtures, the age of 6 months is considered the optimal time to start introducing complementary foods. nine0003

It is recommended that you consult your pediatrician before deciding whether to introduce complementary foods into your baby's diet. The doctor, taking into account the individual characteristics of the child, can change the timing and order of the introduction of complementary foods.

Pediatricians recommend vegetable puree as the first complementary food from the age of 6 months. And, if the child is not gaining weight well, he has a tendency to loose stools, doctors recommend starting complementary foods with the introduction of cereals.

Vegetable - the head of everything

Vegetables are an ideal product for the first feeding, as they contain many vitamins and minerals necessary for the baby, as well as dietary fiber necessary for the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. The introduction of vegetable complementary foods should begin with one type of vegetable, monitoring the baby's reaction to the introduced product and gradually expanding the baby's diet.