When I started solids with my firstborn I remember being so scared and overwhelmed. Should I make my own baby food or use jarred food? It seemed like such an ordeal to make my own baby food. But soon I realized it was just easier to use regular food.
With my second child, I focused more on having my boy eat what we were eating. And in doing so, it reminded me that the best first foods are actually the easiest to prepare.
So here is a list of easy first foods for baby, that will also help your child grow and thrive. Also, a note about the best time to start.
When to start solids
It’s safe to start solids anywhere from four to six months but what is most important is developmental readiness, not age. For instance, you might try to wait until six months but at five months your baby is very interested in food, has good head control, and can sit with support.
If you have a child at high risk for food allergies (those who have eczema, egg allergy, or a parent or sibling with food allergies), consider working with a pediatrician on the best time to introduce solids. The same goes for premature infants, who may have delays in development and special feeding needs. If you plan to follow Baby-Led Weaning (having baby feed himself from the get-go, it is recommended to wait until at least 6 months of age).
1. Meat
Many experts consider meat an ideal first food because it is a highly absorbable form of iron. Feel free to puree your own, get it jarred or allow for strips of soft meat if baby is 6 months or older and feeding herself (baby-led weaning).
2. Iron-fortified cereal
Today, skipping cereal is common. The problem is that iron-fortified cereals can help meet high iron need s (11mg) during this rapid growth phase. At about 6 months of age, iron stores deplete and babies need iron from complementary foods.
Rice cereal has been called into question in recent years. In 2018, Consumer Reports found about two-thirds of infant and toddler food to have concerning levels of at least one of these heavy metals: cadmium, inorganic arsenic, or lead. Rice-containing products and sweet potatoes had the highest levels of such heavy metals (organic too).
There are plenty of whole-grain infant cereal options likes oats and whole wheat. But in moderation rice is fine. The key is not to rely on just one source of iron. Provide meat, fortified cereals, and plant proteins.
You can serve cereals with other foods including vitamin C-rich fruits and veggies to increase its absorption. Also, you can use iron-fortified cereals when making muffins or pancakes.
3. Pureed Vegetables
Research shows that introducing many veggies early on can benefit baby. For example, in one study babies introduced to solids after 5.5 months accepted more vegetables when they were weaned to a variety-vegetable-blend versus a single veggie exposure.
In Fearless Feeding we put it this way:
Babies naturally prefer sweet tastes over bitter or sour, and salty tastes are learned quickly. But preferences for bitter tastes take time and repeated exposure. Because fruit is more easily accepted over vegetables, it can’t hurt to ramp up the variety of vegetables early on. We recommend vegetables be one of baby’s first foods and to rapidly increase their variety in the diet.
So go ahead and cook and puree a variety of vegetables to add to breast milk, formula, cereal or just serve them up straight.
4. Avocado
Babies need a concentrated source of fat. Avocado is high in fat and soft making it a great first food. Avocados are also a source of vitamin E, contain fiber, and are rich in monounsaturated fats.
All you have to do is mash avocado, add some breast milk or formula and you’re ready to go. For a thicker consistency mix it with oat or rice cereal. For those baby-led weaning, strips of avocado can work.
5 Bananas
Bananas are the easiest and most convenient fruit to prepare. Simply mash up to desired consistency and add breast milk or formula. Add it to cereal or serve it by itself. Bananas contain fiber, potassium, and even some vitamin C.
Starting Your Baby on Solid Foods? Check These 6 Myths First
6. Soft mild fruit
It’s common for babies to become constipated when starting solids. And it may due to the lack of fresh fruits. At 6 months, babies can eat mild, skinless raw fruits like cantaloupe, pears, and mango. Cantaloupe is rich in vitamins A and C.
Soft mild fruit can be mashed with a fork or thrown in the blender to smooth it out. It can also be served with cereal. Remember chunks of food (that are also slippery) like cantaloupe are choking hazards.
Beyond First Food
Traditionally, first foods are pureed starting with a watery texture. Once baby masters that, it’s time to upgrade to a smooth puree followed by lumpy purees. Why is this important? One study showed the most robust gains in chewing ability occur between 6 and 10 months. And another study found babies introduced to lumpy solids after 9 months accepted fewer foods and had more feeding problems at seven years.
In other words, there are sensitive times of development for learning how to eat.
What first foods did (or are) you feeding your child?
Want detailed feeding charts, step-by-step guidance, and real-life feeding examples for feeding infants? Check out Maryann’s book Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters From High Chair to High School.
Post Updated 4/19
What a cutie!…I tried to make all of my babyfood too. It was incredibly easy. One thing I did was combined foods as much as possible to get the most bang for my buck. I mixed TJ’s Organic European Whole Milk yogurt with just about anything….including TJ’s canned boneless and skinless wild salmon (pureed). I also tried it with sardines…she liked them at first, but then wasn’t so fond of them. However, At 14 months, she still likes salmon and now she eats sardines! When she was ready for eggs I would make an egg “pancake” and puree veggies and stick them in with some cheese. That was a big hit and still is:) I pureed tofu and added it to my pureed veggies. I also pureed lentils mixed with lots of veggies. I made my own beef stew loaded with veggies and a spaghetti sauce with ground meat, veggies and alphabet pasta from jimbo’s. I rarely served a food as a single item, once I knew there wasn’t a food allergy the food was fair game to be mixed! I also found the Super Baby Food book to be a great guide as a new mom…however, MaryAnn came up with an amazingly helpful chart that I used pretty religiously.
I ended up making batches of things and freezing them. Kidco makes some freezing trays that are BPA free and have lids on them. They have them at Babies R Us…but they are also on-line. Another really great find was “babycubes”…also BPA free and the nice thing about them is that you can freeze in them and also use them as containers for food when you are on the go or for storage in the fridge. Whenever we pack a picnic to go to the park, I fill up the babycubes and we are good to go.
Happy Feeding!
Thanks Stacy. Those are some great ideas! I just started him on yogurt and he loves it. I can’t wait to mix a bunch of stuff in there.
Curious to know if you know why moms are skipping cereal and what you think of their reasoning.
Michelle — I think it’s the refined carbs that gets people. I believe iron-fortified cereal is important for breastfed babies to help meet their iron needs. There are some good whole grain options on the market that work well.
From what I’ve read and heard from friends, it’s they don’t make sufficient amounts of amylase to break down high amounts of carbohydrates that are found in cereals (whole grain or refine). At 6 months of age, the iron stores begin to deplete, however the iron in breastmilk is highly absorbed and when you combine that with other iron-rich foods (not fortified) it is more than sufficient for a baby’s needs. I’m up in the air with what to do with my son, so I’m trying to gather all evidence I can. 🙂
Michelle — I’m working on this topic right now for the book. I’ve never heard of amylase being a problem. Is there any research you can point me to? As far as iron goes it really depends on baby’s iron status at birth. Some babies have better stores than others to last them (some 4 months, some 6 and others may last till 9 months). Breastmilk, while well absorbed has very little iron 7 months or too early <4 months, babies may be at higher risk for celiace disease. This reseach is preliminary but if a child is at high risk it's worth considering. There are also the new iron recs from the AAP ot help prevent ID http://www.maryannjacobsen.com/2010/10/new-iron-recommendations-for-babies-and-toddlers-and-weekly-meal-plan/
I’ve been looking in the reseach, many say that by 6 months pacreatatic amylase is sufficient but that doesn’t seem to matter as most infants can digest starch even with low levels of amylase. According to a 2000 study http://www.hkjpaed.org/details.asp?id=248&show=1234
One of the major concerns for the use of rice-based ORS is that young infants have low levels of pancreatic amylase which may result in incomplete digestion of starch.42 However, other studies have shown that infants as young as 1 month can digest and absorb substantial amount of rice possibly due to amylases in the saliva and breast milk. Brush border disaccharidases such as glycoamylase are plentiful at birth 43 and are also well preserved during intestinal inflammation compared with other disaccharidases.42 In addition, bacterial fermentation in the colon may contribute an important part in carbohydrate digestion and absorption by converting malabsorbed sugars to hydrogen gas and short chain fatty acids.
I realize this is four years late, but I just want to say you conveniently forgot her other point about iron in iron fortified foods not being as well absorbed, which is true for adults as well. Naturally iron rich foods are a much better option, specifically liver. It doesn’t take but an ounce a week for a baby, and they shouldn’t get more than that, and any anemia issues should disappear. There are other iron rich vegetables, but I notice that leafy greens tend to come out whole in my daughter’s diapers, so, not sure how much is absorbed. Also, breastmilk is only low in iron if the mother is low in iron, so mom’s should work some liver into their diet too. Dieticians and nutritionists are a breastfeeding mother’s worst enemy. They completely ignore all the other amazing benefits of breastmilk for an easily remedied problem of low iron. I realize this post want about breastfeeding, but I hate to see it slighted when many mother’s, including myself, have sacrificed blood, sweat, tears, and sanity to give their growing baby the best. For you, as a medical professional to downgrade it is abhorrent. You should know better than anyone how important mother’s milk, the most natural food in the world for a baby, really is. And instead of teaching women how easy it is to increase their own iron for their milk (i.e. eat more iron rich foods), you give them one more thing to scare them away from breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months, which is the healthiest for mother and child.