7 First Solid Foods for Your Baby

Most parents plan to introduce solid food to their babies around the 4-6 month mark, which is when the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends taking that step — as long as baby is showing signs of readiness like the ability to sit up assisted and maybe even showing interest in the food you’re eating.

Once upon a time, rice cereal used to be what pediatricians suggested babies begin with, but that’s not necessarily true anymore. As pediatrician Tanya Altman told CNN, there are better sources of zinc and iron out there.

“Best first foods for infants are avocado, pureed veggies, peanut-butter oatmeal and salmon,” Dr. Altmann said. “They all provide important nutrients that babies need, help develop their taste buds to prefer healthy food and may decrease food allergies.”

So what to try first to begin your baby’s solid food journey? Here are some great options:

1. Iron-fortified baby oatmeal mixed with breastmilk or formula, which includes the familiar taste of what they’ve been consuming all along. Bonus: You’re able to control how thick or thin the oatmeal is as baby’s food journey progresses.

Pureed fruit or veggies, jars or homemade, are one of the most traditional and simplest options to start with. Here are a few to try:

2. Avocado, cut into finger sized-pieces that they will be able to pick up and feed themselves.

3. Mashed potatoes, which you can either feed to baby or pre-load a spoon for them to feed themselves.

4. Well-cooked peas, mashed up before feeding are a favorite with babies.

5. Small pieces of mashed banana are an ideal, healthy, first food for your little one.

Some other options:

6. Scrambled eggs, fully cooked. Omelet style and cut into finger-sized pieces is another great option. (Although if there are egg allergies in your family, be sure to consult a pediatrician on this one first.)

7. Pureed meat or poultry can be fed in tiny portions. Remember to keep it bland, without added spices or salt at first.

Start with softer textures and small pieces, and work your way up to finger foods. Introduce one single ingredient food at a time.

“My son’s first foods were peas and sweet potatoes, and my daughter loved avocados and cottage cheese,” mom Michelle K. told Mom.com.

While plenty of parents will go for the more traditional pureed food in jars from brands like Gerber or Beech Nut, others will choose to make the food themselves or do some combination of the two. Making homemade solid food for baby is actually more simple than it sounds; for most veggies and some fruits, all that needs to be done is to steam, boil, or bake the food in question before pureeing it in a blender or food processor to the desired consistency — and thinner is better for babies who are just getting started.

There are also tons of solid food recipes for babies online. For beginners, there are single food recipes from Cooking Light, but when things get a bit more adventurous for your baby, that’s when it’s time to have a bit more fun. This chicken puree recipe is a great place to start when introducing proteins, and this recipe that includes banana, coconut milk, and cinnamon sounds good enough to be an adult dessert.

It’s fun to get creative in the kitchen, but there are also a few foods you should definitely avoid using until your baby is older (or at least 1 year old), like honey, cow’s milk, big chunks of peanut butter that are hard to swallow, and other food choking hazards, like round grapes that haven’t been cut up into small pieces or marshmallows.

And of course, if you have a history of allergies in your family, it’s a good idea to check with your pediatrician before feeding those foods to your baby for the first time, and just in case, there are a few signs you can look out for, like swelling, breathing difficulty, throat tightness, wheezing, and sneezing. A food allergy rash like hives or itchy eczema is also common if there’s an issue.

There’s also a bit of baby constipation solid food can cause, so try giving them small amounts of water or juice or even pureed prunes to help move things along if you think there might be backup going on! And if your baby refuses solid food, take heart: Your baby isn’t the first to be a little hesitant about trying solids. Keep giving it a try each day, and reach out to your pediatrician if you have questions.

Remember that while introducing solid food can be stressful, it can also be a lot of fun, and you can begin building the foundation of a healthy relationship with food for your child. Sure, things might get a little messy, but that’s part of the fun!