Don’t be afraid of flavor.
We often offer super bland foods to babies.
Why?? As your child gets the hang of eating,
sprinkle a little cinnamon on that apple chunk
or some cumin in with their ground meat. Adventurous eating starts early, and the addition
of spices helps.
A happy baby is better at discovery.
We’ve all experienced the symptoms of being hangry, right? Well, so do babies. Don’t
wait for your child to be super hungry to offer
solids. Waiting until partway between feedings
will set them up for a much more relaxed, fun
food experience.
Don’t hope for perfection.
As with all milestones, it takes some children
longer to get the hang of a new skill than
others. If your child is having a hard time
with her pincer grasp, cut the food a little
longer for easier grabbing. If she only
likes to pick up the food and play with it
or apprehensively lick at it, that’s okay.
As long as she’s still getting enough milk
in her system, solids aren’t a big deal. This
often begins as more of a tactile learning
experience for children than a culinary one;
they’ll get the hang of it when they’re ready.
First Foods
• Cooked carrot, sweet potato, potato, butternut squash, pumpkin, zucchini, apple,
broccoli, green beans (with skins removed)
• Slices/chunks of raw, ripe banana, avocado,
peach, pear, melon, strawberries
• Cooked meat or poultry
• Egg yolk
• Whole wheat bread, cooked pasta, brown
rice (although you may want to wait until
molars come in before introducing grains;
wheat is also not recommended until later
in the first year)
What to Avoid
(Generally Common-Sense Items)
• Processed meats
• Raw meats
• Raw eggs
• Raw fish
• Honey
• Unpasteurized milk and milk products
• Unpasteurized juices
• Stimulants (like sugar and chocolate)
• Allergic foods (particularly if there’s a
family history) like gluten, egg whites,
seafood, citrus
• Added sugar or table salt
• Any foods that could pose as a choking
hazard, including but not limited to:
hard candies, chewing gum, popcorn,
marshmallows, nuts/seeds, fish with
bones, hotdogs/sausages, grapes (unless
cut lengthwise)
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