How to introduce first foods to your baby

Starting solids is one of the most fun (and messy!) milestones of your baby’s first year. Find out when to introduce food to baby, which foods to begin with, and how to get started.

You baby's very first foods: breast milk and formula

The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends exclusive breastfeeding until your baby is six months old. Babies who only have breast milk will need to be given vitamin D. If breastfeeding isn’t an option, a store-bought iron-fortified infant formula will provide your baby with the nutrition they need. After six months, breast milk and formula alone don't provide your baby with enough nutrients, so other foods are needed too. Starting any earlier than six months is not advised, because your baby’s gut is not going to be able to digest foods just yet.

As well as your baby’s age, be sure to factor in other signs that they might be ready to try solids, such as holding their head steady, sitting without support and mouthing hands or toys. If your baby isn’t yet 6 months, but you think they are ready, talk to your baby’s doctor. This is even more important if your baby was born pre-term.

First solid foods to offer your baby

Health Canada suggests that you start with iron-rich foods. The best first foods for baby include puréed or minced cooked meat, tofu, lentils, and fortified baby cereal. From there, your options are endless. Some people swear by bland food so their baby is not tackling taste and texture at the same time. Others spice their baby food right from the start.

And then there's the question of texture. One of the first things your baby must learn when you are introducing solids is how to swallow "non-liquid" food. One common way to help them with this is to offer first foods for baby that are very runny, which tends to be cooked food that is puréed with some breast milk, formula or water.

Try foods either cold or warm, and prepared in a few ways, before making the call that your baby does not like something. It may be that they lik green beans cold and pureed, but prefer peas warm and lumpy.

You can mix foods up or serve them alone. 

Even though there are a lot of ways to start your baby on solids, there are some set recommendations on which foods to offer your new eater.

Iron-rich baby foods recommended by the Canadian Paediatric Society include:

• iron-fortified single grain infant cereal, including rice, barley, and oatmeal
• meat, chicken, cooked egg yolk, well-cooked legumes like lentils and chickpeas

Some great beginner fruit and veg includes:

• purées of cooked sweet potato, butternut squash, carrots, peas, green beans, ripe (raw) avocado
• purées of fruits, such as ripe cooked apple, pear, mango, and mashed banana (raw)

The next stage: mashed, minced and lumpy

Once your baby is doing well with their first foods, slowly move them toward a more varied diet. Start to make the food a little bit thicker. Offer them some mashed or minced food that contains a few soft lumps. You can offer most of the foods your family eats, although there are some foods to avoid during the first year.

Here are some foods you might like to try next:

• A wider range of starchy foods, like bread, couscous, pasta, baby breadsticks, breakfast cereals, oats, cornmeal, potatoes, rice and millet.
• Water from a cup, when your baby is thirsty, as well as their daily breast milk or formula. The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends not giving juice to babies and young children. That’s because it can displace other foods that have vital nutrients, cause diarrhea, and lead to tooth decay.
• Nut butters are a good option, but if your baby is at higher risk of an allergy (if they already have eczema, or a parent or sibling has an allergy, for example), then talk to your doctor or a dietitian first. Give them foods that are common allergens, like eggs and nut butters, in small amounts and just one at a time. Use unsalted smooth versions of nut butter, or make your own. Spread itthinly on toast or crackers.
• Full fat dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese. Although you should wait until at least nine months or even a year to start them on cow's (or goat's or sheep's) milk as a drink (and even then, no more than 750 ml per day so it doesn’t fill them up), it can be used in cooking or in your baby's breakfast cereal before then. Many moms make a cheese sauce to add to veggies or pasta. Fat is a vital part of a baby's diet so be sure to offer full fat dairy products.

Finger foods for your baby

Meals will start to follow an adult-like pattern of two to three meals a day along with one or two snacks and breast milk or formula. Once your baby can handle lumpy foods well, start to offer them food that is chopped, so that they can grasp it with their fingers.
Some good starter finger foods include:

• Cooked green beans or carrots
• Cubes of cheese
• Slices of banana or soft pear

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Check out these recipes for first foods for baby.