What is the best first food for a baby? First food guide.

If you have a baby starting out with weaning soon, you may be wondering:

Which foods should I introduce first to my baby? What is the best first food? What is the best first food for BLW, or the best finger food?

But, there really is no ideal ‘first food’ and anything you read claiming to tell you otherwise is in fact merely making a suggestion on what they perceive to be a good ‘option’ as a first food. This could be based on a particular food possessing a certain texture, nutritional value or some other factor such as being low risk of food allergy.

But, provided you offer the food in a safe way, ensure it is well cooked, and not an obvious choking hazard, then most foods can be made safe to offer a baby starting their weaning journey!

If a food is highlighted as a common choking hazard such as whole nuts, it doesn’t mean your baby cannot have this food, it just means you need to prepare it in a way that minimises this risk for example blending, mashing, chopping or slicing. For example, in the case of whole nuts – I would recommend offering smooth nut butter or ground nuts instead.

Many feeding professionals and weaning guides will instruct you on how to prepare a food safely based on the age and weaning stage of a child. However, all babies are individuals and will develop the skills to feed at different times. It is important that you assess your little one as an individual and progress with feeding at their own pace.

All that said, there are some foods which can provide nutritional and other benefits for babies and would be good to include as first foods for your baby. There are key nutrients which babies need in the first year of life and it is important to include them in your weaning plan.

So what do I recommend? What is the best first food for babies?

I usually recommend a small selection of easy-to-digest vegetables for the first week or so- think ripe avocado, or well cooked and peeled butternut squash or courgette- as these are gentle on little tummies.

Choose ones that your family love, and cook and eat regularly as these are familiar flavours for your baby. Remember that your baby is exposed to flavours from the maternal diet through the amniotic fluid in the womb - and also through breast milk if you are breastfeeding. And some studies have shown that babies actually have a preference for foods that their mother ate during pregnancy and lactation. This is thought to be an early step in the way we signal safe foods in the environment to our babies!

Where to start:

You could try making my avocado, butternut squash, courgette or broccoli first food recipes as a place to start. Check these out and more on the first foods page of my blog.

After your baby has tasted some veggies, perhaps after 1-2 weeks or so, you can begin adding more nutrient-dense foods in small amounts like lentils, meat, chicken, and other sources of iron, protein, healthy fats, and key nutrients your baby needs. A small amount of soft-cooked red lentils added to a veggie puree, or even a meat stock stirred through a purée is a great place to start.

Introducing allergens

When you’re ready, it’s also important to start offering the common allergenic foods- like egg, peanut, and fish- early and regularly. If you’re after a simple, step-by-step plan to guide you through this, check out my Allergen Introduction Plan’: Introducing allergens to your baby’

Laying the foundations for lifelong eating habits

When it comes to helping children eat well in the long term, habit and exposure are everything- and it starts right at the beginning.

I see so many children in my clinic whose parents are battling daily to get their child to eat nutritious foods, and the foods they want their child to eat- are veggies and quality sources of protein like meat and fish. But the earlier we introduce these foods in a positive, consistent way, the less likely they are to become a battleground later on.

Babies who start with real, nutrient-dense foods (like veg and meat) are often more accepting of those flavours and textures over time (the research shows us this!). It can be much harder to adjust to these tastes once a baby is used to mostly processed foods. Let’s be honest—most kids don’t need encouragement to eat bread or pasta, or sweet foods like fruit juices and purees!

Pre-made baby food

I’m a big believer in home-prepared baby food wherever possible- and it doesn’t have to be fancy- but homemade food gives you more control over what you are feeding your baby. A lot of store-bought options just don’t compare nutritionally, even if the front of the pouch says “lamb and peas.” Recent research has shed light on the poor nutritional value of some of these products. My top tip would be to always check the ingredients label- many foods have added sugars and sweeteners, but it is not always obvious. I have written a guide on how to understand the nutrition label of baby food and snacks which you can find on my instagram page.

That said, I know - as a fellow parent- time is tight. So I have also put together some tips for quick easy baby meals and snacks for making baby food simpler, you can read it here

Here are some of my favourite first foods to offer babies:

Avocado

Soft when ripe, but firm enough that baby can practice holding and have a little munch on (perfect for baby-led weaning). If you decide to offer purees it can be easily mashed with a fork (no blender required!) It is a great source of healthy fats and other nutrients, and much higher in energy than other fruits and veggies- which is great for babies

Courgette

I love courgette as a first food for babies, it is super soft and gooey inside when cooked. When roasted is somewhat retains its shape which makes it perfect for babies as a finger food to explore with their hands. You can also mash the roasted courgette quite easily with a fork.

Butternut squash

Butternut squash is one of my favvvvv first foods for babies. It’s an easy to digest root veg that when roasted develops a delicious slightly sweet taste. As a finger food it’s also great when roasted because it retains its shape reasonably well to hold- yet pulls apart easily with your fingers- making it the perfect veggie for your baby to gum on safely. It can also be steamed, but loses its shape more this way, and doesn’t have the same complex flavour.

You can also check out my guide to the first week here. After the first week or so, I like to offer:

Fish

Salmon chunks are great for baby-led weaning (ideally fresh water or wild caught- although this usually more expensive) or a white flaky fish like cod. I love salmon because its a great source of omega-3 fats, and high quality protein, it is also nutrient dense and contains other key nutrients like selenium and iodine. Salmon is also low in mercury, especially if wild caught or fresh water- making it safer for babies and young children

Egg

Offer the yolk first then the whole egg and watch for any allergic reactions

Egg yolks are a nutritional powerhouse, high in protein, iron, choline and B12.

Compared to egg white, the yolk is lower in allergenic proteins, so it’s often recommended to start with just the yolk when first introducing eggs. Although current guidance from a food allergen perspective is to offer the whole egg early - so once your baby is tolerating the yolk, add the white in early to help build tolerance to the whole egg.

Peanut

Smooth, unsalted and unsweetened peanut butter or ground peanuts stirred through a veggie puree. Peanuts are high in nutrient- dense healthy fats, protein and essential minerals like magnesium, zinc and iron, they are contain fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin E important for skin and immunity. They are also a common allergen and have some of the best evidence that early exposure leads to tolerance development.

Meat puree

Tender meats like chicken or slow-cooked red meat, which can be blended or mashed. You can also offer meat stocks and juices, and stir these through other purees you are offering. Chicken is high in iron, especially the darker thigh meats, or chicken livers. Iron is essential for brain development, immunity and growth in babies and is super important to get in early on during weaning.

Slow cooked lamb shoulder or leg puree or minced beef puree are also good options are they are tender and blend well. Red meats are particularly high in iron.

Allergens

Be mindful of the common allergenic foods such as egg, peanut, and fish, start by offering small amounts, and make sure you observe your baby closely for at least 2 hours after the first few exposures, and check out my structured approach to introducing allergens here.

Those first few tastes

Pick one veggie each day and offer a small taste. Choose a time of day when your baby is most relaxed and happy. I would recommend not offering tastes straight after a milk feed as your baby may feel very full and not as excited about trying a new food. But saying that, you also don’t want an over tired or over hungry baby either. Try to find a time in the middle of a wake window which isn’t too close to their next feed (if possible!).

If you are starting with purées I would recommend starting to offer more textured food quite soon after- like soft veggies which have been chopped or mashed instead of pureed, or offering a puree recipe along side a finger food option.

Not everyone feels confident with finger foods, but provided you offer them in a safe way these foods can help babies to practice chewing which aids oral motor development. We also know babies have a strong protective gag reflex which helps them to manage solid foods safely. Babies who are fed finger foods regularly from early on during weaning are less likely to choke on them later than babies fed just purées at the start. But- as a mum myself I know how worrying anything baby related can feel at times so go at your own pace and do what feels right for you and your baby at the time.

How to make finger foods safe

First finger foods offered to babies 6 months+ (and showing all the developmental signs of readiness) should meet the happy feeding company’s ‘Finger Food 5’. Read my post on making finger foods safe here.

Worried about finger foods?

If you’ve got a baby coming up to weaning age and you’re worried about giving finger foods to your little one, or perhaps you’ve already started and your on the puree stage, how do you take it to the next step? Check out my post on getting started with finger foods here.

Get my complete guide to the first week

CHECK OUT MY FULL PLAN for the first week here.

What is the best first food for a baby?