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Starting Solids: Nutrient Dense Real Food for Babies

Are you a mama or parent who’s a fan of real food?

Is your baby nearing the age where you’re thinking about starting solids?

Are you wondering what the best first foods for baby might be?

Do you question the norm of starting solids with rice cereal and instead want to try nutrient dense, real food for baby?

Great! This super detailed (and hopefully not-too-research-y) post is for you.

Starting Solids: Nutrient Dense Real Food for Babies

Ever since I released Real Food for Pregnancy, I’ve been asked about my thoughts on the best approach for starting solids.

Let me start by saying I do not believe there is a single best approach for starting solids with babies.

Just like everything in parenting, people tend to become very dogmatic about what will/should work for all babies.

Spoiler: There is no ONE best approach that will work for all babies and all families.

As I write this post, my second is nearing the age where we will be starting solids, so this topic is certainly relevant for me. I’ll be sharing about my experience with introducing solid foods with my son, what I learned, and what I plan to do this round.

Notice I say “what I plan to do this round” rather than “what I’m going to do.”

Like all things in parenting, we need to read our babies and adjust our approach for the child in front of us, NOT the unicorn baby described in a baby book. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that my plans will probably, somehow, inevitably get thrown for a loop.

TL/DR: Take everything you read here with a grain of salt!

Timing of Starting Solids with Babies

The official recommended age for introducing solid foods varies based on the source. Some say 4 months, but most say 6 months. A comprehensive 2019 review on the timing of introduction of solid foods reaffirmed that 6 months is ideal. I also personally aim for 6 months.

The rationale is that babies should be getting all of their nutrition from breast milk (or formula, if breast milk is not available) early in life. Breast milk is the most nutrient-dense source of nutrition for a baby, providing all macronutrient, micronutrient, and fluid/electrolyte needs in a one stop shop.

Until approximately 6 months of age, their digestive system isn’t well suited to break down solids. Their microbiome needs time to get established first. This is not only key for long term digestive health, but also the health of their immune system as a whole (most of the immune system is located in the gut).

Breast milk is also free of pathogens, whereas solid foods introduce the possibility of food borne illness. Infants who start solids at 6 months versus earlier (such as 3 or 4 months) have significantly lower rates of gastrointestinal infections.

Another reason waiting until 6 months is recommended is that it often (though not always) coincides with a time when baby requires higher amounts of some nutrients for optimal growth, meaning they nutritionally would benefit from breast milk AND some solids. The two major nutrients in question are iron and zinc (more on this later).

Look for Signs of Readiness, Not Just Age

A lot of people get really hung up on the exact age when baby should be eating solids, but you want to introduce solid foods when your baby is ready for them, not when a book tells you.

When you’re in the ballpark of 6-ish months, look for “signs of readiness.” These are signs that your baby is developmentally ready and able to safely start solids.

Typical signs of readiness for starting solid foods are when baby is:

  • Sitting up well without support or with minimal support
  • Ready to chew (you may notice them “teething” on toys or hands/fingers; no, they don’t need to have any teeth before you begin solids)
  • Starting to use a “pincer” grasp with toys/objects (this is when they pick up objects between thumb and forefinger, like you would do when zipping up a zipper) 
  • Showing interest in meals (such as trying to grab food from your plate) 

This is not just conjecture, but backed by science:

“The key signals that caregivers should pay attention to are the infant’s ability to sit with little or no help; to munch/chew and swallow soft, solid foods; to have lost the extrusion reflex (the projection of food from the mouth); and to demonstrate interest in food. Achieving these developmental milestones strongly correlates with the maturation of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, and immune system required to benefit from introducing complementary foods.”Advances in Nutrition, 2019

There is no single “Best First Food”

Some parents can get rather obsessive about needing to start with THE perfect first food. The way I hear people talk about it is so stressful, like if you choose the wrong thing, your baby will develop terrible eating habits for life or have an allergic reaction or become malnourished or, or, or…

STOP.

Think First FOODS Instead.

This might surprise you, but I don’t even remember the first food I gave my son. And that was only ~3 years ago. It was either a blackberry he grabbed off the bush when I wasn’t looking or a bite of salmon from our dinner. Or maybe it was egg yolk? Or was it liver pate? Seriously. I don’t know.

And now as an older toddler, he pretty much eats #allthethings.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t give any thought into what his first foods would be. I definitely wanted to introduce nutrient-dense, real food to him as a baby. And you want to be sure the items you offer are a safe size/shape/texture for baby, but you don’t need to stress so much about THE perfect first bite.

Scroll down for more info on what foods/nutrients/flavors I was interested in introducing early and which ones I put less emphasis on.

Baby-Led Weaning vs. Purees

The second question that comes up frequently is whether or not you should do standard weaning or baby-led weaning.

Standard weaning means starting with purees, which are spoon-fed by the parent/care provider. Some also call this “parent-led weaning” or “traditional weaning.” First foods when following this approach could be infant rice cereal, which is a common recommendation from pediatricians, or it could be other pureed baby food (homemade or store-bought).

Baby-led weaning, commonly referred to with the acronym BLW, is when babies are offered developmentally appropriate table foods right from the start of solids. In BLW, infants pick up and self-feed. The BLW movement started gaining traction in the early 2000’s and has now become quite common as an alternative to traditional weaning.

With definitions aside, I want to again reiterate that I do not think there is one right way to introduce foods to your baby.

A note on infant rice cereal

If you opt for standard weaning, I would urge you to consider using whole food purees instead of rice cereal (or other infant cereals, like baby oatmeal). The rationale for using rice cereal is that it is fortified with iron and is an unlikely allergen. That’s it.

Guess what? A whole food source of iron that is also unlikely to be allergenic exists: MEAT.

The heme iron in meat is also far better absorbed and easier on the gut than the ferrous fumarate used in most commercial cereals. Plus, meat also provides zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, vitamin A, and numerous other nutrients that work in synergy to promote baby’s growth.

The guidelines for starting solids in many countries encourage meat as THE first food. We even got a pamphlet in the mail from our state that listed puree meat above iron-fortified infant cereal. Hooray for real food making a comeback!

Now, back to the BLW debate…

Why I’m Not a BLW Purist

When I started solids with my son, I was pretty gung-ho about choosing baby led weaning. I liked the fact that I could offer table foods (aka real food) and give him autonomy over his eating habits, which seemed like it would promote more mindful eating behaviors long term.

For many reasons, I still like BLW and we will be doing a good amount of this method with our daughter when we start solids in the near future.

However, we ultimately found that doing strict BLW 100% of the time did not work for our family. In the end, we probably did about 80-90% BLW and 10-20% purees. 

Why we didn’t do strict BLW

First of all, my son’s personality is part of it. He is very meticulous. He does NOT like making a mess with his food. I have a total of one photo of him with food smeared all over his face from his entire life (he’s almost 4 at the time of writing). At his 1 year birthday party, he picked off individual berries from his banana bread birthday cake and ate them one by one. No smashing. No mess.

To this day, he does not like having dirty hands, having food on his face, or having either his hands or face wiped down (though, as an older toddler, he now enjoys using his utensils and using a napkin to wipe his hands/face after meals). He especially did not like baths. It was not a matter of lacking the motor control or pincer grasp to feed himself; he was well ahead on those milestones. He just didn’t like the mess! And no, he doesn’t have a sensory processing issue of any kind; it’s just his personality. 

So was it worth it for me to force him to self-feed messy foods and then force a bath multiple times a day? HELL NO.

As a parent, you have to parent the child in front of you, not the imaginary one described in a baby book and you have to make the most practical choice for your family. We still did a significant amount of baby led weaning, but ultimately, we also incorporated some purees, especially for really messy foods, specific nutrient-dense foods, and some that he just wasn’t ready to self-feed (but that I wanted to incorporate, like soups made with bone broth).

I’ve seen some ranty posts from BLW experts suggesting that unless you’re doing 100% baby led weaning, then it “doesn’t count” and you shouldn’t call it BLW. All I can say is… way to be supportive! (sarcasm)

Honestly, call it whatever you want. I do like the fact that BLW helped him further develop self efficacy, motor skills, etc… but there are other ways to develop those skills beyond self-feeding (hello: toys, free movement time on the floor, etc.).

The other thing that bugged me about BLW was that it can be restrictive in terms of the items you can safely offer to a young infant. I really wanted to offer as much variety as possible (especially in terms of flavors/nutrient sources), but you’re much more limited when you have to consider the texture (how long to cook it), the shape of the object, etc. This gets easier as the baby gets older and you can offer small cubes of food, but in the beginning, it can be cumbersome. 

Again, this is just personal preference and what I mentally had the bandwidth to do at the time. Some people feel the opposite about BLW and there’s room for ALL WAYS OF INTRODUCING SOLIDS TO BABIES.

By incorporating some purees and some spoon feeding, I was able to offer a wider array of vegetables, liver pate, homemade custard, curries, and so much more. Often, when we’d make a large batch of something at dinner, I’d set aside a ½ cup portion and puree with an immersion blender, then freeze any leftovers into ice cube trays (labelled so I could remember what I made). Or sometimes, I’d just mash it with my fork at the table. This made it ridiculously easy to cobble together a “baby meal” on days when our meals were not 100% baby-friendly textures or flavors (for example, we learned that he does not like spicy foods and still does not to this day).

It was also helpful to have purees as an option when we had a babysitter over. I could defrost several “baby food ice cubes” instead of worry that the sitter might not know the signs of gagging vs. choking, or give the wrong foods, etc.

It just made life easier to have purees as an option. For example, if I had some roasted sweet potato “fries” and avocado as finger foods, I could “round out” the meal with a few bites of liver pate or some slow cooked meat that I had smashed up with my fork so we checked the box for protein and iron.

Store-bought purees: We also kept Serenity Kids pouches on hand. These are shelf-stable and made with grass-fed/pasture-raised meats, good quality fats (avocado or olive oil), and vegetables, so they check all the boxes for a nutritionally complete option for babies. I would keep 1-2 in the diaper bag at any time in case I did not or could not bring a homemade option. Check them out there and save on your first order with code LILY15 *affiliatelink) They also have puffs made with high-quality ingredients that are super convenient for travel or car rides.

Honestly, starting solids is really about finding a method that works for your family and is nutritionally sound.

What the Research Says About Baby Led Weaning

What I’ve written so far is 100% my opinion based on my experience with my son. In other words, this is my anecdotal n=1. Your experience may be entirely different.

So, I dug into the research a bit on baby led weaning to see what the science says from a much larger pool of infants and parents. I also reviewed the original book and cookbook on BLW written by Gill Rapley, so I could cross check whether the science supports the claims in the book.

Baby led weaning is championed as a better approach for introducing solids, but is it really?

Cross-sectional surveys from the UK and New Zealand have found that when compared to parent-led weaning, BLW is associated with less fussiness around food and better satiety regulation, just as the original baby led weaning book claims. However, as of 2020, there’s only one randomised control trial on BLW, which did not find any significant differences between BLW and control groups. Now, some BLW experts have qualms with this study, but no study is perfect.

It’s been suggested that eating behaviors in children, including satiety responsiveness and self-regulation, are probably related more to parental traits and feeding style rather than a matter of BLW vs. purees. In other words, parents who opt for BLW probably also parent differently and themselves have a less controlling relationship with food.

This hypothesis was reaffirmed in a 2019 study which sought to provide “an estimation of the size of the difference between the solid feeding practices groups for a variety of practices consistent with the development of healthy food preferences and behaviours.” In essence, they wanted to quantify just how much better BLW was when compared to parent-led weaning. Below is more information on that study.

A total of 565 participants with infants aged 12-36 months old completed a survey on parental feeding styles, parental feeding practices, sources of information on feeding and toddler’s eating behaviour. Participants were categorised into four groups reflecting the level of infant self-feeding at 1 month after the introduction of solid food: 

  • Strict parent-led weaning
  • Predominant parent-led weaning
  • Predominant BLW
  • Strict BLW

They explain the groupings as follows:

“To categorise weaning styles, participants were not asked directly whether they followed PLW or BLW practices, removing the potential for differences in interpretation. Instead, using a sliding scale from 0% of the time to 100% of the time, they estimated the portion of time their child fed themselves at one month after the introduction of solid foods. Participants were subsequently grouped into four categories; strict BLW (self-feeding 90% or more of the time); predominant BLW (self-feeding between 51% and 90% of the time); predominant PLW (self-feeding between 10% and 50% of the time) and strict PLW (self-feeding less than 10% of the time).

Participants were split fairly evenly between the four groups. By grouping in this way, the researchers sought to look at “the whole spectrum of complementary feeding methods, from strict BLW to strict PLW, to allow a more inclusive categorisation than previous studies that focused largely on strict BLW.”

In my opinion, this also is a better representation of real life, as most parents that I know who followed BLW did not do it 100% of the time.

Overall, this study found that strict BLW is linked to:

  • Parents exerting significantly less control over their toddler’s eating (including less encouragement in order to increase food consumption)
  • More shared mealtimes (including more times eating the same meal with their children)
  • Later introduction of solid foods compared to all other groups
  • Greater likelihood of offering foods other than baby cereal as a first food
  • Infants receiving more flavor variety, vegetables, and mixed meals
  • Significantly lower level of food fussiness and more food enjoyment for the toddlers who were allowed to self-feed most of the time in comparison to mainly spoon fed toddlers

This is all very promising, however the study authors caution:

“When it comes to toddlers’ eating behaviour and the family food environment, although some differences were statistically significant, the effect sizes were very small. Considering the long-lasting impact of food preferences developed at this stage along with the stress surrounding infant feeding decisions, it is crucial that the complementary feeding advice parents receive reflects realistic expectations of the outcomes regarding the effects on eating behaviour.”

Moreover, many of the claimed benefits of BLW seem to reflect parenting styles:

“We revealed that mothers who are following a BLW approach are not only less controlling around feeding, but also used significantly less instrumental and emotional feeding. These behaviours are in line with a more responsive pattern of feeding that promotes reliance on internal cues (e.g. hunger) than external cues (e.g. eating as a response to an emotion or a reward) for appetite control. Previous studies have demonstrated that adopting some of the characteristics of parents following a, typically less responsive, PLW approach, such as feeding children in the absence of hunger, in response to specific emotions and encouraging them to consume larger amounts of food than desired, can jeopardize appetite regulation by teaching the child to ignore internal signs of satiety in the presence of food or in response to specific emotions.”

All this to say that YES, baby led weaning is linked to benefits, however many of these benefits are probably a reflection of the parents that naturally choose baby led weaning. This is a really tricky confounding variable to tease out without more randomized controlled trials where parents are randomly assigned to different methods of introducing solids to baby.

One of the big misconceptions I see in the baby feeding world is that spoon feeding is equated with force feeding.

Repeat after me: Spoon Feeding Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Force Feeding

You can still take a responsive feeding approach to introducing solids if you’re spoon feeding. This can be more challenging for some people, however, because you really need to have your undivided attention on your baby to watch for signs of hunger/fullness, enjoyment, etc. when offering bites of food. This is probably why so many parents who are on baby #2, 3, 4 and beyond move more in the direction of baby led weaning. There simply isn’t TIME to sit with baby and spoon feed every bite!

You can also take a mixed approach if you’re offering foods on a spoon. For example, thicker purees can stick to a spoon (think: pate), which you can then offer to baby to self-feed.

Is Baby Led Weaning Better at Meeting the Nutritional Needs of Baby?

There has been mixed evidence on whether BLW might present nutritional advantages or challenges for babies. One cross sectional study found that iron intake among BLW infants was less than half the level compared to babies who were fed purees. 

However, the only randomized controlled trial of BLW vs. purees looking at risk factors for low iron intake found no difference between anemia or markers of iron stores between the two groups (of note, the BLW group had received education around iron-rich foods).

In the survey study I highlighted earlier in this article, I found it worrisome that the first food offered to babies was very rarely meat in any of the groups, whether parent-led or baby-led weaning. It was most commonly vegetables and fruit in the BLW groups (the parent-led weaning group most often started with infant cereal). If we’re concerned about iron intake in infants, this is an area for improvement among BLW education for sure.

Other research has suggested that BLW might not be ideal for families who do not otherwise have well-balanced nutrition. This is a no-brainer. 

If the family is eating boxed mac & cheese, then baby will eat boxed mac & cheese, right? In this situation, it would probably be nutritionally better for baby to have purees (and if there’s no time to make homemade, a store bought puree would make sense for this family). Like all things, context matters. Table foods are only healthier for baby if the foods served at the table are healthy to begin with.  

Research reiterates this concern:

“It has been argued that the reliance on BLW may expose infants to higher levels of fat, sugar and salt and lower levels of vitamins and minerals than those in typically prepared infant foods if the family diet is not well balanced, although the evidence is still mostly conflicting.” — Appetite, 2019

Flavor Window

On the plus side, the higher introduction to vegetables and diverse flavors in those who follow BLW bodes well for children’s taste preferences long term. That’s because research has shown that there’s a critical window of flavor acceptance between 5-7 months of age.

Overall, although preference for sweet and salty is higher than sour and bitter during the first year, research notes that between 5-7 months, babies will equally accept sweet, salty, umami, sour and bitter tastes. 

This means, regardless of feeding choices (BLW vs. purees), you really want to introduce complex flavors early in life, such as bitter (think green vegetables) and sour (think lemon, raspberries, fermented foods, etc.).

This is confirmed in studies that show vegetable introduction in the early weaning period correlate with higher vegetable consumption later in childhood.

Texture Window

Similarly, introducing a variety of food textures is beneficial. Research shows that including complex textures in baby’s diet (at around 10 months of age at minimum) is linked to greater acceptance of different textures of food later on and less likelihood of food fussiness or other feeding problems later in childhood.

BLW builds in many textures by default. This is a definite win. If you’re opting for purees, you want to be sure to advance the texture of the foods offered over time. By 10-11 months of age, it doesn’t really matter how you introduced the first bites of food. All babies at that age should be getting age-appropriate finger foods and complex textures.

There is no right/wrong way for starting solids. BLW isn’t better; it’s an option

When I first posted on Instagram that I would be writing this post, readers sent in questions (many of which are addressed later in this post). My heart sunk when someone wrote “Will I ruin baby’s eating habits if I start with (homemade) purees rather than BLW?” The answer to that is a hard NO. 

Suffice to say, #youdoyou when it comes to introducing solid foods to your baby. The research is still mixed and ultimately, it comes down to personal preference.

There’s one common thread, though…

Virtually all research highlights the importance of responsive feeding. This means observing and responding to baby’s cues when eating. Responsive feeding is definitely possible with purees and it’s essentially built-in with baby led weaning.

Regardless of your final choices, the below considerations on first foods will help you when choosing how to start solids with your baby from a real food perspective.

Considerations When Choosing the Best First Foods for Baby

1. Appropriate shape/size and texture for baby (safety first)

With baby-led weaning, you want to start with foods that are approximately the size/shape of an adult finger, so baby can easily pick up the food and bring to their mouth. 

Think:

  • a strip of steak (cut with the grain; baby will gum and suck the juice out but won’t be able to get a chunk of actual meat off)
  • a soft-cooked broccoli floret
  • a spear of cooked asparagus
  • a slice of avocado (leaving a chunk of skin on helps them grasp it)

Offer foods that are cooked soft enough that you can smush it against the roof of your mouth (an indication that baby will be able to use their gums to safely consume it). 

You can also offer firm finger-shaped foods that baby can grasp and teethe/suck/gum on (i.e. a slice of raw bell pepper). These foods are more about flavor exposure and the motor skills aspect than nutrition.

As they get older and their pincer grasp improves, you can slowly decrease the size of the food morsels to smaller bites.

If choosing purees, the main safety concern is to avoid very sticky purees (think nut butters), which can pose a choking hazard. I’d highly recommend a meat-based puree to provide iron. Thin to the appropriate texture with breast milk, formula, or water.

2. Nutrient-dense

As mentioned earlier, the two nutritional advantages of starting solids around 6 months are to provide additional iron and zinc. These are best provided by meat.

One of my favorite first foods for baby is liver pate. For a baby brand new to food, I do a variation on my grass-fed beef liver pate with just liver, coconut oil, a tiny pinch of sea salt, and water or breast milk (you could also just do cooked pureed liver if you prefer). This is off-the-charts high in both iron and zinc as well as choline, B12, folate, selenium, and so much more.

Make a batch once, freeze into ice cube trays, then offer 1-2 cubes of liver pate over the course of the week. It’s an easy peasy way to meet many nutritional needs of baby. 

If you opt for BLW, you could probably do soft-cooked chunks of chicken liver. Personally, I opted for the pate route. You can offer a small bite on a spoon for baby to self-feed or you can spoon feed them yourself.

Another extremely iron-rich and zinc-rich option is canned oysters. They are a soft texture perfect for baby. Since shellfish is a common allergen, I personally wait until I have introduced some other foods first before adding this (more on allergies below). Crown Prince has one version that is canned in olive oil. 

3. Variety of Flavors 

One of my personal goals with introducing solids is to expose baby to as many flavors in the first year as I can. I think many people try to push quantity instead, but we have to remember that baby will still be getting the majority of their nutrition and calories from breast milk (or formula). Plus, their tummies are tiny!

With that said, if all is going well with solid food introduction (meaning no adverse reactions with baby), I personally opt for introducing a new food every day instead of the other common practice, which is to wait 3-4 days between introducing new foods. This is in line with BLW recommendations. If in doubt, ask for your healthcare providers recommendations. I wish I could offer more evidence-based guidance here, but I was unable to find studies on the ideal time to wait between introducing new foods.

My rationale for one food a day is that the more flavors introduced at a young age, the greater the chance that the child will accept a variety of flavors later in life (see research above on the flavor window). You’ll still probably run into picky eating phases in toddlerhood, but as they outgrow those, you’ll have a more adventurous eater on your hand. I’ve seen this firsthand with my son (see this post on real food for toddlers).

For this reason, I tend to lead with pretty complex flavors and disagree with the notion that babies should have bland foods. For example, with my son, I introduced liver pate, a variety of curries (Indian, Thai, etc.), bitter vegetables (cooked, pureed greens as well as finger foods, like cooked broccoli raab and even raw kale stems to teethe on), sour flavors (like grapefruit or plain yogurt), seafood (both fish and shellfish), non-sweet vegetables (i.e. asparagus vs. sweet potato), etc.

Research affirms that starting with vegetables is linked to greater acceptance of vegetables later on: 

“These findings confirm that at the first exposure fruit acceptance is higher than vegetable acceptance. Weaning with vegetables, but not with fruits, may promote vegetable acceptance in infants.” (Food Quality & Preference, 2013)

I personally DO NOT push a lot of fruit to young babies. They’re getting plenty of sweet exposure via breast milk and will naturally always love fruit. You don’t have to try to get your kids to eat enough carbs, believe me. My goal is to introduce the challenging flavors first. 

4. Let Baby Lead: Responsive Feeding

Some people think that if you don’t opt for baby led weaning, then baby doesn’t get a say in what/how they eat. I disagree. It’s very much possible to honor/respond to your baby’s cues, as previously discussed.

Whether you opt for baby led weaning or purees, choose responsive feeding. Do not try to coax the spoon into your baby’s mouth. 

For example, when we offered purees/soup or any items by a utensil to my son, he would show me he was ready by leaning forward with his mouth open. When he got older and could use baby sign language, he could also sign for “more.” We would also verbally ask “do you want more?” before offering another bite.

Even with BLW, we noticed that he didn’t like having too many items on his plate at once, so we responded by offering fewer items at first and providing seconds if/when he showed interest. All kids are different!

5. Allergens

The official recommendations on introducing potentially allergenic foods to baby has done a complete 180 in the past 15 or so years.

Previously, it was recommended that infants avoid common allergens, like milk, egg, and peanut until they reached a certain age (worldwide, this ranged from allergen avoidance for 1-3 years of age).

However, following new research showing that early allergen exposure might actually be protective against food allergies, these recommendations were revised.  

Researchers explain:

“Avoidance of a specific food (such as egg or peanut) does not provide the child with the usual gastrointestinal exposure for achieving oral tolerance and thus may increase the risk of food allergy, regardless of whether the infant is still exposed to food allergen(s) in the environment and is sensitized via the skin.” — Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, 2019

There is still a lot of debate on the optimal timing of allergen exposure for babies. We have the MOST data on eggs and peanuts in particular whereas data for all other allergens is significantly lacking.

Peanuts
With peanuts, some allergists are suggesting exposure as early as 4 months, while others suggest waiting until at least 6 months as you would with all solids.

In the LEAP study, for example, 640 infants aged 4-10 months old with severe eczema, egg allergy, or both were studied in regards to peanut allergy. The infants were assigned to consume or avoid peanuts until 5 years of age. This study found that among the infants who initially had negative results on the skin prick test (530 infants in total), the rates of peanut allergy at 5 years of age was 13.7% in the group that avoided peanut exposure but only 1.9% in the group that consumed peanuts in infancy.

In other words, early peanut exposure was associated with a significantly lower risk of peanut allergy. This finding has been confirmed in numerous studies as well as systematic reviews of clinical trials. 

Eggs
Similar data exists for eggs; most studies support early introduction of eggs. However the type of egg that is used for exposure differs significantly in studies. For example, some studies use raw egg protein, which is much more allergenic than cooked egg protein. Moreover, most parents are not introducing raw eggs to babies, but instead introducing cooked eggs.

What I found interesting from these studies was that the amount of egg required to “count” as an exposure was surprisingly tiny—as little as 2 grams! For reference a “large” egg weighs 50 grams.

Since the greater the serving size, the greater the allergen exposure, and the higher likelihood of a reaction, it seems wise to introduce a small amount of egg to baby for the first few times. The yolk is also less allergenic than the white, so it makes sense to start with egg yolk only, though this is still up for debate in the research.

Other Allergens
The top 8 allergens are:

  • Eggs
  • Peanuts
  • Milk
  • Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts)
  • Fish (such as bass, cod, flounder)
  • Shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp)
  • Soy
  • Wheat

These account for an estimated 90 percent of allergic reactions. To date, research on early introduction of allergens beyond eggs and peanuts is lacking. 

One of the few high quality studies we have on the topic is the EAT study. This study looked at early introduction of 6 allergenic foods into the diets of breastfed infants starting with yogurt at age 3 months. By 5 months of age, they introduced sesame, fish, wheat, peanut, and egg.

Ultimately, no benefit was seen for milk, sesame, wheat, or fish. They did, however, show that peanut and egg introduction early on was linked to a lower risk of allergies.

Research is Ongoing with Food Allergen Introduction for Babies

Ultimately, research is ongoing in this area, so I won’t be surprised if the recommendations evolve over time. 

I think this summary from a food allergy researcher says it best:

“The“optimal” window for introduction of complementary foods for allergy prevention remains highly debated. However, to start complementary foods before 3 to 4 months of age may increase the risk of allergic disease. At that age, the gut is more permeable, and gastrointestinal colonization is not yet well established. Consequently, many international infant feeding guidelines for allergy prevention recommend introduction of any solid food after 4 months of age. In addition, the current recommendation should take into account other pivotal aspects such as the infant’s developmental readiness, nutritional needs, parental opinion/needs, and the risk for developing very selective eating habits. In summary, there are still many open issues to be clarified (eg, age of introduction, type of population, type of food, raw or heated allergen, and amount of allergen) before recommendations for food allergy prevention based on introduction earlier than 4 months become applicable for a public health strategy. Based on the current avail-able evidence, we recommend introducing complementary foods from 4 to 6 months of age according to standard local practices and the needs of the infant, irrespective of atopic heredity, until more data on safety and preventive efficacy in introducing before the age of 4 months of age are available. This is the bottom-line common-sense approach suggested by the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) (“When your infant is ready, introduce foods according to what the family eats, regardless of whether the food is considered to be a common food allergen”), inline with the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology guidelines.” — Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, 2019

How We Handled Allergens

When I announced that I would be writing this post, a lot of people asked that I share how we personally handled allergen introduction with my first kiddo. With so much new research on this topic and conflicting opinions from other parents, it’s hard to know what to do.

Disclaimer: I share the following to give you an example of how we handled it, not to say that it’s the “right” or only way. 

With my son, we chose to introduce most allergens between 6-12 months of age. He didn’t have any reactions and does not have any food allergies. Of note, food allergies also do not run in our family and he has a healthy microbiome (vaginal birth, I had no antibiotics in pregnancy/labor, he’s never had antibiotics, exclusive breastfeeding x6 months and continued past 2 years of age).

Eggs: We opted to introduce eggs fairly early, starting with egg yolks, given their incredible nutrient density. We source eggs from pasture-raised chickens. He’s never had a reaction.

Dairy: We opted for yogurt to introduce dairy (as well as butter). Yogurt is fermented and therefore easier on the gut. We later moved on to cheese, then finally milk. Milk did not become a regular part of his diet until we fully weaned from breastfeeding, which was after the age of 2. All of the dairy we consume is full fat, organic, and from grass-fed/pasture-raised cows.

Wheat: We opted for organic whole wheat sourdough that is traditionally fermented (i.e. no added yeast is used) to introduce wheat around 10 months. Traditional fermentation reduces anti-nutrients that irritate the gut, like phytic acid. We personally don’t consume much wheat in our household beyond this, so I don’t recall when he was introduced to other sources of wheat, but he’s never had a reaction to it in any form.

Peanuts: We smeared a tiny bit of creamy organic peanut butter on a piece of banana around 8-10 months (I can’t recall the exact timing). He’s gone through several phases of loving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and has never had a reaction.

Fish/Shellfish: We opted to introduce fish and shellfish within the first month of starting solids. He had no reaction and he really enjoys his sardines, oysters, salmon, etc. to this day.

For the rest of the allergens, I can’t recall specifically when/how we introduced them, but again, no reactions.

Final Note On Allergens
Remember that exposure to allergens needs to happen several times before you can rule out an adverse reaction. Also remember that the quantity of food required to “count” as an exposure is very tiny. A small bite counts. You don’t have to force feed the baby a whole egg!

For potentially allergenic foods, it’s generally recommended to wait at least 3 days before introducing another potential allergen. If you’re unsure, ask your healthcare professional for their opinion.

Common Questions About Starting Solids with Baby

How much food do I offer? And how often?

At first you only need to offer 1 “meal” a day, which will likely only be a few bites of food (maybe 1-2 Tbsp total). Over time and following their lead, they’ll gradually want to eat larger quantities and to eat more often. Remember to always offer breast milk (or formula) first, as this is still their primary source of nutrition.

What are the best nutrient dense first foods for baby?

I like that you used the words “first foods” over first food. To reiterate some key points, I like to introduce foods that provide ample nutrients for baby’s growing brain (iron and zinc are what’s conventionally considered of greatest importance, but I’m also thinking DHA, choline, B12, etc.). I also want to expose baby to as many complex flavors as possible early on (recall that there’s a key flavor window up to 7 months). I prioritize flavors that most people find challenging, like bitter and sour.

Foods that fit the above profile include: liver pate, ground meat, bone marrow, slow cooked meat, egg yolk, salmon, sardines, canned oysters, bone broth, curries, avocado, non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, bell pepper, green bean, etc.), and foods cooked with an array of spices.

What are signs of an allergic reaction?

Symptoms usually start within a few minutes to an hour after eating. If you have any concerns, contact your doctor. If there’s a history of food allergies in your family, I’d talk to your doctor for recommendations on introducing solids.

Mild to moderate symptoms:

  • Hives (red welts on the skin)
  • A red and itchy rash around the mouth, tongue or eyes
  • Mild swelling, particularly of the lips, eyes and face
  • Runny nose or sneezing
  • Watering eyes
  • Nausea and vomiting, tummy cramps
  • Diarrhea
  • A scratchy or itchy mouth and throat

Severe symptoms (anaphylaxis):

  • Wheezing or chest tightness, similar to a severe asthma attack
  • Swelling of the tongue and throat, restricting the airways (often observed by noisy breathing or difficulty taking a breath)
  • A sudden drop in blood pressure 
  • Dizziness, confusion, collapse, loss of consciousness and sometimes coma

I’m afraid of my baby choking. How do I know the difference between gagging and choking?

Honestly, one of the best things you can do is watch YouTube videos of actual babies eating to identify the difference between the two. The gag reflex in babies is much further forward in their mouth than in adults, so you’ll see it relatively frequently as baby learns how to move food around their mouth with their tongue. 

If you observe gagging, the best thing you can do is to let the baby use their tongue (or cough) to move the food forward and out of their mouth. It’s usually loud as they cough and retch to spit out the food. They might turn red, their eyes might water, and you might see their tongue thrusting forward. Whatever you do, don’t stick your finger in baby’s mouth! This makes it much more likely to get lodged in their throat and cause them to actually choke. Gagging is their inborn protective mechanism to prevent choking.

Choking, on the other hand, is when a piece of food has become lodged in their throat and their airway is completely blocked. Baby will be unable to breathe in, unable to vocalize (a good rule of thumb is: if you can hear baby, they’re gagging, not choking!), and possibly start turning blue.

This video from Baby Centre shows gagging:


What do I do if baby is choking?

Gagging happens often, but choking is rare. If baby is indeed choking, you need to intervene immediately. Taking an infant CPR class is always wise. Ask your healthcare professional for recommendations in your area.

Parents Magazine suggests the following (WebMD has similar advice, but this was worded much more clearly, so I’m including their instructions):

“If your child is under a year old:

  • Turn your child face down over your forearm or on your lap if you can’t manage the forearm position.
  • Hold your child’s jaw with one hand to support the head, which should be lower than the child’s chest.
  • Using the heel of your free hand, deliver five quick slaps between the shoulder blades.
  • If your child still can’t breathe, try chest thrusts: While holding your baby, turn him or her face-up, keeping their head lower than their chest (not pictured here). Place two fingers in the middle of his or her chest and give five thrusts. Repeat with back blows and chest thrusts until the object is visible and you can remove it.”

This video demonstration might help.

Again, choking is extremely rare, but it’s still important to know how to handle it. We had only one time where I thought my son might be choking (he put two very large blackberries in his mouth at once). Instinct kicks in very quickly and I took him out of the highchair, gave him a swift blow to the back and he was fine.

How do you structure baby meals?

Don’t overthink it. Once I have a good array of food choices introduced into baby’s diet, I just rotate between different protein, veggie/produce, and fat options. Essentially, baby simply gets the same food that we eat at meals unless it’s an inappropriate flavor/texture (the only flavor we avoided was spicy after our son made it clear he didn’t like it!). 

Remember, they start out eating such a small quantity of solid foods. My #1 goals are to regularly offer a source of iron and continue to introduce complex flavors. If I’m serving a fruit or starchy food at the meal, I try to offer the protein + veggie first (more nutrient-dense). If baby is not into those, then I move on to the other easy-sell options (fruit, sweet potato, etc…).

In addition to iron-rich foods, does baby need an iron supplement?

Most likely, no. But you want to take into consideration mom’s health in pregnancy (i.e. was she anemic?) and whether delayed cord clamping was employed at birth. Baby’s iron stores will be reflective of the above two factors.

Research has found that: “the risk of development of iron-deficiency anemia can be greatly reduced, even among those at highest risk (premature and low-birth-weight newborns) through delayed cord clamping, which is a simple and strongly effective intervention that can be readily implemented through proper training of healthcare providers. It is important to acknowledge that iron supplements are recommended for these target vulnerable groups, regardless of age of introduction of complementary foods.” — Advances in Nutrition, 2019

Also, if a family does not include animal foods in their diet (i.e. strict vegans), I’d strongly encourage an iron supplement for baby (as well as B12, DHA, and many other nutrients, but that’s a whole ‘nother post).

Is it true that bone broth helps “seal the gut”?

If you know my work, you know I’m a huge proponent of bone broth generally speaking. But is it going to offer some sort of miraculous fail safe for baby’s gut? Probably not. There is precisely ZERO research on bone broth as the ultimate first food that will seal your baby’s gut. Sorry. It’s just fine as a first food if you want to introduce it, but you’re not doing any harm introducing other foods first.

How often should you keep breastfeeding when starting solids?

Great question! Keep breastfeeding just as you were before. As mentioned earlier, solids are typically started by offering 1 “meal” per day. Solids should be offered after baby has nursed (or if formula feeding, after a bottle). Food is not a replacement for breast milk; it’s in addition to breast milk.

It will take a long time for solid foods to completely replace breast milk. This is why I prefer the terms “complementary foods” or “starting solid foods” over the term “weaning,” which implies that breastfeeding will be ceasing soon.

Can I give baby seasoned food? Do I need to worry about salt or is all the hype around sodium being harmful to babies untrue?

Whew, this question opened up Pandora’s box, so much so that I ended up researching the daylights out of this and I’m currently writing a whole separate post on the messy science of infant sodium recommendations. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: My post on salt and baby food is ready. Read it here: Don’t Add Salt to Baby Food: The Surprisingly Weak Evidence for Infant Sodium Requirements

Is the saying “food before one is just for fun” accurate? I hear this a lot in BLW circles.

Yes and no. I think the intention behind this quote is for parents to not worry if their child is slower to take to solid foods or not interested in eating a large quantity. This I agree with. 

However, solid foods do serve an important role nutritionally. Have the “flavor window” in mind. And seek the help of specialists to rule out any developmental issues if older babies (typically 8m+) are not interested in solid foods at all.

I’d like this saying more if it was revised to “Food before one is also for fun!”

Summary

Starting solids with baby is such a big milestone, so I hope this article helps explain the rationale and caveats behind a lot of the advice you read on the wild wild west of the interwebs.

Remember, the most important concepts to have in mind when starting solids are:

  • There’s no right or wrong ways to introduce solid foods
  • Watch for signs of developmental readiness for solids, not just baby’s age
  • Start with nutrient-dense real foods (especially foods high in iron & zinc)
  • Offer a variety of flavors (& textures, when developmentally appropriate)
  • And perhaps most important of all is to practice responsive feeding (regardless of if you choose BLW, purees, or a combination)

Before you go, I’d love to hear your thoughts on starting solids with baby.

For those of you with older kids, how did you introduce solids? Purees? Baby led weaning? A combination? What was your experience and how did you choose?

For those with young babies who are planning to introduce solids, what approach are you planning for? How has reading through this article informed your plans?

I’m super curious to read your comments!

Until next time,
Lily

P.S. – Aside from introducing solids, the next most common question I get about food for kids is how to handle toddler eating. If you want some reassurance as your kiddo enters a picky eating phase, check out my post on Real Food for Toddlers.

P.P.S. – Check back in a few weeks for my article on infant sodium/salt needs. The best way to stay in the loop is to join my email list. Visit the freebies page, take your pick, and you’ll also receive my weekly (or, let’s be real, probably every-other-week) email newsletter.

UPDATE: My post on salt and baby food is ready. Read it here: Don’t Add Salt to Baby Food: The Surprisingly Weak Evidence for Infant Sodium Requirements

 

UPDATE: Recommended Baby Feeding Gear

After numerous requests, I’m adding a list to some products that we use and love. Don’t worry, I’m a minimalist and intentionally try not to accumulate lots of baby/kid gear. If you click the link and purchase, I’ll receive a small commission as an Amazon affiliate. The price is the same for you whether you use my link or not. 

Plate — Silicone plates stick to the table, so baby is less likely to create a big mess. Take your pick of a big or small one. We have one of each.
Spoon — The design looks weird, but this silicone spoon is wonderful. It’s a great option for serving pate to babies and letting them self-feed. I love that it makes it easy for baby to start using utensils.
Bucket bib — These are key for catching fallen food, especially while using BLW. Just empty the bib back onto their plate to cut down on food waste. I often layer a cloth bib underneath to keep baby’s onesie dry. Clean up is easy with a quick scrub/rinse (hooray for cutting down on laundry!).
Long sleeved bib — If you’ve got a super messy eater, this is clutch.
Trip Trap high chair — Yeah, these are pricey, but they grow with the child so you never need a booster seat. There’s a reason why they get rave reviews and rarely show up at baby/kid consignment shops (though DO be sure to check for a second hand one first!). I love that older babies can climb in and out of the chair without assistance and that it encourages babies to sit up straight (versus those clunky, semi-reclined high chairs). No fabric means easy cleaning. Our older one still uses his chair and we’ll be transitioning him to a regular chair and letting baby use this one. All we need to do is move the seat back up and reinstall the infant attachments.
Portable high chair — This is pictured in the photo at the top of this post. We got this to have a high chair while traveling and quickly realized it was perfect to attach to our kitchen counter. This makes it super convenient to let baby sit at the counter and teeth on some raw veggie slices or teethers (or eat a snack/meal) while I cook since our dining room is separate from the kitchen.

 

References

  1. Burgess, John A., et al. “Age at introduction to complementary solid food and food allergy and sensitization: A systematic review and meta‐analysis.” Clinical & Experimental Allergy 49.6 (2019): 754-769.
  2. Pérez-Escamilla, Rafael, et al. “Perspective: Should Exclusive Breastfeeding Still Be Recommended for 6 Months?.” Advances in Nutrition (2019).
  3. Brown, A., & Lee, M. (2013). An exploration of experiences of mothers following a baby- led weaning style: Developmental readiness for complementary foods. Maternal and Child Nutrition, 9(2), 233–243.
  4. Cameron, S., Taylor, R. W., & Heath, A.-L. M. L. (2013). Parent-led or baby-led? Associations between complementary feeding practices and health-related beha- viours in a survey of New Zealand families. BMJ Open, 3(12), e003946
  5. Fu, X., Conlon, C. A., Haszard, J. J., Beck, K. L., von Hurst, P. R., Taylor, R. W., et al. (2018). Food fussiness and early feeding characteristics of infants following Baby-Led Weaning and traditional spoon-feeding in New Zealand: An internet survey. Appetite, 130, 110–116
  6. Komninou, Sophia, J. C. G. Halford, and J. A. Harrold. “Differences in parental feeding styles and practices and toddler eating behaviour across complementary feeding methods: Managing expectations through consideration of effect size.” Appetite 137 (2019): 198-206.
  7. Rowan, H., & Harris, C. (2012). Baby-led weaning and the family diet. A pilot study. Appetite, 58(3), 1046–1049.
  8. Schwartz, C., Issanchou, S., & Nicklaus, S. (2009). Developmental changes in the accep- tance of the five basic tastes in the first year of life. British Journal of Nutrition, 102(9), 1375–1385.
  9. Schwartz, C., Chabanet, C., Lange, C., Issanchou, S., & Nicklaus, S. (2011). The role of taste in food acceptance at the beginning of complementary feeding. Physiology & Behavior, 104(4), 646–652.
  10. Barends, Coraline, et al. “Effects of repeated exposure to either vegetables or fruits on infant’s vegetable and fruit acceptance at the beginning of weaning.” Food quality and preference 29.2 (2013): 157-165.
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  13. Perkin, Michael R., et al. “Randomized trial of introduction of allergenic foods in breast-fed infants.” New England Journal of Medicine 374.18 (2016): 1733-1743.
  14. Du Toit G, Roberts G, Sayre PH, et al; LEAP Study Team. Randomized trial of peanut consumption in infants at risk for peanut allergy. N Eng J Med. 2015;372(9):803-813.
  15. Du Toit, George, et al. “Effect of avoidance on peanut allergy after early peanut consumption.” New England Journal of Medicine 374.15 (2016): 1435-1443.
  16. Muraro, Antonella, and Stefania Arasi. “Solid foods should be introduced into susceptible infants’ diets early in life-CON.” Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 122.6 (2019): 586-588.
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  19. Cameron SL, Heath AL, Taylor RW. Healthcare professionals’ and mothers’ knowledge of, attitudes to, and experiences with, baby-led weaning: a content analysis study. BMJ Open. 2012;2(6):e001542.
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  21. Cameron SL, Taylor RW, Heath AL. Development and pilot testing of Baby-led Introduction to SolidS—a version of Baby-led Weaning modified to address concerns about iron deficiency, growth faltering, and choking. BMC Pediatr. 2015;15:99.
  22. Daniels L, Heath AL, Williams SM, et al. Baby-led Introduction to SolidS (BLISS) study: a randomized controlled trial of a baby-led approach to complementary feeding. BMC Pediatr. 2015;15:179.
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  24. Taylor RW, Williams SM, Fangupo LJ, et al. Effect of a baby-led approach to complementary feeding on infant growth and overweight: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2017;171(9):838-846.
  25. Pesch MH, Lumeng JC. Early feeding practices and development of childhood obesity. In: Freemark M, ed. Pediatric Obesity: Etiology, Pathogenesis, and Treatment. 2nd ed. Springer International Publishing AG; 2018:257-270.
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  27. Townsend E, Pitchford NJ. Baby knows best? The impact of weaning style on food preferences and body mass index in early childhood in a case–controlled sample. BMJ Open. 2012;2(1):e000298.
  28. Erickson LW. A Baby-led approach to complementary feeding: adherence and infant food and nutrient intakes at seven months of age [master’s thesis]. Dunedin, New Zealand: University of Otago; 2015.
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  31. Morison BJ, Taylor RW, Haszard JJ, et al. How different are baby-led weaning and conventional complementary feeding? A cross-sectional study of infants aged 6-8 months. BMJ Open. 2016;6(5):e010665.
  32. Williams Erickson L, Taylor RW, Haszard JJ, et al. Impact of a modified version of baby-led weaning on infant food and nutrient intakes: the BLISS Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2018;10(6):e740.
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Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based nutrition. Her work is known for being research-focused, thorough, and sensible. She is the founder of the Institute for Prenatal Nutrition®, co-founder of the Women’s Health Nutrition Academy, and the author of three books: Real Food for Fertility (co-authored with Lisa Hendrickson-Jack), Real Food for Pregnancy, and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes

74 Comments

Leave a comment
  1. Great piece Lily. I just attended a great seminar discussing the difference between Picky Eating, problem feeders and ARFID. The instructor really discussed the importance of proper positioning for feeding-90 degree sitting for babies/kiddos with the Tripp Trapp chair being an excellent option. Just making sure parents continue to adjust the chair as baby grows so their body/legs are in a 90 degree angle, feet flat, knees properly over the seat (not little legs sticking straight out). Just wanted to share.
    Thanks for the info!

  2. Thanks so much for writing this article. Your approach sounds exactly like mine, and it’s so much easier to forward an article to my friends than to try to explain!! We too have a tidy eater…now that he’s a toddler, he generally goes bib free but chooses to use it to eat applesauce 🙂

    Looking forward to the post on salt!

    • They all come with their unique personalities!

  3. My husband was just asking me why I read baby parenting books because they all conflict one another. You answered the conundrum with some good advice to hold at my heart. ..“As a parent, you have to parent the child in front of you, not the imaginary one described in a baby book“

    With this and sound nutritional and developmental input, in proceeding forward with a mix of BLW and purées. The only thing my pediatrician said was to do rice puffs (sigh… can he instead tell me to feed my baby iron rich foods). Why the most expensive and least nutritionally rich food?

    • Oh boy. I see no reason to introduce puffs, especially to young infants. What was the rationale?

  4. Thank you! My doctor recommended milk for my 1-year-old. We’ve been off dairy since he had a reaction at ~5 weeks. Starting to re-introduce and test. In the event that dairy is not an option, what nondairy milk would you recommend from a nutritional perspective? I’m also thinking about pesticide residue. THANKS

  5. Thanks so much for writing this! Do you have any thoughts/opinions/resources regarding introducing foods that mom is allergic to? I am severely gluten intolerant and I have a 4 month old baby… I’m nervous to give her wheat. Do you think I should introduce it along with the other allergens or hold off on it?

    • I’d refer to your allergist and pediatrician on that one.

  6. This is a great article!– easy to read, interesting, and informative. Thank you!
    One question I have regarding allergens is if there is any reason to avoid eggs/dairy/peanuts while breastfeeding for those first 5/6months. Does “exposure” include through breast milk?

    • The research I cite here is specific to the solid food being introduced directly to baby.

      There is, however, research showing allergen exposure via breast milk does indeed occur (also research showing the same for exposure during pregnancy — I posted a research brief on this related to peanuts in my Instagram feed recently). The gist is that NOT avoiding allergens, unless mom has a known allergy, may reduce the chances that baby will have an allergy to those foods.

  7. Great article Lily! I’ve been waiting for it since you announced you were writing it…we have a nearly 1 year old and I’ve been following Weston a price guidelines. We have given him meat, liver and eggs from the start. It’s actually interesting to me that our son always goes for the meat first before veggies! And he loves his egg.
    He was a very slow starter to eating solids and even now I feel he doesn’t eat a huge amount maybe not even half a cup of food at each meal (he is a messy eater and loves throwing things on the floor ) Is this normal for this age? I’m still breastfeeding, now after the meals. Do you also give morning and afternoon tea at this age? I haven’t been but not sure if I’m meant to??
    Thanks I love your work and I’m half way through Real food for Pregnancy!

    • Sounds normal to me, but always consult your healthcare provider with concerns since they know you personally and can talk through all the details. <3

  8. One of the arguments I’ve heard in favor of BLW is that the action of using the tongue and gums to mash up food is better for the proper development of the palate/jaw/teeth, whereas purees encourage instant swallowing without any chewing action. Any thoughts on that?

    • This is my concern with the “both” approach. BLW groups say it can lead to more choking. Perhaps there is a detail missing on the need for being consistent with both or something?

      • I struggle with the idea that doing both at the same time is basically the same as flat out TW and therefore leads to more of a choking risk. For starters, many BLW give soft foods that require no chewing such as soup, yogurt, sauces and mash.. why would giving those foods be any different to giving purees alongside BLW? Personally, I am going to puree the nutrient rich foods I want my baby to ingest more of (meats) and give him preloaded spoons of it alongside BLW vegetables and whole chunks of meat. That way baby learns to chew and handle foods, textures and flavours while also getting nutrients earlier than he would if I didn’t introduce the puree.

  9. Thank you so much for your time to put this together. Your dedication is such an inspiration. We are a canned fish eating family. Recently I began worrying about sardines in aluminum cans. I buy pickled herring and whatever else I can find in glass jars when possible. However, I haven’t come across sardines in anything but aluminum. Is the leaching of aluminum into food a worry for babies and young kids? I’m saying this with the belief that it does leach into foods, albeit not acidic.

    Thank you for your hard work!

  10. Fantastic article, as always! I can’t wait to share this with friends and family. I too will be starting my second round of BLW with my daughter in a few weeks. This time around I will be using your advice to focus on offering more nutrient dense foods and diverse flavors/textures in the beginning and going lighter on the fruit, sweet potatoes, etc. I relied too heavily on “easy” foods with my son, and now that he’s 2, I have a really hard time getting him to eat vegetables and meat. You live and learn 🙂

    • Sometimes even if you DO introduce all the “right” things, they still go through picky eating phases. Don’t beat yourself up! Toddlers are a challenge (see this post on real food for toddlers).

  11. Thank you for writing this! I noticed references to the gut microbiome throughout the article – what is your opinion on infant probiotics. I get a ton of ads for B. Infantis supplements. Is this advisable or is introducing baby to the fermented foods the family eats (yogurt, sauerkraut, lacto-fermented pickles) sufficient for establishing good gut health?

    • I would love to know this too! We had an emergency section and I was on antibiotics so not the start I’d hoped for. I did give baby probiotics in the first few weeks as well as taking them myself.

  12. Can you talk about natural ways to help the newly breastfed babe with constipation after starting Solids. We have done pate, marrow, avocado, squash and pears/ plums to help move things along.
    She is Not terribly uncomfortable but strains and has small play doh stools.
    Thanks for any advice

    • Hello, Just wondering if you ever got any answers on this? My baby is 6 months and is going on 5 days without a bowel movement… I’m a little concerned. We feed her: chicken liver pate, bone broth, squash, salmon roe (just a bit), a little kefir and a very little avocado (she hates it). I haven’t tried pears… did that help? Also, she is still getting lots of breast milk. Tnx.

  13. I’d love to know more about that banana bread birthday cake with berries. Yum!

  14. Thank you so much for all your research and time writing this article! My first baby is 3 months old, so planning for introducing solids has definitely been on my mind. I’m SO glad I know now that meat is such an important first food! I was planning on starting with the typical puréed fruits and veggies, but now I will definitely be starting with more meats/egg yolks/plain yogurts alongside non-starchy veggies and holding off on fruits during the flavor window. I’ve never heard of that concept either and am so thankful for the insight! I also read Real Food for Pregnancy about a year before I conceived and have been following your approach since. My baby is as healthy as can be and surpassing milestones left and right. 😀 Thank you again for all your hard work in bringing such valuable information to us all!

  15. I’m so thankful for this post. I did a lot of animal and seafood first foods and found myself questioning this when I would compare my baby’s foods to my friends or the baby food isle. I started my son on solids at 4 months because he was clearly hungry and interested in my food. My Danish sister confirmed that 4 months is the typical age in their country to begin solids. He has definitely benefited from a variety of flavors including pesto, curry, chili, salmon etc. Now at age one he eats about anything I eat so long as I don’t get too lazy and feed him too much starchy foods (he seems to be more picky if those are offered.) Also, I have definitely seen major behavioral changes when he eats any foods containing sugar (or too much fruit.) His emotional stability goes out the door. Its bizarre.
    I would love to find out more detail about the digestibility of starches before age one. I’ve heard babies don’t produce the enzymes needed to digest starch? Is that true?

  16. Thank you! I’m a nurse practitioner and I’m always looking for quality information I can share with parents on this topic. So thank you!!!

    Funny thing, I just checked your website last week to see if you had written on this topic yet and now here it is! yeyyy!

    Thanks again!
    Dawn

  17. Hi lily, this came at the perfect time as my little one turned 6 months at the weekend and we have just started weaning. I was very set in my mind that BLW was the way to go but your article is probably the only thing that has made me stop and consider introducing purees. We’ve also stepped back from fruit as an initial food and I’m happy to say he seems to love avocado, broccoli and yogurt. He’s not showing much interest in meat so this is something I’m considering pureeing, he’s doing well with spoon and fork so I’ll be letting him feed himself preloaded spoonfuls and maybe try a couple of chunks of slow cooked meat on the fork. Also I’m intolerant to eggs and he reacts (upset stomach) when I do eat it from breastfeeding so I was unsure how to go about this – I’ll be starting to introduce small amounts of yolk from hard boiled organic eggs.

    • Yep, even if you do everything else BLW style, there’s a strong nutritional rationale for including pureed meat (if baby isn’t into it BLW style).

  18. Many thanks for this informative post! It came at a good time because my daughter is 7 months old! She enjoys eating, but I’m realizing I’ve been shying away from stronger flavors, even though I told myself before that I wouldn’t do that!

    Your post has encouraged me to try meats and egg yolks (hard-boiled I assume?) with her! I’ve been wanting to try meat, but wasn’t sure how to go about it. If I go with purees, do you have recommendations for how to do it? (I suppose a Pinterest search would probably answer that too!)

    Also I don’t love liver, but reading this made me realize that shouldn’t hold me back from letting her try some! It’s so easy to fall into that, “well I don’t like it, so why would she?” Ha!

    Thanks again for all the inspiration!

    • And one more thing! I’ve already taken your writing to practice – last night she tried a steamed broccoli stalk and it was so funny to watch her crumble and smash it in her mouth. She didn’t get much, but I remembered and appreciated your perspective on “variety over quantity”. 🙂

    • Yep for egg yolks, a “jammy” consistency that you get from cooking over-medium or soft boiled it perfect for babies.

      You’d be surprised how much babies love what adults would consider “stronger” flavors like liver and fish. It’s all about early introduction!

  19. Thanks for putting this together ! I think we’ll plan on mostly BLW but I do think I’ll prepare purées for her lunch at first. MIL takes care of her during the day and I think that will be most comfortable for her.

  20. Thank you for this post! What are some spices you recommend introducing to a baby? Cinnamon, Tumeric, Garlic, etc.? Any particular way you recommend introducing them – such as, cook garlic in the meat?

  21. Thank you SO much for this blog article! I have my first baby and he has been showing signs that he is ready to start solids but he’s only 4.5 months old. There was a lot of confusing information out there about when to start solids and how to start them. There were so many helpful aspects of your article! I look forward to your one about salt and I’d definitely be interested in a whole book: Real Food for Babies!

  22. Do you have any info/preference on supplementing with formula (which type and any thresholds of amount of breastmilk to formula?)? My girl is 8.5 months and I have to travel a lot soon. I’m not sure I can keep up my supply while I’m away, so I was thinking of supplementing Some with formula so that the breastmilk can last to give her some each day until she’s a year. Any research on this? Thank you for your incredible work!!!

  23. thank you so much for the time you spent researching and writing this!! It has been really helpful as I am a first time mom with an almost 6 month old! this has helped me so much and also the reminder that no one way is 100% the right way! we have to do best for our own babies and situations.

  24. I had heard that babies do not produce the necessary enzymes to break down gluten and other grains until they are about 2 years old…have you come across this information In any research as well?

  25. Lily, thanks so much as always for your research-driven guide! I really appreciate it. My little one is now 14 months old and I have been feeding her grass-fed liver 5 times per week (about a tablespoon each time), which I also did with my 3-year-old after doing Chris Kresser’s Happy Baby Code. At her 12-month screening she came up as severely anemic and high in lead. We repeated the test at 13 months and same result (although the numbers were slightly better). Pediatrician is super perplexed since we are doing everything “right.” I spoke to a nutritionist in Wisconsin, Karen Hurd, and she recommended immediately stopping the liver as she believes that is what is causing the issue (the high lead, which is also blocking iron absorption). So my question for you is whether you have come across this in any of the literature. It is frustrating trying to do everything “right” just to be told that what I have been doing is wrong and actually causing problems for baby :(. For the record, I was not anemic at all during pregnancy, and also did do delayed cord clamping. Thanks so much!

  26. Hi Lily, thank you so much for this very detailed article, it’s super helpful especially as a first-time mom whose baby is about to start solids.
    Your Real Food for Pregnancy book was my handbook on nutrition during the pregnancy and your articles continue to provide excellent information on nutrition. Very much appreciated!

  27. Can you share a specific recipe for making a batch of liver pate for baby’s first food? You mentioned a combo of beef liver, coconut oil, and liquid (water or bm), but what would the exact measurements be? Thanks!

  28. Hi Lily! I love smoked oysters and my infant seems to like them, as well, but I’ve read that smoked and cured meats aren’t healthy. Can you shed any light on this? Thanks!

  29. Super helpful! Been a huge fan of you for so long and during my pregnancy. Do you know of any REAL FOOD recipes for purees? I’m doing BLW with my 6 month old, but would like to introduce some purees (non sugary)…thanks in advance!

    • Simply puree a little bit of whatever food you’ve cooked, no need for a recipe. Or you can even mash it with a fork if the baby is at that stage.

  30. Thank you! Such a great article. My daughter is 9 months and has no teeth as yet! So I have stuck with purées for now and she gags on any thing whole, even porridge if I don’t purée it – how does one encourage BLW if the baby hasn’t got any teeth yet but loves food! She puts EVERYTHING she finds on the floor in her mouth so I know she would love to feed herself…

  31. Lily, thank you so much for your article! My daughter is about to turn six months I’d like to think that she could just eat off our plate but some of our meals may not be a good fit (too spicy;, etc). Are there any cookbooks or websites that you’d recommend for baby food recipes? (BLM or pureed)

  32. What do I do if I missed the crucial window for feeding?

    • What are your thoughts on the top allergen introductions through programs like Ready.Set.Food?

  33. Thanks a lot for this excellent article! I’ve been reading and using “Real food for pregnancy” through all my pregnancy and it kind of became my personal nutrition bible. I am now just about to diversify baby through BLW (maybe mixed approach having read that) and infant nutritional advices seem as outdated that pregnancy guidelines on food (I rushed on your blog when I read in my book on BLW that carbs were the base of a well-balanced diet…).
    I am going forward to diversification with way more confidence now. Thanks a lot for your work !

    A passionate and French reader 😉

    Ps: translating your book in French would be great, I am constantly speaking about it to my pregnant acquaintances but a lot of them do not read in english.

    • Glad it’s given you some reassurance and guidance!

  34. What about fat in a primarily whole foods diet? If I’m roasting vegetables with EVOO, making curries with coconut milk or ghee, sauteing anything with avocado or sunflower seed oil or butter even…how safe are these fats to include in a 6 months old baby in moderation?

    • Yes, babies need fat for brain development, growth, and satiety. Don’t skimp!

  35. Thank you for this greatly sourced post. My baby is 6 m now and her first food was a soft boiled egg – yolk then avocados and beets. Tomorrow I will give her liver pate while I eat it next to her. Oh! She also grabbed my pickle off my plate and ate (more like suckled) and liked it. She’s always trying to grab my burgers. I can’t wait to give her a piece of steak soon (I can’t wait to eat one too!)
    I really appreciate you backing your articles with research. I recently had someone in my family say that pickles were bad because of the sodium. They sent me some bogus article with no research to back it up. I responded with your article/post about adding salt to babies food. Thank you for all you do. Keep up the fantastic work.

  36. Do you have any book recommendations for BLW or for purees? I’m looking for a quality book that spells out when to introduce what foods that’s based on research and focuses on nutrient-rich foods. Annabel Karmel keeps coming up when I search on Amazon. Just curious if anyone else has any recommendations.

  37. How often can you feed liver pate to baby? I’ve read no more than once a week, but I wonder if they are consuming enough at a time to warrant the restriction. Also, it seems you prefer beef liver over chicken, is that right? I had also read chicken liver had more iron, but maybe the source was mistaken. Thanks for the guidance!

  38. Great post with lots of super helpful information, thank you so much! What would you say about introducing foods like buckwheat, oats, quinoa, chia seeds etc. I’m debating whether I should introduce them before age 1 or not. I’m talking small amount, not displacing the nutrient dense foods listed above, and properly prepared a la the WAPF. Thanks and greeting from the Netherlands.

    • It’s really up to you. From an allergen exposure perspective, it may be wise to incorporate small amounts of these foods in the first year. As stated in the allergen section, even very small portions count as an exposure, so it doesn’t need to (and arguably shouldn’t) displace other foods from the diet.

      • Thank you for your quick response!

  39. Lily— I wonder if you would consider partnering with an OT, SLP, and maybe even neuroscientist or doctor to develop a book on feeding (nutrition, environmental set-up, progression of development & food textures, etc.) Your real food for pregnancy book was wonderfully comprehensive and I would love to see a similar type of book for baby and toddler feeding & eating. I’m an OT and definitely see a need for one comprehensive, accessible guide for parents, practitioners, and everyone!

  40. Do you know if there’s sound evidence for no honey before 1 yr old?

  41. Thank you for this post! Makes me feel a lot better doing both purees and BLW with my 7m old. I wanted to do strictly BLW but he has 6 teeth already and really made me confused on how to start since he can already rip pieces off larger chunks but don’t have the skills to handle that yet!

    • So glad to hear it was helpful to you, Austyn. A combination of BLW and purees is perfectly fine. This stage goes by so fast and pretty soon they’re all eating non-purees regardless of how they started out in their first few months of solids. Have fun with it! 😉

  42. I hope you’ll consider a “course” for feeding infants. I’m concerned that so many of the available resources don’t clearly indicate how important animal foods are for development. Until last year, AAP said on their parent website that breastfed babies may benefit from including meat as an early weaning food, but they’ve removed this, likely due to pressure to promote meat free diets. WHO used to recommend meat “at least every day or as often as possible” in the resources for complementary feeding but the last time I could find that reference was 2008. I am an IBCLC and would love a RD created resource for parents

  43. Hey Lily! Love this article. About to start my twins on solids and I’m curious how you introduced oysters early – I’m guessing a puree? Thanks!

    • Canned smoked oysters packed in olive oil is what I offered (Crown Prince brand). Their texture is appropriate for babies, as they can be easily mashed on the roof of the mouth. You could also mash it with a fork and spoon feed if you prefer.

  44. Hi Lily, thanks so much for this post. It will be so helpful when bubs is ready for solids. Do you have a printable list of foods you recommend to start with and when to start them? It will make things a bit easier. All 100 first food lists I find on the internet includes fruit to start with at 6 months and various others that differs from your post.

  45. Hi Lily, I really enjoyed your book on what to eat when I was pregnant. Is there a book that you recommend I read to ensure my baby eats the most nutrient dense food? She’ll be starting solids soon (at 6 months). A book that also has recipes would be helpful. Thanks.

  46. Hi Lily! I love all your posts and research, so thorough and helpful! My baby is 6 months now and is exclusively breastfed but wondering what your take on delaying solids to about 9 months-1 year is? I’ve read about the benefits of delaying solids to 1 year to help their immunity but now curious if I will miss the flavor and/or texture window. Any thoughts? Thank you so much!

    • You’d be missing a crucial flavor/texture window. They don’t necessarily need to eat large volumes of solids to get those benefits, but I would offer small tastes when they are developmentally ready and follow their lead. Breast milk still makes up the majority of their nutrient intake/calories for quite a while, even after solids are introduced.

  47. Thank you for this Lily! Had conflicting feelings about my ped. recommending waiting on meats/animal-based foods and sticking strictly with veggies knowing one is far superior in zinc and iron. I’m thrilled to make my baby a liver pate, and feel confident about it thanks to you sharing your experience!

  48. Is there an optimal ratio of macronutrients to serve to baby? I struggle with knowing how much protein/fat/carbs is appropriate. I know breastmilk is highest in carbs and pretty low in protein. I’m not sure if I should feed my baby a similar diet to breastmilk because that’s what she evolved to eat OR feed my baby higher protein to make up for the lack of it in breastmilk? I can’t find information on this. Thank you!

    • I don’t think you need to overthink it. When babies start on solids they are not discontinuing breast milk (or formula). The majority of their calories are still coming from breast milk or formula. Food is in addition to milk, not a replacement for it. Prioritize the nutrients most important for their growth and brain development, including iron, zinc, choline, DHA, B12, iodine, etc. This means including some animal-sourced foods as some of their first foods.

  49. Hi Lily, in a lot of the BLW groups and books they make a big deal about how babies only need 12-15g of protein per day and more can actually cause issues (I believe with their kidneys). My LO LOVES meat and yogurt (we use Icelandic Skyr so also high in protein). He eats pasta and rice but not a ton. And he’s pretty picky on vegetables (we’re working on it and continuing to offer). My question is, do I need to be concerned that he’s getting more than the recommended amount of protein? Or is it similar to the sodium recommendations where there’s not actually a lot if solid evidence to back the recommendation?

    • The RDA across all age groups is set at a bare minimum level. No concern if they eat more (arguably, it’s optimal to encourage more!). Follow their lead. Protein-rich foods are also the most micronutrient-dense, especially the iron, B12, zinc, choline and other key nutrients they need for optimal brain development.

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