Best First Foods for Baby (purees & baby-led weaning)
These 10 Best First Foods for Baby are a wonderful starting point for your baby’s food journey. Each food can be served as a smooth puree or an easy finger food for baby-led weaning and is great for babies 6 months and up. Plus, you’ll find 6 helpful tips to get you started with confidence.
Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Looking to serve your baby the best foods right from their very first bite?
Then you’re in the right place.
I’ve gathered 10 of my all-time favorite first foods for baby—all in one easy, go-to list. These foods are packed with important nutrients for growing babies, full of natural flavor, and simple to prepare as either a smooth puree or an easy finger food for baby-led weaning. Even better? Every ingredient is easy to find at just about any grocery store.
10 of the Best First Foods for Baby
- Apple
- Broccoli
- Salmon
- Egg
- Sweet Potato
- Yogurt
- Avocado
- Banana
- Squash
- Green Beans
#IMHO: Not sure where to start? With both of my kids, I began with apples, broccoli, sweet potatoes, yogurt, eggs, and then bananas – but that was just my approach. There’s no wrong choice here. Any of these foods make a wonderful first bite for your baby.
Best Foods for Baby Video
Purees vs. Baby-Led Weaning
No matter what you read or hear, there is no single “right” way to feed your baby.
Purees may work best for your family if you like to batch-cook and stock your freezer with ready-to-go meals. Baby-led weaning, on the other hand, can feel more flexible – allowing your baby to eat alongside the rest of the family and explore foods in their natural form.
And for many families, a mix of both approaches works beautifully.
No matter which route you choose, this stage of feeding is really about exposure – introducing new flavors, textures, and experiences in a low-pressure way.
So truly, you do you. Try things out, see what works best for your baby and your family, and go with that. There’s no wrong choice here.
6 Tips for Getting Started
- Start Slowly – Start by serving a small amount of one food item to your baby once or twice a day to see how they will react. If they are reaching for more, then, by all means, give them more. If they keep tossing it on the floor or refusing to open their mouths, then take that food away and try again in a couple of days. It takes some time before they are eating entire meals.
- Cut Up Finger Foods – Make sure you cut finger foods for baby-led weaning into long, 2-3-inch strips or small, mashable, pea-sized pieces. Usually, babies starting baby-led wearing prefer using their palmar grasp (holding onto the long 3″ piece of food), but you can also cut the food both ways to see which one your baby prefers.
- Be Patient – It might take a while for your baby to get into their eating groove. They may also love the idea of eating, but get more food on the floor than in their mouths. Babies might even seem interested in food, but then turn their heads every time a spoon comes near their lips. It’s frustrating, I get it! But keep on serving healthy foods and be patient.
- Eat as a Family – Whether you are doing purees or baby-led weaning, eating as a family promotes healthy food habits right from the start. By eating with your baby, you show them how to bring food from a plate to your mouth, chew, and swallow. And when babies see their caregivers eating the same thing as they are, they are more likely to eat it!
- Mix It Up – Please do not take these 10 foods and serve them to your baby all at once and for every meal. Sure, they are loaded with nutrients and flavor for a growing baby. But babies also need to be exposed to various fruits, veggies, grains, and meats. So mix things up and try to serve them different items each week.
- Add Seasoning – I definitely recommend seasoning your food with spices and herbs as they make any foods just taste better!
Get the recipe: Best First Foods for Baby: purees & BLW
These 10 Best First Foods for Baby are a wonderful starting point for your baby’s food journey. Each food can be served as a smooth puree or an easy finger food for baby-led weaning and is great for babies 6 months and up. Plus, you’ll find 6 helpful tips to get you started with confidence.
Ingredients
Avocado For Baby
- 1/4 avocado
Egg for Baby
- 1 large hardboiled egg
Sweet Potato for Baby
- 1-2 medium sweet potatoes
Apple for Baby
- 1-3 apples, such as gala, fuji or honeycrisp
Broccoli for Baby
- 1-2 cups broccoli florets
Salmon for Baby
- 1/4 cooked salmon fillet
Yogurt for Baby
- 1-2 tbsp plain whole milk yogurt
Banana for Baby
- 1/2 ripe banana
Butternut Squash for Baby
- 1-2 cups squash
Green Beans for Baby
- 1-2 cups green beans, trimmed
Instructions
Avocado For Baby
- For Puree: Simply peel and pit a quarter of a ripe avocado and place on a cutting board. Then with the back of a fork, mash the avocado until smooth. You can add in a teaspoon or two of formula or breast milk to make it super smooth and creamy.
- For Baby-Led Weaning: Cut a slice of avocado off of the pit. Using a small knife, cut into the peel 1/3 of the way up the slice of avocado until you get to the flesh. Peel off 2/3 of the peel and hand baby the peel side of the avocado. This provides a nice handle for baby to hold while they eat the avocado.
Egg for Baby
- For Puree: Using a hardboiled egg, peel away the shell and white part of the egg. Then place the cooked egg yolk on a cutting board or baby-safe plate. Using the back of a fork, mash the egg yolk until smooth, adding in a teaspoon or two of breast milk or formula if needed to make it creamy.
- For Baby-Led Weaning: Peel a hardboiled egg and then cut into quarters the long way.Scrambled eggs, plain omelets, or egg roll-ups also work great as finger food for babies.
Sweet Potato for Baby
- For Puree: Peel and chop 1-2 sweet potatoes. Place in a steamer basket over boiling water and steam for 10-12 minutes or until tender when pricked with a fork. Add cooked sweet potatoes to a food processor or blender, and puree for 1-2 minutes until completely smooth, adding in water in 1/4 cup increments if needed. I had to use 1 cup of water for the puree above.
- For Baby-Led Weaning: Peel and slice the sweet potato into long strips that are half an inch thick. Place in a steamer basket and steam for 8-10 minutes or until just tender when pricked with a fork. You want them soft but not overcooked. Overcooked sweet potatoes tend to fall apart when baby fists them. Let cool and serve to baby. Will last 5 days in the fridge.
Apple for Baby
- For Puree: Peel and chop 2-3 apples and place in a steamer basket over boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Transfer the apples to a blender and puree for 1-2 minutes or until smooth, adding in liquid (water, breastmilk or formula) in 1/4 cup increments if needed.
- For Baby-Led Weaning: Peel and slice one apple and place in a steamer basket over boiling water for 6-8 minutes or until just tender when pricked with a fork. You want it soft but not falling apart. Let cool and serve to baby. Optional – sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon on apple slices before serving. Steam apple slices will last in the fridge for 3 days, add a squeeze of lemon juice to help them from browning.
Broccoli for Baby
- For Puree: Place 2 cups of broccoli florets in a steamer basket over boiling water and steam for 10-12 minutes until tender. Transfer to blender and puree for 1-2 minutes, adding in 1/4 cup of liquid (water, breastmilk or formula) until you have a smooth puree.
- For Baby-Led Weaning: Place one cup of broccoli florets into a steamer over boiling water and steam for 8-10 minutes or until tender when pricked with a fork. Let cool and serve to your baby in florets or chopped up into “pea” size pieces.
Salmon for Baby
- For Puree: I used grilled salmon as that is what I had on hand, but any cooked salmon would work. Place 1/4 cup cooked salmon along with 1 cup cooked sweet potato or squash into a blender and puree for 1-2 minutes, adding in 1/4 cup of liquids (water, breast milk or formula) until smooth. You can really use any fruit or veggie your baby prefers in this recipe. Adding another veggie in the puree helps the salmon blend into a nice smooth puree.
- For Baby-Led Weaning: Flake some cooked salmon onto a baby-safe plate or their high chair tray, making sure to pick off any bones. Let baby eat with their hand or with a baby fork.
Yogurt for Baby
- For Puree: Place a small spoonful in a bowl and serve to baby.
- For Baby-Led Weaning: Place a small spoonful of yogurt into a bowl and load up a self-feeding baby utensil with a small amount of yogurt and hand it over to baby.
Banana for Baby
- For Puree: Place half of a ripe and peeled banana on a cutting board and mash with the back of a fork until smooth.
- For Baby-Led Weaning: Cut a banana in half, and then gently cut about 2 inches from the stem around the banana. Peel the top off, but leave the banana attached, thus giving baby a handle to hold onto. Hand baby the stem part of the banana for them to hold onto while they eat the banana.
Butternut Squash for Baby
- For Puree: Place 2 cups of cubed squash (any variety) in a steamer basket and steam for 10-12 minutes or until tender when pricked with a fork. Transfer to a blender and puree for 1-2 minutes on high, adding in liquid (water, breastmilk or formula) in 1/4 cup increments until smooth. You can use frozen or pre-cut squash to make your life a little easier.
- For Baby-Led Weaning: Cut 1 cup of squash into long strips and place in a steamer basket over boiling water. Steam for 8-10 minutes until tender. Let cool and serve.
Green Beans for Baby
- For Puree: Place two cups of green beans in a steamer basket over boiling water and steam for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Transfer the beans to a blender and puree for 1-2 minutes, adding in 1/4 cup liquid (water, breastmilk or formula) if needed until smooth.
- For Baby-Led Weaning: Place a cup of green beans in a steamer basket and steam for 6-8 minutes or until tender when pricked with a fork. Let cool, cut in half if green beans are too long and serve to baby.
Notes
Age: 4+ months (stage one)
Storage: Purees can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Baby-led weaning foods can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
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20 Comments on “Best First Foods for Baby (purees & baby-led weaning)”
Third time mama and this is still very helpful
Thanks so much, Jessie! Happy to help! 💜, Michele
Do you recommend fresh herbs or are dried organic herbs also a good option for diversifying baby’s palate? Thank you!
Fresh herbs tend to add more flavor but dried is fine too. Avoid dried herbs with added salt. xo
Can you mash or wizz up a soft boiled egg instead of hard-boiled for your baby please?
You want the yolk to be cooked all the way for baby! xo, Michele
I was wondering if you can store (refrigerate and/or freeze) avocado or banana purees?
Yes! I would add in a small amount of fresh lemon juice to help preserve the color, but they are both fine to freeze.
Very helpful, hope to get more
Thank you so much for guidance. So helpful for a first time mom. Loved the option for purée and BLW.
So glad you found this guide helpful! Let me know how it goes sering these to baby.
Thank you for saying that a combo of puree and BLW is ok to do! Just hearing someone say that makes me feel better… one of those things that I didn’t understand why it would be a problem to mix, just never seen anyone else say it. So thank you!! Very excited to start foods with the baby.
Great recipe starter. Thank you for the tips.
My understanding is animal protein provides the best nutrition initially. Babies apparently don’t have the r we bzymes to digest grains, and fruit and veg is too dilute in nutrients. Purred well cooked meat, even small amounts of liver provides comparable nutrition to breast milk. Check out nourishing traditions and other books.
You can definitely feed your baby animal protein as a first food. I have several recipes for chicken and beef purees on my site (just search for them in the search field). I have found that because meat purees often have an intense flavor, most babies prefer to start off with more mild fruit and veggies purees as a first food before moving onto meat purees. I will say that at this stage, the name of the game is exposure to a wide varitey of foods – fruits, veggies, meats, yogurt, salmon, etc, as baby is getting almost all of their nutrients still from breastmilk or formula.
Thanks for sharing your valuable thoughts with us. Does anyone know of any other organic formula comparable to Baby’s organic that can be given to an infant as I am aware that Baby’s Organic promotes from 12 months and up?
Look into the German brands like HIPP combiotik
Holle, hipp organic
Do you have any suggestions for seasonings to use? The only one I can ever think of are turmeric and cinnamon!
What foods are you adding spices to? I love adding a pinch of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, paprika, cumin and herbs such a mint, basil, parsley, cilantro. But I can help you pair them up.