These 10 Best First Foods for Baby are perfect either as a baby food puree or as finger foods for baby-led weaning. Full of essential nutrients for a growing baby, these irresistibly delicious recipes are for Stage One or babies 4-6 months of age. What’s more, this guide also contains 6 tips for getting started and more than 30 easy-to-follow recipes!
Medically reviewed by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)
Best First Foods for Baby
Here are my favorite first foods for baby, all in one place!
While it was hard to narrow my favorites foods for babies down to only 10, these 10 stood out to me as the clear winners!
These 10 wholesome foods are packed with vital nutrients for a growing baby, are full of flavors, and hassle-free to make into a simple baby food puree or finger food for baby-led weaning. Plus, the ingredients are relatively easy to find in any grocery store.
10 of the Best First Foods for Baby (in no particular order)
Let’s take a closer look into each of these mouthwatering foods, shall we?
When Is Your Baby Ready For Their First Bite?
There is no particular age when your baby will be ready to start eating purees. It just doesn’t happen like that. Age takes a backseat to the signs your baby gives you as to their developmental readiness. While pediatricians generally recommend introducing solid food around 4-6 months of age, it’s more important that before starting your child on solids, you can answer “yes” to most of the following questions:
- Can your baby sit up on their own?
- Can they hold their head and neck in an upright position?
- Does your baby reach for or eye your food while you are eating?
- Is your baby hungry more often and less satisfied after finishing their usual amount of breast milk or formula?
- Has their weight doubled since birth?
- Can your baby move food from a spoon to the back of their throat?
If those questions generate a mix of yes and no answers, it’s no big deal. Just wait a bit. Start when the signs are there, and continue to keep trying. At some point, your little one will be ready, and they will open their mouth to their very first bite of food.
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 – To avoid choking hazards, make sure you are cutting 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 mom or dad 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 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 serving food with spices, herbs, and added healthy fats (refined coconut oil, high-quality olive oil, or butter). Not only do healthy fats aid in brain development and keep babies full up for longer, but they also make food taste way better! Fats are also needed to help absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Purees vs. Baby-Led Weaning
Regardless of what you read or hear, there is no right or wrong way to feed your baby.
Purees might work better for your family because you can prep a ton of purees in an afternoon and have a freezer stash of food ready for your baby to eat anytime they are hungry.
Perhaps Baby-Led Weaning might be a more flexible way to serve food to your baby right alongside everyone else.
Or maybe a combo of purees and baby-led weaning would work best.
Either way, it’s important to remember that this stage of feeding is all about exposure to new flavors and textures of foods.
So, you do you!
Again, there is NO right way to feed your baby! Play around and find out what works best for both your baby and family and go with it.
Avocado
Avocados are often called one of nature’s superfoods because they contain so many nutrients a person needs to survive and thrive. They are packed with all the B vitamins (minus B12), vitamin C, a wide array of minerals and are high in brain-building omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, 88% of an avocado is made up of healthy fats, helping us absorb certain fat-soluble vitamins, control blood sugar, and support a healthy cardiovascular system. In other words, avocados are so nutritious; they are also ideal as the first food for your baby.
How to Make Avocado Baby Food Puree
Peel and pit a quarter of a ripe avocado and place it on a cutting board. Then, with the back of a fork, mash the avocado until smooth. You can add a teaspoon or two of formula or breast milk to make it extra smooth and creamy.
How to Serve Avocado 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 your baby the peel side of the avocado. This provides a nice handle for babies to hold while they eat the avocado.
Want more Avocado? Get 4 more ways to serve avocado to baby here!
Egg
Eggs are another amazing first food for babies. Egg yolks are packed with choline, an important nutrient for your baby’s brain development, and the whites are excellent sources of protein. Pasture-raised eggs are a good course of brain-boosting Omega-3s.
How to Make Egg Baby Food Puree
Hard-boil an egg, then peel away the shell and white part. Place the cooked egg yolk on a cutting board or baby-safe plate. Then, using the back of a fork, mash the egg yolk until smooth, adding a teaspoon or two of breast milk or formula if needed to make it creamy.
How to Serve Egg for Baby-Led Weaning
Peel a hard-boiled egg and cut it into quarters the long way. Scrambled eggs, plain omelets, or egg roll-ups also work great as finger food for babies.
Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes are also at the top of my list when it comes to the first foods to introduce to babies. The nutritional value of sweet potatoes is outstanding, and their naturally sweet taste makes them easy to introduce to your baby. They are also high in beta-carotene and vitamin C and the ultra-important electrolyte mineral, potassium! Sweet potatoes also contain good levels of vitamin E, calcium, and folate. Due to their high fiber content, sweet potatoes helps support a healthy digestive tract and promote regular bowel movements for your baby.
How to Make Sweet Potato Baby Food Puree
Peel and chop 1-2 sweet potatoes. Place them 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 water in 1/4 cup increments if needed. I had to use 1 cup of water for the puree above. For more sweet potato recipes your baby can enjoy, visit these posts: Sweet Potato + Curry Baby Food Puree, Sweet Potato + Thyme Baby Food Puree, and Sweet Potato with Coconut Milk Baby Puree.
How to Serve Sweet Potatoes 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 tender when pricked with a fork. Remember, you want them soft but not overcooked. Overcooked sweet potatoes tend to fall apart when babies fist them. Let them cool and serve to baby. This recipe will last 5 days in the fridge.
Want more sweet potato recipes? Then head over to SWEET POTATO FOR BABY – 6 DELICIOUS WAYS
Apples
Apples are a yummy, nutrient-dense first food for babies too. They’re easy to digest, high in immune-boosting nutrients, and perfectly sweet on their own. We’ve all heard the saying “An apple a day…” well, there may be some truth to this — apples are high in polyphenols and phytonutrients, which are potent antioxidants that help protect babies and kiddos from disease and illness. In addition to antioxidants, apples contain insoluble and soluble fiber, helping protect babies from diarrhea and constipation.
How to Make Apple Baby Food Puree
Peel and chop 2-3 apples and place them in a steamer basket over boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender when pricked with a fork. Transfer the apples to a blender and puree for 1-2 minutes or until smooth, adding liquid (water, breastmilk, or formula) in 1/4 cup increments if needed. For more amazing apple puree recipes, check out Apple + Cinnamon Baby Food Puree, Apple + Clove Baby Food Puree and Apple + Coconut Milk Baby Food Puree.
How to Serve Apples for Baby-Led Weaning
Peel and slice an 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 the slices soft but not falling apart. Let them cool and serve to baby. You may also add a pinch of cinnamon to the apple slices before serving, but this is optional. Steamed apple slices will last in the fridge for 3 days. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent them from browning.
Broccoli
Broccoli is definitely one of the best first food choices for your baby. This green cruciferous veggie has been shown to lower cholesterol, aid in detoxification, rebuild vitamin D stores, and help combat inflammation. Steaming ensures the broccoli retains the most nutrients and that it won’t become too mushy — a characteristic many kiddos frown upon.
How to Make Broccoli for Baby Food Puree
Place 2 cups of broccoli florets in a steamer basket over boiling water and steam for 10-12 minutes until tender. Transfer to a blender and puree for 1-2 minutes, adding 1/4 cup of liquid (water, breastmilk, or formula) until you have a creamy puree. Here are some more amazing broccoli recipes: Broccoli + Chives Baby Food Puree and Broccoli + Olive Oil Puree Baby Food Recipe.
How to Serve Broccoli for Baby-Led Weaning
Place a 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 them cool and serve to your baby in florets or chopped up into pea-sized pieces. Here is a recipe for my fav roasted broccoli for baby.
Salmon
Wild-caught salmon is one of the world’s healthiest foods. This is because it is packed with vitamins and minerals like vitamins D and B-12 and omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, salmon is one of the best sources of omega-3s! Combined, these nutrients help improve bone health, boost brain function, promote a healthy heart, and reduce ADHD symptoms in children.
How to Make Salmon Baby Food Puree
I used grilled salmon as that is what I had on hand, but any cooked salmon would work. Place 1/4 cup of cooked salmon along with 1 cup of cooked sweet potato or squash into a blender and puree for 1-2 minutes, adding 1/4 cup of liquids (water, breast milk, or formula) until smooth. You can use any fruit or veggie your baby prefers in this recipe. Adding another veggie to the puree also helps the salmon blend into a nice, smooth puree.
How to Serve Salmon 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 your baby eat them with their hand or with this baby-led weaning fork.
Yogurt
Plain, whole milk yogurt is also a tasty first food for babies. Produced by the bacterial fermentation of cow’s milk, yogurt is full of beneficial probiotics that improve digestion and constipation that help keep our gut in good working order. Yogurt is also high in protein (especially Greek or skyr varieties) and calcium, helping our bones and teeth stay healthy and strong.
Whole milk yogurt is recommended over low fat because fat helps with brain development. Plus, fat and protein can help maintain fullness for longer. Yogurt has also been shown to help improve blood sugar control (the plain variety, not the sweetened, fruit, or vanilla flavored) and help reduce total cholesterol levels while increasing our “good” HDL cholesterol. It’s best to avoid any flavored yogurt at this age so your baby does not get too much sugar. You can also serve your baby plain goat’s milk as a nice alternative to cow’s milk yogurt. I recommend waiting to serve plant-based yogurts to your baby until 7 months, but keep in mind; they will not have the same nuritent profile as dairy yogurts.
How to Make Yogurt Baby Food Puree
Place a small spoonful in a bowl and serve to baby.
How to Serve Yogurt for Baby-Led Weaning
Place a small spoonful of yogurt into a bowl, load up this self-feeding GOOtensil with a small amount of yogurt, and hand it to your baby.
Banana
Bananas and babies are pretty much synonymous. Bananas are sweet, mushy, and easy to digest, so they are ideal as first foods for babies. They are a good source of potassium and fiber, and here’s the best part: you don’t have to peel, chop, steam, or puree them. Just peel, pinch with your (clean) finger, and then serve! Spoons are totally optional. Older babies love to squish bananas on their own with a little pincer grasp. But beware of messy banana on bibs, faces, high chair trays, clothing, the floor, the dog, your hair. Oh, bananas! Many a happy baby has gobbled, gulped, and giggled his way through those first delicious bites of bananas! 🍌
How to Make Banana Baby Food Puree
Take a ripe banana and peel. Place half of it on a cutting board, and mash with the back of a fork until it’s rich and creamy.
How to Serve Banana 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 to give your baby a handle to hold onto. Hand your baby the stem part of the banana for them to hold onto while they eat it.
Looking for more banana recipes for your baby? I’ve got you covered: BANANA BABY FOOD – 8 WAYS (PUREE & BABY-LED WEANING)
Squash
Squash comes in many delicious varieties and is one of the healthiest first food for babies. Delicata, Acorn, Hubbard, Kabocha, and Butternut are all part of the winter squash family and are all high in carotenoids, a special class of antioxidants that may help prevent cancer and inflammation. Winter squash may also help regulate blood sugar, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and improve mood, thanks to its high content of mood-boosting Omega-3 fatty acids. Plus, winter squash has a robust, naturally sweet taste that babies will enjoy year-round.
How to Make Squash Baby Food Puree
Place 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 liquid (water, breastmilk, or formula) in 1/4 cup increments until creamy. You can use frozen or precut squash to make your life a little easier.
How to Serve Squash for Baby-Led Weaning
Cut long strips of squash and place them in a steamer basket over boiling water. Steam for 8-10 minutes until tender. Let them cool and serve. I love using this crinkle cutter to make veggies easier for my baby to grip.
Green Beans
In just one serving of green beans, your baby will be getting a nice big dose of essential nutrients. These nutrients can help prevent various conditions, including asthma, ear infections, and even the common cold and flu! Although green beans have a rich, green color, they also provide your baby with carotenoids, normally found in vibrantly colored orange fruits and veggies. These carotenoids are potent health-supporting antioxidants that will help keep your baby free from illness!
How to Make Green Beans Baby Food 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 1/4 cup liquid (water, breastmilk, or formula) if needed until smooth. Here are some more awesome green bean puree recipes: Green Bean + Basil Baby Food Puree, Green Bean + Coconut Oil Organic Baby Food Puree, and Green Beans + Parsley Baby Food Puree.
How to Serve Green Beans 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 them cool. If they are too long, cut them in half before serving to baby.
10 Best First Foods for Baby
Ingredients
- 1/4 avocado
- 1 large egg
- 1-2 medium sweet potatoes
- 1-3 apples, such as gala, fuji or honeycrisp
- 1-2 cups broccoli florets
- 1/4 cooked salmon
- 1-2 tbsp yogurt, plain whole fat or 2% fat
- 1/2 ripe banana
- 1-2 cups squash
- 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.
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 an 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 a 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 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.
Squash for Baby
- For Puree: Place 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 long strips of squash 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.
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.
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
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.
Great recipe starter. Thank you for the tips.
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.