First Food Ideas for Babies

After the excitement of those first bites fade away it can be difficult to find inspiration on

where to go from there. We want to establish all these great routines around feeding time, introduce exciting flavours, ensure the textures and tastes are varied but avoid allergies and choking hazards and quite understandably, it can be quite overwhelming!

Here are some ideas for first foods depending on which approach to complementary feeding you take:

PURÉES

Use cooking water, breast milk, formula (or cow’s milk after 6 months) to create a smooth consistency.

• Broccoli

• Avocado

• Apple

• Butternut Squash

• Sweet potato and lentil

• Chicken and garlic

• Pea and mint

• White fish* and potato

FINGER FOODS

These should be given alongside purée from 6 months.

• Toast fingers*

• Steamed carrot batons

• Pieces of banana

• Avocado slices (with the skin on for grip)

• Oven baked salmon*

• Steamed green beans

• Melon (with the skin on for grip)

• Peach and nectarine slices

BABY LED WEANING

By 6 months of age baby’s immune and digestive system has matured enough to deal with most foods. If you are following the BLW approach, baby can eat the same as you providing you make a few adaptions:

• Food should be easy to handle with size and shape being appropriate for baby to manage.

• Avoid foods containing added salt, sugar and artificial flavourings, colourings.

• Cook nutritious homemade food so you know what has gone into your meal.

• Avoid foods that are a choking risk (make adaptions where necessary).

• Provide a wide variety of foods with different flavours.

• Meat should be cut or torn into long strips or chunks to make it easier to hold.

• Boiling or steaming hard vegetables and fruit is good. Remember that some vegetables shrink when you roast them so cut them into large strips.

*High risk of potential allergy foods - introduce them following advice of a professional.