The Best First Foods For Babies | Pediatric Dietitian explains

Many parents ask, “ How to start solids and what are the best food to start solids with?” In the long run, the very first food does not make a huge imprint on the rest of a baby’s starting solids journey when they start at 6 months. Hear us out…☝🏼 🥦When baby starts solids at 6 months , prioritizing nutrient dense foods consistently such as high-calorie, high-iron and zinc rich foods for babies, and foods with a variety of safe textures is important. There’s no denying it! We talk about safe first foods to offer with a baby led weaning approach, and why we recommend specific first foods in the in the video. But realistically, the very first (singular) foods for baby is just a small stepping stone to helping your little one develop the skills to continue to eat others. 🍌 What will make a large imprint on your baby’s starting solids journey is: 💚 You feeling relaxed, confident, and educated on choking hazards, gagging vs choking, and how to offer foods safely to a 6 month old.💚 Your baby mirroring your confident, calm approach and excitement about the food.💚 You following your baby’s cues and responding to whether they would like more or when they are done. This is called responsive feeding for babies and helps support them to eat intuitively.💚 Offering foods your family eats that are culturally significant and accessible to you.💚 Knowing how to offer a variety of foods safely. These first food picks from our team are just some examples and to show there’s no “perfect” way to do it! 🍌Offer a first food that you feel comfortable with. Our team loves these: Animal-based iron rich first foods for babies: Ground beef with tomato sauce Minced chicken or turkey in a sodium-free broth Eggs (for allergen introduction) Plant-based first foods for babies: Iron-fortified oat cereal Tofu Sweet potato Banana Broccoli Cooked carrot We thought this first foods list would be a great way to start you off ! 🥑 We also have some great baby led weaning meal plans to take the mental load out of starting solids. Save this video for starting solids inspiration, and download the BLW Meals app (free!) through the 📲 link in our bio to get your own “how-to” manual for feeding your 6 month old baby 💚 Send this video to a friend who’s starting solids with their baby! 📬