Whether you are feeding your baby store bought baby food, homemade or a combination, introduce each food the same way.
- Start with iron-rich foods.
- Introduce one new food at a time. That way, if your baby develops an allergic reaction, you’ll have a better idea of what food might have caused it. When introducing a food that is a common allergen, wait two days before introducing another food that is a common allergen. For information on food allergies see our article, Wondering about Food Allergies?
- Start with one to two teaspoons of food and gradually offer more according to your baby’s appetite. Let your baby decide how much to eat.
- It can take 15 to 20 tries of a new food before your baby learns to like it. Offer new foods many times.
- Your baby’s first food will likely be pureed. After a few weeks, gradually change the texture. See our page on baby food textures for more information.
- Babies don’t need extra salt, sugar or other sweeteners.
- Try to avoid highly processed foods that are high in sugar or salt.
Safety Tips
- Before feeding your baby check the temperature of food to prevent burns.
- If you warmed it in the microwave, stir it well to prevent hot spots.
- As your baby learns to eat, they will sometimes gag and can be at risk for choking.
- The tables below have tips for preparing safe food for your baby. You can also see our page on baby food textures.
- Do not give your baby honey in any form (raw, pasteurized or cooked in food) until after their first birthday. Honey may cause botulism, a type of food poisoning that can make your baby very sick. Their immune system is not developed enough to fight it until after 12 months.
The tables below show examples of how to incorporate starting solids with breastfeeding/chestfeeding or formula feeding throughout the day from six to 12 months of age.
* formula, with iron
** iron-rich foods: poultry, beef, eggs, legumes, infant cereal
What foods have iron?
At six months, your baby should start with iron-rich foods because their iron level is becoming low. Iron is important for healthy red blood cells and brain development.
- Chicken, turkey
- Venison
- Beef
- Bison
- Pork
- Lamb
- Veal
- Wild meats
Health and Safety Tips:
- Remove skin and bones from the meat.
- Boil, microwave or steam the meat to cook it.
- Use the cooking water, breast milk/chest milk or formula to blend the meat to the right texture for your baby.
Ideas for Preparing:
Cook all meats to their safe internal temperature.
Processed meats are high in salt and contain additives. Try to avoid giving them to your baby.
These include:
- ham
- bacon
- deli meat (e.g. salami, bologna)
- wieners and sausages are a choking hazard. If you do give wieners or sausages, prepare them safely by cutting them into four sections lengthwise and then into bite-sized pieces. This video shows you how.
- Tofu
- Beans
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Split peas
- Nuts
- Seeds
Health and Safety Tips:
If the legumes (beans, peas, lentils) are dried, cook according to the directions on the package.
Canned legumes are already cooked. Just drain and rinse well.
Ideas for Preparing:
Use breastmilk/chest milk or formula to blend or mash beans, lentils or peas to the right texture for your baby.
Ideas for Preparing:
- Cook eggs until the yolk is firm.
- Offer your baby mashed hard-boiled eggs or scrambled eggs
Health and Safety Tips:
- Do not feed your baby undercooked (runny) eggs or foods that have raw or undercooked eggs (such as raw cookie dough, cake batter).
- Cook eggs to a safe internal temperature.
Ideas for Preparing:
- Start with a single-grain cereal such as rice, barley or oatmeal.
- Then offer mixed grain cereal.
- Prepare by following the directions on the package.
Health and Safety Tips:
Avoid adult cereals as they do not have as much iron as iron-fortified infant cereals.
Ideas for Preparing:
- Choose boneless fish such as white fish, salmon and light canned tuna.
- Remove skin and bones before cooking.
- Fresh fish can be poached, broiled or baked.
- To puree fish, use the water that fish was cooked in, breast milk/chest milk or infant formula. Blend until you have the right texture for your baby.
Health and Safety Tips:
- Cook fish to the safe internal temperature.
- Mercury can affect your baby’s developing brain. Limit fish high in mercury to once a month. These include:
- canned “white” albacore tuna
- orange roughy
- escolar
- marlin
- fresh or frozen tuna steak
- swordfish
- shark
Once your baby is enjoying a variety of iron-rich foods, they are ready to try other foods such as vegetables, fruit, grains and milk products.
Vegetables, such as:
- Broccoli
- Potatoes
- Squash
- Peas
- Carrots
Ideas for Preparing:
Vegetables can be:
- fresh
- frozen
- canned
To Prepare vegetables:
- Fresh vegetables – wash, peel, remove any pits or seeds, and cut into small pieces.
- Cook vegetables until soft in water on the stove or in the microwave.
- To puree vegetables, use the cooking water, breast milk/chest milk or infant formula. Blend until you have the right texture for your baby.
- For a lumpier texture, vegetables can be mashed.
Health and Safety Tips:
About canned vegetables:
- choose unsalted products or
- rinse vegetables to remove some of the salt.
- Bananas
- Pears
- Peaches
- Plumbs
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Cantaloupe
- Kiwi
Ideas for Preparing:
Fruit can be:
- fresh
- frozen
- canned (choose unsweetened)
- cooked (such as applesauce)
Prepare fruit:
- Wash, peel, remove any pits or seeds.
- Soft fruit can be mashed with a fork.
- Cut into bite-sized pieces or strips
Health and Safety Tips:
- When buying canned fruit or applesauce look for products that are unsweetened, in their own juice and not in syrup.
- Avoid giving babies fruit juice which is high in sugar. Babies get all the fluids they need from breastmilk/chest milk or formula.
- Grapes and cherries are common choking hazards. Be sure to cut them into four bite-sized pieces to keep your child safe. This video shows you how.
- Cooked barley
- Brown or wild rice
- Oats
- Bulgar
- Quinoa
- Whole grain breads
- Bagels
- Pasta
- Couscous
- Pancakes
- Unsalted crackers
- Iron-fortified cereals
Ideas for Preparing:
- When grocery shopping, look for labels that say, “whole grain,” “whole wheat flour” or “whole rye.”
- Once your baby has been introduced to individual grains, fruits and vegetables, make things yummier by mixing flavours. Add vegetables, fruit, herbs or spices to cereals and grains.
Health and Safety Tips:
When choosing grains, try to avoid highly processed foods that are high in sugar and/or salt such as:
- Sauces (spaghetti sauce, soya sauce, ketchup)
- Spreads (jam or peanut butter with added sugar)
- Pasta with premade sauces
- Breakfast cereals
- Milk products
- Plain yogurt
- Cottage cheese
- Other types of cheese
Ideas for Preparing:
- From six months, your baby can have milk products such as yogurt and harder cheese. Grate or cut hard cheese into thin slices to make it easier to eat.
- Click here to find out when you can offer water, milk, and plant-based beverages.
Health and Safety Tips:
- Make sure the milk products and cheese are pasteurized. Some soft cheeses (feta, brie, blue cheese, etc.) can be unpasteurized.
- Unpasteurized milk and cheese may contain bacteria and are not safe for babies (because they have immature immune systems).
Ideas for Preparing:
- Wait until your baby is nine months old and eating a variety of iron-rich foods before giving whole milk. Babies and children under two should be given whole milk.
- The label should read homogenized 3.25% MF (milk fat).
Health and Safety Tips:
- Always use pasteurized cow’s milk. Unpasteurized milk can have bacteria which can make your child sick.
- Whole milk (3.25% MF) provides the fat and nutrients that children two and under need to help their brains and bodies grow.
- Wait until your child is at least two years old before giving: 2% MF cow’s milk
any other low fat milk, plain fortified soy beverage, almond or rice beverage. See Fluids for more information.
Check out this video from Nationwide Children’s Hospital on how to cut up foods that are common choking hazards like grapes, cherries and hot dogs.
Note: Other videos may be recommended by the host channel (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo). These suggestions may be based on your personal search history and other factors. The Manitoba Government does not control these suggestions and is not responsible for and may not endorse the content.
Note: Other videos may be recommended by the host channel (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo). These suggestions may be based on your personal search history and other factors. The Manitoba Government does not control these suggestions and is not responsible for and may not endorse the content.
References and more information:
Questions?
The Dial-a-Dietitian phone number is currently redirected to Health Links-Info Santé. You can leave a message with a nurse and a dietitian will return your call.
If you have a nutrition or food question, call Dial-a-Dietitian Manitoba at 204-788-8248 in Winnipeg or 1-877-830-2892. The Dial-a-Dietitian phone number is currently redirected to Health Links-Info Santé. You can leave a message with a nurse and a dietitian will return your call.
