Baby’s First Foods: From Formula to Starting Solids

General guidelines for transitioning your baby from milk or formula to solids.

Baby eating first foods

0-12 Months – Milk & Formula

During your baby’s first year, breastmilk and/or formula should be their primary source of nutrition—exclusively at first, and eventually alongside solid foods. Formula and breastmilk provide all the vitamins, nutrients, and calories your baby needs, and newborns aren’t physically ready to eat solid foods.

6+ Months – Introducing Solids

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends introducing solid foods around six months. Your baby may be ready if they can:

  • Sit up on their own
  • Open their mouth for food
  • Reach for toys or food
  • Control their head and neck

At six months, your baby might also be ready to start drinking from a cup.

First Foods for Your Baby

Whether you puree your own foods or choose store-bought baby foods, start with single ingredients, introducing one new food at a time and waiting 3–5 days before introducing another. This helps you identify food preferences and possible allergies.

Popular first foods include:

  • Peas, carrots, bananas, cooked apples
  • Pureed meats
  • Rice cereal or other fortified single-grain infant cereals (oat, barley, rice) mixed with water, formula, or breast milk

As your baby becomes familiar with smooth purees, you can experiment with food combinations, thicker textures, and mashed foods like avocado or sweet potatoes.

Introducing Potentially Allergenic Foods

Discuss food allergies with your pediatrician. Generally, high-allergy foods can be introduced alongside other solids, one at a time:

  • Eggs
  • Fish and shellfish
  • Tree nuts (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc.)
  • Peanuts
  • Wheat
  • Soy
  • Sesame

8+ Months – Starting Finger Foods

If your baby reaches for the spoon, it’s time for finger foods. Offer small, soft pieces that dissolve easily in the mouth, like:

  • Tofu
  • Soft cheese
  • Scrambled eggs
  • Well-cooked pasta

Continue a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, avoiding fibrous or skin-on foods and round foods like whole grapes or cherry tomatoes that could be choking hazards.

Encourage family meals: babies are more likely to try foods they see family members eating.

12+ Months – Feeding Your Toddler

By around one year, you may transition your child off breastmilk or infant formula. Options include toddler formula, cow’s milk, or water (limit juice to 4–6 oz/day). Your toddler will likely show food preferences, but keep offering a variety to develop healthy eating habits. It can take 12–17 exposures for a child to accept a new food.

Watch for choking hazards such as popcorn, nut butters, whole nuts, whole beans, hot dogs, marshmallows, and round foods like berries and cherries.

Experts advise avoiding honey for infants under 12 months and recommend limiting added sugars for toddlers. By this stage, your toddler should be eating a varied diet of nutritious, whole foods, similar to the rest of the family. Encourage exploration of flavors, textures, and seasonings, and explain how foods help their body grow strong and healthy.