Food Prep by Age

When solids begin, many babies do best with smooth purees, mashed foods, or very soft pieces that collapse easily between your fingers. Iron-rich foods can be blended, minced, mashed, or mixed into a familiar base.

Good starter formats include iron-fortified oatmeal thinned with breast milk, formula, or water; mashed avocado; soft cooked sweet potato; pureed lentils; finely shredded moist chicken; or flaked boneless fish mixed into a puree.

As skills improve, move gradually from smooth to thicker mashed foods and soft lumps. A baby who can sit upright and bring food to the mouth may practice with soft finger foods in safe shapes.

Use foods that squish easily: ripe banana strips, very soft cooked vegetable sticks, soft omelet strips, shredded meat mixed with sauce, or toast strips spread thinly with a safe topping. Avoid hard cubes, slippery rounds, and sticky clumps.

Many babies can handle more varied textures near the end of the first year, but family foods still need modification. Keep foods low in added salt and sugar, and change shape for choking-prone items.

Quarter grapes lengthwise, finely chop or shred meat, cook firm vegetables until soft, remove fish bones carefully, thin nut or seed butters, and avoid whole nuts, popcorn, hard candies, raw hard vegetable chunks, and other high-risk shapes.