The First Foods I Introduced My Baby To

When I had my second baby last year, I knew I wanted to start baby food as soon as possible. What I didn’t realize was that babies don’t have to start on baby food. Especially now that Baby Led Weaning is becoming more popular, there are several options when it comes to making sure your baby is getting the appropriate nutrients they need. These are the most common foods I have used as soon as my son was able to start eating baby food. Please keep in mind that all babies are different and I did talk to his pediatrician before starting him on any type of food. Another thing to remember is there is a safe way to do baby led weaning. Please never leave your child unattended while giving them these foods.

Asparagus

This one was pretty easy to do. After rinsing off the asparagus, I do a light coat of olive oil and sprinkle some Mrs. Dash seasoning on them. Then I hand toss the asparagus to make sure the pieces are completely coated. This is a food that you don’t have to cut and can give your child in full pieces. Even without teeth, your baby will be able to gnaw on the asparagus, allow them to get used to the texture as well as suck some of the nutrients out.

You can cook the asparagus on a pan and place it in the oven at 425 degrees until they are to your liking. My son likes his a bit crispy.

Mrs. Dash seasoning is a seasoning that does not have any salt in it. Salt and sugar are definitely items you don’t want your baby to have too much of. I normally use their Garlic & Herb, Onion & Herb, or the original blend.

Zucchini

Zucchini is an easy one as well. You can prepare it the nearly same way as the asparagus, however with this one not only will you want to use a potato peeler to take the skin off, but, you will also want to cut it into longer spear shapes. Sprinkle a bit of olive oil as well as the Mrs. Dash seasoning.

Cook the zucchini in the oven at 425 degrees until soft. Your child can easily use their gums to gnaw and munch on these.

GoGo squeeZ Fruit on the Go

This one is almost like feeding your baby pureed baby food. It comes in easy squeeze packets for on the go snacks. My son does not like the pureed baby food, but he does like these. There is no special way to prepare it, as it’s already made.

Steak

I know you probably read that and asked “what?”. This one is easy to do as well. You can cook the steak as normal and cut it into longer strips so your baby can hold the pieces. Cutting this in longer strips also helps prevent your baby from choking. Once you cut it, your baby will gnaw and much to get the juices out of the steak, which will provide the nutrients.

Gerber Graduates Lil Crunchies

My son's doctor suggested these when we went in one time. These dissolve easily and provide a fun taste for your child. They come in different flavors allowing a bit of variety for your baby. There is no need to prepare as it is ready to go. With this one, you definitely want to make sure you keep an eye on your child. Even though they dissolve easily, your child can still choke.

Osem Bamba Peanut Snacks for Babies -

These are very similar to the lil crunchies. They do dissolve easily, but I waited until my baby was about 6 months old. They are peanut butter flavored and my baby seems to love them.

Gerber Puffs

Gerber puffs are little cereal pieces that dissolve easily. You can give your baby about a handful of these. They come in a variety of flavors.

As with any food you want to try on your baby, please check with your pediatrician before introducing food. Also make sure you don’t try too many new foods at once, as you will want to make sure your baby doesn’t have any allergies to any of the foods you try to introduce to your child. You can check with your pediatrician on how often to try new foods, but as a general guideline, I wait a few days before introducing new foods.

If your child is anything like mine, baby-led weaning may be for you. It provided me the comfort I needed when my child would not take the normal baby foods that were offered to him. You just have to go about it right and keep an eye on your baby.