Brei and starting solids: the traditional approach to weaning

6-9 months · Feeding · Reviewed 20 June 2026 · All articles

Around six months of age, your baby is ready to start exploring flavours and textures beyond breast milk or formula. In Germany, this milestone has traditionally been approached through a structured system of smooth purees called Brei - a word that translates roughly as "porridge" or "mash" and covers a wide range of smooth, spoonable foods prepared at home or bought ready-made. The three-Brei method, promoted by the Bundeszentrale fur Ernahrung (BZfE, Germany's federal nutrition authority), offers a practical step-by-step framework that aligns well with current WHO guidance and the nutritional science of infant feeding. This article explains how it works, what to cook, and how to adapt it to your family's own preferences and values.

What is Brei?

Brei simply means a smooth, soft, spoonable food. In the context of infant feeding it covers everything from a plain single-vegetable puree to a more complex combination of vegetable, starchy food, protein, and fat that makes up the midday meal. The texture should be smooth enough that an infant with no teeth can gum and swallow it safely - typically the consistency of thick yogurt or slightly thicker.

The Brei approach sits within a tradition of puree-led weaning that was the dominant recommendation across much of Western Europe for decades. It contrasts with baby-led weaning (BLW), which skips purees entirely and offers soft pieces of family food from the start. Both approaches can be done safely and nutritionally soundly; the Brei method simply offers greater parental control over exact ingredients and quantities in the early months, which some parents find reassuring.

Brei can be prepared at home using fresh, seasonal ingredients and a hand blender, or purchased ready-made in glass jars from the Drogerie or supermarket. Commercially made Brei in Germany is tightly regulated: jars must meet strict limits on pesticide residues, nitrate content, salt, and sugar, and must not contain additives. For parents who prefer ready-made options for convenience, the jar-based products are a nutritionally acceptable choice.

Signs of readiness

The WHO recommends starting complementary foods at "around six months" of age. The BZfE and the German Society for Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ) translate this as "not before the start of the fifth month and not later than the start of the seventh month." Most babies will be ready somewhere between five and a half and six and a half months.

Age alone is not a reliable guide. Look for the following signs of developmental readiness before introducing any solid food:

• Head control: your baby can hold their head steadily upright without support, or with minimal support in a reclining highchair.
• Interest in food: your baby watches others eating with intense curiosity, reaches toward food, or opens their mouth when they see a spoon approaching.
• Loss of tongue-thrust reflex: the automatic reflex that pushes objects out of the mouth is present at birth to protect the airway, but fades between four and six months. If your baby consistently pushes everything out with their tongue, they are not yet ready.
• Sitting with support: your baby can sit upright (in a highchair or bouncer) without slumping, allowing safe swallowing.

Waking at night, chewing fists, and wanting extra milk are not reliable signs of readiness for solids - they reflect normal developmental phases. If your baby is doing all of the above before four months, speak to your paediatrician rather than starting solids early, as the gut and kidneys are not yet mature enough to handle them safely.

The three-Brei method: a step-by-step guide

The three-Brei approach introduces solid food in a carefully sequenced way over approximately three months, with each new Brei replacing one milk feed. Milk - breast or formula - remains the primary food throughout this period.

Step 1 - the Mittagsbrei (midday vegetable-potato-meat puree)

The first Brei is introduced at lunchtime and is a savoury puree combining:

• Vegetables: start with mild, low-nitrate vegetables such as carrot, parsnip, courgette, sweet potato, or pumpkin. Introduce one at a time. Spinach, rocket, and beetroot are high in nitrates and are best avoided before seven months.
• Potato or other starchy food: potato or rice provide energy-dense carbohydrate and give the Brei a thicker, more satiating consistency.
• Meat (optional but nutritionally important): two to three tablespoons of lean, finely pureed meat (beef, chicken, lamb, turkey) added to the midday Brei provides haem iron, which is far better absorbed than the non-haem iron in plant foods. The BZfE specifically recommends including meat in the Mittagsbrei because iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the first year of life.
• A small amount of vegetable oil: a teaspoon of rapeseed oil (Rapsol) provides essential fatty acids and significantly improves the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins from the vegetables.

Start with two to three tablespoons of a single-vegetable puree and offer it once a day, at lunchtime if possible. Gradually build up the quantity over two to three weeks until the full portion (around 180-200 g) replaces the midday milk feed. Introduce one new vegetable at a time every three to four days.

Step 2 - the Milch-Getreide-Brei (milk and cereal puree, evening)

Once the Mittagsbrei is established (usually after four to six weeks), introduce the Milch-Getreide-Brei as an evening meal. This is a simpler preparation: a cereal (oat flakes, wheat semolina, spelt flakes, or millet) cooked with breast milk or formula or whole cow's milk, giving a warm, creamy porridge. The evening timing makes practical sense - the dense, calorie-rich meal often helps babies settle for the night.

The Milch-Getreide-Brei is notable because it introduces whole cow's milk into the diet in cooked form - even for breastfed babies. This is safe from six months onward, though whole cow's milk should not replace breast milk or formula as the main drink before twelve months. The quantity is modest (around 200 ml of milk used to cook the porridge) and introduces the baby to dairy protein gradually.

Oats and wheat are among the most nutritious choices: oats provide beta-glucan fibre and a good mineral profile; wheat semolina is the classic German Griessbre. Rice-only porridges provide less nutritional value and are lower in iron, so they should not be the sole cereal used.

Step 3 - the Obst-Getreide-Brei (fruit and cereal puree, as a third meal)

The third Brei, introduced after the Milch-Getreide-Brei is established, combines fruit puree with cereal flakes. Typical fruits include apple, pear, banana, mango, and peach. The natural sweetness of fruit makes this Brei highly palatable for most babies. It is typically offered mid-morning or early afternoon, depending on the family's routine, and over time replaces a milk feed.

A key nutritional benefit of the Obst-Getreide-Brei is vitamin C from the fruit, which significantly enhances iron absorption from the cereal. If you are using an oat-based cereal and adding orange juice or puree, the iron bioavailability of the meal is meaningfully improved.

By the time all three Breis are established - typically around nine months - milk feeds will have reduced to two to three per day, the baby will be eating a varied diet of vegetables, starch, protein, dairy, and fruit, and the family can begin to transition toward more textured family foods alongside the purees.

Introducing allergens early

Current evidence from large clinical trials - including the LEAP trial for peanuts and EAT trial for multiple allergens - has transformed guidance on allergen introduction. Deliberately delaying allergens beyond seven months is now known to increase rather than decrease the risk of food allergy. Current guidance from the DGKJ and the European Society for Paediatric Allergology and Clinical Immunology (ESPACI) recommends:

• Introduce common allergens - including egg, peanut, tree nuts (as smooth paste), fish, sesame, and wheat - from around six months.
• Introduce one new food at a time, in a small amount, and wait two to three days before the next new allergen.
• Once tolerated, continue to offer the food regularly to maintain tolerance.
• Babies with severe eczema or an existing known food allergy should be assessed by a paediatrician or allergist before starting allergen introduction, as their risk profile may require a supervised approach.

Practically within the three-Brei framework, allergen introduction can happen alongside the regular Brei progression. A small amount of well-cooked egg, for example, can be stirred into the Mittagsbrei on the relevant day. Smooth peanut butter can be mixed into the Obst-Getreide-Brei. This integrates allergens naturally into foods the baby already enjoys.

Iron-rich first foods and key nutrients

Iron deserves special attention at the weaning stage. Babies are born with iron stores built up from maternal blood during pregnancy, but these stores begin to deplete around six months of age - exactly when solid foods begin. Breast milk is low in iron, and formula-fed babies have been receiving iron-fortified formula throughout. At weaning, dietary iron becomes important for all babies.

The most bioavailable iron sources for babies are haem iron from meat and fish. Two to three tablespoons of finely pureed beef, lamb, or chicken in the daily Mittagsbrei makes a significant contribution to the recommended intake. For families following a vegetarian or vegan diet, non-haem iron from legumes, tofu, fortified cereals, and leafy greens can provide adequate iron if combined consistently with vitamin-C-rich foods at every meal to maximise absorption. Discuss supplementation with your paediatrician if you are raising your baby on a plant-based diet.

Other key nutrients to keep in mind during weaning include vitamin D (supplementation is recommended throughout the first year in Germany regardless of diet), iodine (use iodised salt sparingly in family food from twelve months; consider an iodine supplement if you are breastfeeding a baby not yet on solids), and omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish introduced from six months onward.

Baby-led weaning as an alternative

Baby-led weaning (BLW) is an approach to starting solids in which purees are skipped and the baby instead self-feeds on soft, age-appropriate pieces of family food from the beginning. The baby controls how much they eat, when they stop, and what textures they explore. Proponents argue that BLW promotes autonomy, exposure to varied textures, and family mealtime inclusion. The evidence base for BLW has grown considerably in the past decade.

BLW and the Brei approach are not mutually exclusive. Many families in Germany use a combined approach: offering a spoon-fed Brei as the main nutritional vehicle in the early weeks while also offering soft finger foods during family mealtimes. This combination can provide the nutritional reliability of the puree method with the texture exposure and autonomy-building of BLW.

If you use finger foods from the start, ensure they are soft enough to mash between your fingers, appropriately sized (baton-shaped for palmar grasp, or large enough not to be swallowed whole), and that you never leave your baby unsupported during a meal. Do not be alarmed by gagging - it is a normal protective reflex and very different from choking. Learning to distinguish the two is valuable preparation for any weaning approach.

Foods to avoid before twelve months

Several foods are specifically unsuitable for babies under twelve months:

• Honey: never give honey in any form before twelve months. It can contain Clostridium botulinum spores that produce toxin in the infant gut, causing infant botulism - a rare but serious condition. Pasteurisation does not destroy the spores.
• Added salt: baby kidneys cannot yet process excess sodium. Do not add salt to any food prepared for a baby under twelve months, and check labels on any commercial product for hidden salt.
• Added sugar: avoid added sugar in baby food. Natural sugars in fruit and vegetables are fine; avoid sweetening Brei with honey, sugar, or syrup.
• Whole nuts and large seeds: a choking hazard for children under five. Smooth nut butters and finely ground seeds are safe from six months when used as an allergen introduction.
• Cow's milk as a main drink: fine in cooking and Brei from six months, but should not replace breast milk or formula as the main drink before twelve months because its protein-to-nutrient ratio is not suited to this role at this age.
• Shark, swordfish, and marlin: high mercury content makes these unsuitable for young children. Other oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout) are excellent choices.
• Raw or undercooked eggs: ensure eggs are fully cooked until both yolk and white are set.
• Rice drinks: rice-based plant milks contain inorganic arsenic at levels that are not appropriate for infants or young children.

Frequently asked questions

When should I start introducing Brei to my baby?

The WHO recommends starting complementary foods at around six months of age, alongside continued breastfeeding or formula. No earlier than the start of the fifth month and no later than the start of the seventh month is the range used in German guidance. Watch for signs of readiness: your baby can hold their head steadily, sits with minimal support, shows interest in food, and has lost the tongue-thrust reflex that automatically pushes solids out of the mouth.

What is the three-Brei method?

The three-Brei method, widely used in German-speaking countries and recommended by the Bundeszentrale fur Ernahrung (BZfE), introduces solid food through three complementary purees over roughly three months. The Mittagsbrei (midday puree) comes first and is a savoury vegetable, potato, and meat puree. The Milch-Getreide-Brei (milk and cereal puree) replaces an evening milk feed about four to six weeks later. The Obst-Getreide-Brei (fruit and cereal puree) is introduced as a third meal after that. Each Brei gradually displaces one milk feed while keeping the rest of the milk diet intact.

Should I introduce allergens early?

Current evidence strongly supports early and repeated introduction of common allergens, including egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish, sesame, and wheat, starting from around six months. Deliberately delaying allergen introduction beyond seven months is associated with higher rates of food allergy. Introduce one new food at a time, in a small amount, and wait two to three days before introducing the next new food so that any reaction can be identified clearly. Babies with severe eczema or an existing food allergy should be discussed with a paediatrician before allergen introduction.

What foods should I avoid before my baby turns one?

Honey should be completely avoided before 12 months due to the risk of infant botulism. Added salt should not be used in baby food - the kidneys cannot yet process it. Whole nuts are a choking hazard and should not be given until at least age five (finely ground nut butters or pastes are fine from six months if introduced as an allergen). Cow's milk should not replace breast milk or formula as the main drink before 12 months, though small amounts in cooking or mixed into Brei are fine from six months. Shark, swordfish, and marlin should be avoided due to high mercury levels.