First foods for babies: what to give at the start of weaning
The first spoonful of solid food is a milestone that feels both exciting and a little daunting. Which foods should you start with? How much should you give? And how do you know whether your baby is actually swallowing anything at all? This guide draws on NHS Start4Life and NHS weaning guidance to give you a clear, practical picture of what to offer at the very beginning of weaning, why those choices matter, and what to expect in those first weeks.
Why first food choices matter
The foods a baby encounters in the first weeks of weaning can shape their food preferences for years to come. Research cited by the NHS suggests that repeated exposure to a wide range of flavours early in life increases the chance of a child accepting a varied diet as they grow. This is one reason NHS Start4Life guidance recommends starting with vegetables before moving on to sweeter tastes. Babies are born preferring sweetness, so there is no need to encourage that preference. Bitter, savoury, and earthy flavours, by contrast, take more exposure to become accepted, and the earlier they are introduced, the better the outcome tends to be.
None of this means that getting first foods right is high stakes in a stressful sense. Most of what a baby eats in the first weeks of weaning will end up on their bib, the highchair tray, or the floor. The goal at this stage is exploration and gradual acceptance, not nutrition. Breast milk or infant formula remains the primary source of nutrients until around 12 months, so there is no need to worry if early meals seem more playful than productive.
NHS-recommended first foods: what to offer and how to prepare them
NHS Start4Life recommends a set of first foods that are easy to prepare, naturally soft, and well-suited to a baby's developing digestive system. The main categories are:
- Soft cooked vegetables: Carrot, parsnip, sweet potato, and butternut squash are among the most commonly recommended. These should be peeled, chopped into small pieces, and steamed or boiled until very soft, then mashed or pureed to a consistency your baby can manage.
- Soft cooked fruit: Apple and pear work well when peeled, cored, cooked until tender, and mashed. Peach can also be used when peeled, stoned, and cooked or very ripe.
- Soft or mashed ripe fruit that needs no cooking: Ripe banana, ripe avocado, and papaya can be mashed directly and offered without any heat. These are among the easiest first foods to prepare quickly.
- Cereal-based first foods: Plain baby rice or oat porridge, mixed with your baby's usual breast milk or infant formula to a smooth, runny consistency, are a familiar and gentle option that many families use as a first taste.
At the beginning, aim for a smooth, runny texture with no lumps. As your baby gets more used to eating, you can gradually thicken the consistency and introduce small soft lumps. There is no fixed timetable for this progression: follow your baby's cues.
The NHS advises against adding salt to any food you prepare for a baby, and recommends avoiding added sugar too. This means preparing food separately from the rest of the family's meal where seasoning is involved, and checking the labels on any ready-made baby foods or cereals for hidden salt and sugar content.
How much to give and how often
At the very start of weaning, the amounts involved are very small. NHS guidance describes starting with just one or two teaspoons of food once a day. The purpose of this early phase is not to fill your baby up or meet their calorie needs: it is simply to introduce the concept of eating, the sensation of food in the mouth, and the variety of tastes that exist beyond milk.
Because of this, it is important not to try to persuade your baby to eat more than they want. If they turn their head away, close their mouth, or seem distracted and uninterested, take that as a signal that they have had enough for now. Forcing or encouraging more food than a baby wants can interfere with their natural ability to recognise when they are full, which is a skill that matters throughout life.
Milk feeds should continue as normal during this phase. The NHS is clear that breast milk or infant formula remains the main nutrition until around 12 months, and solid food is offered in addition to milk, not as a replacement for it. A reasonable approach is to offer a small amount of food after a milk feed, so that your baby is not too hungry to explore but is also not being asked to wait for their usual milk while you prepare food.
Over the following weeks and months, you can gradually increase the amount offered, the number of times a day you offer food, and the variety of foods on the menu. By around 7 to 9 months, the NHS suggests working toward three small meals a day alongside continued milk feeds. This is a gradual shift that happens at its own pace for each baby.
Introducing a wide variety of tastes from the start
One of the most useful things you can do in the early weeks of weaning is offer as many different tastes as possible, rather than sticking to a small rotation of things your baby seems to accept. The NHS encourages parents to try a variety of vegetables, fruits, and other foods from the beginning, because variety at this stage appears to support a less fussy approach to food later on.
If your baby rejects a food, the NHS guidance is straightforward: try again another day. It can take many exposures before a baby accepts an unfamiliar taste, and each refusal is not a permanent verdict. Continuing to offer a food, without any pressure to eat it, gives the baby a chance to become familiar with its smell, colour, and feel before they are ready to taste it properly.
It is also worth thinking about variety in terms of texture and colour. Even at the puree stage, a meal of bright orange sweet potato looks and tastes very different from a pale green courgette mash, and both contribute to building a broader sensory experience of food.
Introducing potential allergens safely
The NHS no longer recommends holding off on allergen-containing foods or introducing them according to a strict one-at-a-time, three-day waiting protocol for most foods. You can introduce a range of foods from the start of weaning. However, the top allergens do require more care.
The foods most commonly associated with allergic reactions in babies are: cows' milk (as a food ingredient), eggs, wheat (gluten-containing cereals), peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, and shellfish. The NHS recommends introducing these one at a time in small quantities, leaving a gap before the next new allergen, so that if a reaction does occur, you can clearly identify which food caused it.
Signs of an allergic reaction include a rash, swelling, runny nose, or digestive symptoms appearing shortly after a food is introduced. If you have a family history of food allergies, eczema, asthma, or hay fever, speak with your GP or health visitor before starting weaning, as they may offer additional guidance specific to your baby's situation.
Once an allergen has been introduced without a reaction, the NHS encourages keeping it in your baby's diet regularly, as removing a food that has been tolerated can sometimes increase the risk of a reaction developing later.
Practical tips for those first few feeds
The first few times you offer solid food, the experience is likely to be messier and less successful than you might imagine. That is entirely normal. Here are a few practical points that may help:
- Choose a calm, unhurried time of day. Early in the day, when both you and your baby are relaxed and your baby is alert but not overtired, tends to work better than just before nap time or when the household is busy.
- Use a soft-tipped weaning spoon. A small, shallow spoon with a soft tip is easier to guide into a baby's mouth than a regular spoon, and less uncomfortable if they resist.
- Let your baby set the pace. Place a small amount of food on the tip of the spoon and bring it gently to your baby's lips. If they open their mouth and take it, offer another small spoonful. If they do not, wait and try again in a few minutes, or leave it for another day.
- Expect most food to come straight back out. This is not a sign of rejection. Babies have a natural tongue thrust reflex that pushes things out of their mouth, and it takes time for this to lessen as they learn to swallow food intentionally.
- Keep it short. Early meals do not need to last more than a few minutes. Once your baby loses interest, the meal is over.
- Sit together when you can. Babies are observational learners. Eating alongside your baby, or letting them watch other family members eat, helps them understand what mealtimes are for and makes the experience feel familiar rather than strange.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best first foods for a baby?
The NHS recommends starting with soft cooked vegetables (carrot, parsnip, sweet potato, butternut squash), soft cooked fruit (apple, pear, peach), and mashed or soft banana, avocado or papaya. Plain baby rice or oat porridge mixed with breast or formula milk are also popular first tastes. Starting with vegetables rather than fruit helps babies accept a variety of tastes.
How much food should I give at the very start of weaning?
At the very start, one or two teaspoons once a day is all that is needed. The purpose of early weaning is to introduce tastes and textures, not to replace milk feeds. Breast or formula milk remains the main nutrition until around 12 months. Expect most of the first attempts to be spat back out, and do not try to encourage a baby to eat more than they want.
Can I give baby vegetables before fruits?
Yes, and the NHS encourages this. Babies are born with a preference for sweet tastes. Introducing bitter and savoury vegetable flavours early, before sweeter fruits, helps build a broader palate. This does not mean fruit should be avoided, just that there is value in offering a wide variety of vegetables first.
Do I need to give single ingredients at first?
The NHS no longer recommends introducing one new food and waiting three days. You can introduce a range of foods from the start. The exception is the top eight allergens (milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, shellfish) which should be introduced individually so you can identify any reaction. There is no benefit to delaying allergen introduction beyond six months.
Getting ready for your baby's arrival?
Cubby helps you track feeds, sleep, nappies and vaccines from day one, so you always know how your baby is doing.
Try Cubby free