Baby Led Weaning Lunch Ideas | Baby Led Weaning Lunch Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What to make for lunch for babies? ›

Soft foods like oatmeal, unsweetened applesauce, and plain whole-fat yogurt and Greek yogurt are great early foods for babies.” As you start foods, remember that babies under the age of 1 shouldn't be given honey, as it can carry a risk of infant botulism.

Pediatric experts now recommend starting solid foods at 6 months. Most 6-month-old infants can grasp food, bring it to their mouth, chew and swallow. These skills mean babies can more independently feed themselves while weaning from human milk or formula nutrition.

You can give your baby the entire egg (yolk and white), if your pediatrician recommends it. Around 6 months, puree or mash one hard-boiled or scrambled egg and serve it to your baby. For a more liquid consistency, add breast milk or water. Around 8 months, scrambled egg pieces are a fantastic finger food.

6 months old +: Offer large pieces of flat, wide noodles or whole pieces of large tubular pasta, such as penne, rigatoni, or ziti. Pasta may be slippery and a little tough to hold on to with the immature grasp at this age. You may also chop spaghetti and other thin noodle shapes and serve in a bowl for hand scooping.

Stage 3 (typically 10-12 months old, but may occur sooner): At this stage, you can slowly replace purees with soft, chewable chunks of food, and offer your baby more finger foods that they can pick up and feed themselves.

Weaning your baby

To start with, your baby only needs a small amount of solid food, once a day, at a time that suits you both. Start weaning with vegetables that aren't so sweet, such as broccoli, cauliflower and spinach.

Baby-led weaning often exposes babies to a wider variety of foods, textures, and flavors [1], which may help to reduce picky eating behaviors later on: a huge win! Greater exposure usually leads to greater acceptance of foods in toddlerhood and beyond.

What is the first food to introduce to a baby? ›

Most babies' first food is iron-fortified infant single-grain cereal mixed with breast milk or formula. Place the spoon near your baby's lips, and let the baby smell and taste it. Don't be surprised if this first spoonful is rejected.