Paleo Baby Foods–What to Introduce When
January 19, 2012 in Baby Food Recipes, Practical Tips
You can absolutely start your baby off right by feeding them paleolithic foods, properly cooked (when necessary) and mashed or pureed. There is really no compelling reason why you should ever introduce grains, as there are far more nutritious, easily digested foods that won’t irritate your baby’s sensitive digestive tract. So, here are some frequently asked questions by new moms thinking about introducing solids.
When should you introduce solid foods? The general rule of thumb is that you can introduce solids once your baby is at least 5 months old (6 months old is better), sitting up well, interested in your food, and you have the go ahead from your pediatrician. Watch closely for signs of choking and never leave a baby or toddler unattended while they are eating. You can help prepare your baby’s digestive tract for solids by breastfeeding exclusively (which helps provide probiotics and hormones and enzymes that help mature the digestive tract). You can also give them a small amount of acidophilus/bifidus (buy a capsule that you can break open, and rub a small pinch in their mouth before they nurse or take a bottle) once or twice a day, starting at about three months old (again, with the approval of your pediatrician). Many people prefer a baby-led weaning strategy, whereby you wait until your baby is able to self-feed soft finger foods (some babies will be able to do this as early as 5 or 6 months, but 8-10 months is more usual). The food lists below are still applicable to a baby-led weaning strategy, just cutting foods up into small pieces instead of pureeing.
What consistency should baby food be? First foods should be thinned with breast milk or formula and be very runny (it should pour off of a spoon and really be only slightly thicker than breast milk). Over the first few months, gradually increase the thickness of the baby food. By eight months old, most babies can start to handle a little texture in their baby food (think oatmeal consistency). By ten months old, most babies can handle a soft food, mashed with a fork. Sometime between 8 and 10 months old, you baby will probably show interest in some finger foods (like small pieces of soft fruit or cooked veggies). Watch your baby’s cues and don’t rush them.
What time of day should you feed your baby? Start with just one feeding a day, usually in the middle of the day, when you’re baby is not tired, and stop as soon as your baby is no longer interested. Your baby may only eat a few mouthfuls for those first few meals (or even few weeks of meals). You can also start to introduce sips of water at the same time as you are introducing foods, either from a cup (regular, sippy, straw) or spoon. Over the first few months, you can gradually increase the number of times a day that your baby is eating. By 9 or 10 months old, most babies will happily eat three solid meals a day and maybe even a snack or two.
Being watchful for allergies. It can take several days for an allergic reaction to a food to present itself. Only introduce one new food every 4-7 days (on the longer side if there are food allergies in your family). You do not need to give that new food every day for those 4-7 days, one or two exposures is sufficient. There are many high-allergy foods like berries, tomatoes, nuts, shellfish, citrus, and egg whites that should wait until your baby is at least one-year old before introducing.
Is it easy to make your own food? Not only is it quite easy, it yields much more nutritious and tasty food for your baby. I like to make a fairly big batch of anything that I’m making and freeze tablespoons full (before thinning so that I can control the thickness as my baby gets older) in ice cube trays (once the food is frozen you can pop the cubes into a bag and label for easy defrosting later). Just make sure you aren’t refreezing anything (like freezing a mash made from steamed frozen vegetables).
Can you mix foods together? Absolutely! Play with different combinations! Something that might seem odd to you might be delicious to your baby! And most babies prefer one taste at one meal, so it’s a great way to increase variety. Just make sure that all the ingredients are ones you’ve introduced before (or at least all but one).
What are the best First Foods? The best first foods for your baby are mashed ripe avocado, mashed ripe banana, mashed cooked sweet potato, mashed cooked winter squash, pureed liver (preferably pastured/grass-fed) and pastured egg yolk. For babies at least six months old, very well pureed, well cooked meats (puree with broth or breast milk) and whole milk yogurt (especially from grass-fed cows) are excellent early foods.
What foods can you introduce when?
This list reflects the digestibility of the foods as well as the ease of preparing it with an appropriate texture for your little ones. This is a guide (adapted from Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron
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6 months old
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7 months old
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8 months old
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Ripe avocado
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Pastured Egg yolk
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Ground nuts (if no allergy worries)
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Ripe banana
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Sweet potato
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Winter Squash
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Cooked, pureed:
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Ground seeds
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Asparagus
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Tahini
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Carrots
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Cooked strained/pureed:
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Green beans
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Apple
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Summer squash
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Natural cheeses
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Apricots
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Nectarines
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Peaches
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Cottage cheese
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Apricot
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Pears
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Apple
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Plums and Prunes
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Cantaloupe
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Cooked/pureed fresh fish:
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Honeydew
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Tilapia
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Kiwi
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| Mango |
Salmon
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Plums
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Papaya
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Cod
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Watermelon
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Pears
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Halibut
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Broccoli
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| Trout |
Okra
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| Tuna |
Grapes (peeled and quartered)
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| Pastured Egg yolk | Hake | |
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Whole milk yogurt
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Very well pureed meat:
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| Liver | ||
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Organ Meat
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Lamb
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| Chicken and Turkey | ||
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Tender cuts of beef and pork
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9 months old
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10 months old
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1 year old
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Pineapple
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Nut Butters (if no allergy worries)
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Milk
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Finely grated, raw:
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Beets
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Summer Squash
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Citrus Fruits
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Brussels sprouts
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Carrots
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Cauliflower
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Greens
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Eggplant
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Bell Peppers
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Tomatoes
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Kale
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Spinach
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Rhubarb
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Egg white
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Rutabaga
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Turnips
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Honey
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Cooked onion
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Berries
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I was wondering about paleo babies and dairy… do you have any suggestions? My daughter is mostly EBF and is 14 months old. She eats egg yolk and plays with everything else I offer her. She’s really not interested in eating… I think she might enjoy yogurt (if she’s not sensitive to it). But I was worried about the leaky gut and dairy thing.
There’s really no good reason to introduce dairy if your child is still breastfeeding. However, yogurt can be well tolerated by many babies (especially if there are no other gut irritants in the diet). So, if you want to try yogurt to help encourage her to make the switch to more solid foods, I would suggest finding plain, full-fat yogurt from grass-fed cows or goats. Try a very small amount and wait a few days looking for any signs of stomach upset, irritability, sleeping more, rashes, rosy cheeks or ears, dry skin, or runny nose. My 5-year old seems okay with dairy and my 2-year old isn’t (which is tough because my 2-year old LOVES milk). A really good alternative would be to make your own out of full-fat coconut milk (without guar gum as an ingredient). I think most EBF babies are eating a fair bit of solids by 14 months, so I do think you’re on the right track to try and find something to gently coax her into it. Good luck!
I am raising our 1 year old son paleo from the start, since diabetes is in my family, and we don’t really see a reason to get him going on grains, since he didn’t really care for oatmeal or rice when introduced to it. I do give him full fat yogurt, both regular and greek, which he adores and full fat cheeses. I am also making all his food and I love your post! Wish I would have had it a few months back, but we are hoping to have one more little one, and I will for sure use it then!
That’s great! I wish I had known about paleo before starting my girls on solids (especially my oldest!). I think many people do well with full-fat dairy (I let my oldest have dairy, although my youngest seems sensitive to it and we are trying to wean her off to see if it helps), so I wouldn’t worry about that if your son is going well.
I wish I knew now a year ago! My son is 19 months old and has chronic sinus troubles. He’s mostly paleo now but I give him goats milk and occasional cows milk. Where do you find coconut milk without guar gum? I live in Canada and shipping costs on food from the states is awful. Should I remove all dairy? How would I get him his calcium? He also has minor excema so his immune system is not right.
Do we need to add any supplements that may be missed out by not giving the traditional rice or oatmeal cereal first?
No. Vegetables, fruits and soft meats have way more nutrition than fortified cereals.
My son is now almost 11 months old and we’ve been doing solids veerrrryyyyyy slowly (like, started at 6 months because he snuck some avocado off my plate but he gets maybe a bite of something a day) because I plan on full term breastfeeding and well, I’m lazy
We’ve given him whole wheat pasta once, and he’s had absolutly no dairy. My mama instinct has kept me from introducing either of those things, and now I’m going to be going paleo d/t gluten sensitivity and a REALLY useless digestive system. My question: why the dairy for babies at all? It doesn’t exactly seem like something that you can easily just ‘pick up off the ground and eat’ so I’m just wondering why it’s included?
My daughter went for her 6 month wellness checkup today and the pediatrician seemed concerned about her weight. At her 3 month wellness checkup she weighed in the 19th percentile; today she fell into the 3rd percentile. He inquired if we had begun to feed her solids. I told him that we started her on avocados, sweet potatoes, and winter squash…he was dumbfounded that we had not introduced her to cereal. When I mentioned that we had no intention of introducing cereals or grains, he looked at me like I was nuts.
Basically, he said that she needs to consume more calories and that cereal would provide the calories that she needs to increase her weight. I was thinking that there must be a “paleo” solution to this problem. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Yes, I think you can fatten her up with paleo foods.
I was on doctor’s orders to fatten up my oldest when she hit 5th percentiale at 1-year (but ws 50th for height). Our doctor suggested instant pudding made with cream after every meal. It took us years to recover from that! Many babies lean out when they first get mobile, so this is probably something that I’ll correct itself.
I don’t think it’s as simple as more calories, but I do think that focussing on some more calorie/nutrition-dense foods for the next few to introduce makes sense. Avocado is great (so are sweet potatoes and banana!). I think egg yolk and liver (lamb would be best, chicken or calf good too) would be great next foods to introduce. The more calorie dense fruits are bananas, mangoes, apples, pears, and reconstituted dried apricots and prunes (figs too, but the seeds are a bit much for such a young baby, and dates, but those are a bit too sugary). You could also try more dense starches like taro, plantain, and parsnip. Once you have a bit more variety of solids to present, you can start mixing (banana and avocado are great together, for example; but you could mix chicken liver with apple sauce if you want). Try not to stress. If your daughter is still being breasted, you can also try doing some block feeding (where you start on the same side as the last time to drain the hind milk, then move to the new side, or pump the first couple of ounces off to get to the hind milk earlier).
I hope this helps! Good luck!
[...] on First Baby Foods and Making Your Own Baby [...]
[...] on First Baby Foods and Making Your Own Baby [...]
I don’t know why it took me so long to stumble across your blog! I’m loving everything here. I’m a breastfeeding paleo mom of a 9-month old and work full-time. At this point, I am struggling to keep my milk supply up (mostly because I can’t pump that often at work). But, I’m also curious if my diet is affecting my supply. I’d love to learn more about the optimal ratios of macro-nutrients for lactating mothers.
I’m not sure that information really exists. Certainly, you need some carbs and going too low-carb isn’t good for milk supply, but I’m not sure the exact ratios matter as much as just making sure you are getting enough of everything, protein, fat and carbs from fruits and vegetables as well as enough water, fun/activity and sleep.
My son’s pediatrician said I needed to do cereal even though I didn’t want to because by 9 months his iron levels would be low. We use formula and I wanted to skip cereal. Any suggestions?
If you are feeding him meat among his first foods, you shouldn’t have to worry at all about iron. Chicken liver makes a great first food.
Hi, Ithanks for this post, it’s really helpful as I’m just starting our 6 month old on solids. Silly question but is the egg yolk raw or cooked and mashed?
I always fed mine cooked and mashed egg yolk, but others do feed raw. The only issue with raw is the risk of salmonella, which is very small, especially if you know where your eggs come from.
hello, i love your blog! Having a 4-month old and doing research on how to start him on paleo right away at 6 months. I would like to know- courgettes are to introduce when? And potatoes? I know they are not purely paleo, but we sometimes do eat them. Thank you!
10 months for both.
Hi, I am Palo for the most part and have started my 9mth son on baby foods that I have been pureeing. My question is instead of adding rice cereal to his nighttime bottles, have you heard of anything else like coconut flour? I am exclusively breastfeeding so its pumped milk but I am trying to get him to sleep longer stretches of time at night…. any suggestions?
Coconut flour is high in inulin fiber which is hard to digest and highly fermentable. I don’t think that’s a good idea. The only ideas I have is maybe pastured egg yolk or chicken liver or lamb liver if you’ve already introduced those as solids. But, I actually think it would be a better idea to try a solids meal before bed instead of adding anything to a bottle.
What would you suggest as some kind of teething biscuit for my 7 month old? Her teeth have just started to come out and I would like to give her something to chew on. I have stayed away from the biscuits in the store because of the grains and I would like to try to make something for her that is grain free. Thanks for the help.
I’d suggest getting one of those mesh feeders (like this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GK5XY2?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000GK5XY2&linkCode=xm2&tag=wwwthepaleomo-20 ). You can put in fresh fruit, frozen fruit, frozen pureed veggies (freeze in an ice cube tray) which would feel really good on those gums, and even other foods like avocado, cooked chicken liver…
Thanks for the reply.
We did this at 8 months old. I boiled it for 4 min so it was still runny but the white hardened enough to seperate. My son was throwing up 2 hours after non stop and we had to rush him to the hospital because we were afraid of dehydration. Poor thing looked helpless and wouldnt keep anything down. The DR just said “no dairy before 1 year”. Very helpful……Do you have any suggestions as to what I couldve done wrong?
Well, you could have been extraordinarily unlucky (only about 1 in a million eggs have salmonella), or it could have been an allergic reaction (which can still happen even if you are eating Paleo). Either way, I would give it some time before trying egg yolks again (maybe a couple months if other foods are successfully reintroduced well, maybe 6 months to a year if other food allergies show up as you introduce foods).
Just wondering. … if I have two diagnosed autoimmune disorders should I be limiting certain foods like egg whites, nuts etc for my 17 month old being that there is a hereditary link but also environmental link? I’d love to reduce her latr risk but hate her to muss out on things that she doesn’t need to…. Any advice?
Hello, I love your blog (just came across it) I have a 7.5 month old that doesn’t seem to tolerate grains well. Just wanted to see if you could give me some ideas on what meals would look like. I cut out the grains but never feel like he’s getting enough now if dinner is just a veggie. He will have peaches for breakfast and then sweet potatoe or squash for dinner. Would you say thats enough or how would you make this more of a “meal”?
At this age, you could be introducing avocado, chicken liver and egg yolk, all very nutrient dense foods. But, your baby will probably be getting the bulk of their nutrition from breastmilk or formula for a few more months. Any food that you’ve already introduced and know your baby tolerates can be mixed together. Babies like some pretty unusual combinations (my youngest’s favorite was avocado and banana, and I would sometimes add egg yolk to that too).