Baby guides: from day one to solids

The whole journey, minus the panic. Start with the newborn basics (feeds, sleep, diapers), then everything you need for starting solids and the big 9 allergens when the time comes.

Newborn basics 🍼

Brand new? These are for the fourth-trimester fog, when it is all feeds, sleep, and diapers.

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Newborn diaper countsHow many wet and dirty a day, and what the number means.
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How often should a newborn eat?Feeding frequency, waking to feed, and cluster feeding.
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Newborn sleepHow much is normal, and the safe-sleep basics.
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The fourth trimesterWhat is actually worth tracking (and what isn’t).
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Storing & thawing breast milkFridge, freezer, and the safe thaw-and-use rules.

Starting solids

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Introducing allergens: the complete guideEarly introduction, the watch window, and how to do it safely.
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Best first foods for babiesReadiness signs and great foods to start with around 6 months.
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Signs of a food allergy in babiesMild vs. severe reactions, how fast they show up, and what to do.
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Baby-led weaning vs. puréesPros and cons, choking vs. gagging, and why you can do both.
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Best finger foodsSafe first finger foods, the right size by age, and what to skip.
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Best first fruitsEasy starter fruits and how to prep each one safely.
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What is weaning?The word that means two things, and when to start.
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A day of eating, by ageA sample day of meals from 6 months up.
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Teaching baby to self-feedFrom fists to the pincer grasp, no rush.

Feeding basics

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How much should a baby eat?Portions, meals by age, and reading fullness cues.
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Can babies overeat?Big appetites, self-regulation, and when to just trust it.
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Feeding warning signsWhen a feeding bump is worth a doctor or specialist.
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Milk drops as solids grow?Why milk eases off, rough amounts by age, and when to worry.
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Iron-rich first foodsWhy iron matters at 6 months and the best sources.
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How to introduce peanutA calm, safe, step-by-step introduction.
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How to introduce eggEarly, whole egg, fully cooked, and watching for a reaction.
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Fish (and canned tuna)Introduce early, choose low-mercury, remove every bone.
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ShellfishA separate allergen from fish. Cook it, chop it, watch it.
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Introducing sesameThe 9th allergen. Use tahini or hummus, not loose seeds.
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Nut buttersAlways thinned, never a glob, and no whole nuts till 4.
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Beans (kidney-bean safety)Cheap protein and iron, and the cook-them-fully rule.
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Meat for babiesThe top iron source, and how to make it soft.
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Best first proteinsMeat, fish, egg, beans, tofu, dairy, and why iron leads.
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Easy food combinationsPairings that work, and pairing for nutrition.
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Baby rash: when to worryHarmless rash or reaction? Plus the red flags.
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Best first vegetablesEasy starter veg and how to prep each one.
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Foods to avoid before age 1Honey, cow’s milk, salt, choking hazards, and more.
How long between allergensSpacing new allergens so a reaction is traceable.
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Keeping allergens in rotationIntroduced it? Here's how to keep tolerated allergens in the regular diet.
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Grains for babiesOats, rice, farro, and quinoa, cooked soft.
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Vitamin D and ironWhy babies need both, and where they come from.
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Seeds for babiesChia, flax, and hemp, ground or soaked soft.
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Feeding a vegetarian babyIron, protein, and B12 without the meat.
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Growth spurts and feedingWhy they suddenly want to eat nonstop.
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For grandparents and nanniesThe safe list, the avoid list, and how you feed.

Everyday questions

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Gagging vs chokingHow to tell the scary one from the normal one.
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How to cut food safelyQuarter the grapes, strips not coins, and sizing by age.
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Baby snacks & the salt trapDo babies need snacks, and why the packet matters.
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Choking hazardsThe full list, and how to make each one safe.
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Won’t eat solids?Why it’s normal, and the 10-to-15-tries rule.
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Feeding schedule by ageSample days from 6 to 12 months, milk and meals.
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Constipation on solidsWhy it happens and the foods that help.
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Baby poop colorsWhat's normal, what's the food, what needs a doctor.
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Off the bottle, onto a cupWhen and how to make the switch.
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Storing & freezingFridge times, freezing, and the leftovers rule.
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Are pouches good or bad?An honest take on the convenient ones.
Dangerous foods for babiesWhat to skip, and how to serve the risky ones.
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Snacks for babies & toddlersPuffs, crackers, and pretzels, decoded.
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Gassy baby: causes & reliefWhat is normal, what helps, when to worry.
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Teething and eatingFeeding through sore, drooly gums.

When can babies have…

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HoneyNot before 12 months, and why (including baked honey).
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WaterSmall sips from 6 months, and why not before.
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JuiceNot before 12 months, and the limits after.
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Carbonated drinksSparkling water vs soda: the fizz is not the problem.
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ChocolateBest after 2: sugar, caffeine, and hidden allergens.
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Bread & toastToast it for safety, watch the salt, hello wheat.
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PastaCook it soft, shape it right, watch the sauce.
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Cow's milkDairy foods at 6 months, the drink at 12.
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Yogurt & cheeseFine from 6 months, even before the milk drink.
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Formula & the dairy allergenOn milk formula? Baby's already had the allergen.
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Reacted to dairy in breast milk?What that means when you start solids.
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StrawberriesFrom 6 months. The red mouth rash is just acidity.
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CitrusOranges from 6 months, seeds and membrane removed.
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SaltKeep it very low under 1, and why.

Raising an adventurous eater

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How to prevent picky eatingVariety early, repeated exposure, no pressure, and where nuggets fit.
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Introducing spices & herbsFlavor from day one. Salt and sugar are the limits, not taste.
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Feeding babies global flavorsBland is a habit, not a rule. Ideas from world cuisines.
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Baby food textures: beyond puréeGagging vs choking, the pouch trap, and progressing lumps.

The bigger picture

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A short history of first foodsRice cereal, the allergen U-turn, and how advice changed.
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Who invented baby food?Pre-chewed food, gruel, ancient milk bottles, and Gerber.
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First-food myths, debunkedThe stubborn ones the evidence has moved past.
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First foods around the worldWhat babies eat first, from okayu to avocado.
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Baby food names by countryCourgette, aubergine, capsicum, and what "weaning" means.
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Baby apps, compared honestlyThe real yearly cost of the popular baby apps, feature by feature.
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What baby apps do with your dataHow to check, and what we do differently.

Food by food

When to introduce a specific food, how to prepare it for purées or baby-led weaning, and what to watch for.

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AvocadoAround 6 months
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Sweet potatoAround 6 months
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BananaAround 6 months
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BroccoliAround 6 months
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OatmealAround 6 months
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CarrotAround 6 months, cooked soft
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AppleAround 6 months
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PearAround 6 months

See all baby foods → · See all baby-safe spices →

🖨️ Free printables for the fridge: a gagging vs choking chart, how to cut food safely, foods to avoid before 1, a poop color chart, and the first-foods checklist.

The big 9 allergens

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PeanutHow & when to introduce it
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EggHow & when to introduce it
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Milk (dairy)How & when to introduce it
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Tree nutsHow & when to introduce it
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SoyHow & when to introduce it
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WheatHow & when to introduce it
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FishHow & when to introduce it
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ShellfishHow & when to introduce it
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SesameHow & when to introduce it
😋 🤢

Track it in YummyYucky

Log first tries and reactions, with an automatic allergen tracker when a food needs one, all in one place you can share with your pediatrician.

Start tracking for free

Last updated July 2026. Next review January 2027. How we write these: grounded in widely published pediatric guidance (the AAP, WHO, the NIAID 2017 allergen guidelines, and the LEAP study), and pending independent review by a pediatric professional. See our editorial and medical policy for how we research, source, and update these.

This is general information, not medical advice, and has not been individually reviewed for your baby. Always talk to your pediatrician about your baby's diet, introducing allergens, and any reaction. In an emergency, contact emergency services.

Some links in our guides are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. We only suggest things we'd actually use, and it never changes our guidance.