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So you're feeding the baby: a guide for grandparents and nannies

If you have fed a baby before, you already have the instincts that matter: patience, a warm lap, and not panicking over a mess. A few of the rules have genuinely changed since the 80s and 90s, though, and it is not because anyone thinks you did it wrong. The science moved. Here is the short, no-judgment version so you and the parents are on the same page.

What changed, and why

Three big shifts, all backed by current pediatric guidance:

Allergens come early now, not late. The old advice was to wait on peanut, egg, and the rest. Research showed the opposite helps: introducing them from around 6 months and keeping them up lowers allergy risk. See introducing allergens.
Texture is good, sooner. Babies do not need smooth purée for months on end. Soft, safely-cut finger foods help them learn to chew and self-feed. Purées are still fine; the point is that lumps and soft pieces are not the enemy. See how to cut food safely.
Gagging is not choking. New eaters gag; it is a loud, protective reflex, not an emergency. Knowing the difference saves a lot of fright. See gagging vs choking.

The house rules

Keep it simple and everyone relaxes:

No honey before age 1, not even a taste or a dab on a pacifier (risk of infant botulism).
No added salt or sugar, and skip sharing very salty or sugary foods from your plate.
Always seated and supervised, never a propped bottle or food on the go.
Cut food safely: soft enough to squish, long strips early on, and no coins of sausage or whole round grapes.
Follow the parents’ list, offer one new food at a time, and never force a clean plate. The baby decides how much.

The safe list lives in the app

So you are never guessing, the parents can share their baby's feeding plan with you directly in YummyYucky. Caretaker mode gives you the safe foods, the avoid list, any allergens being watched, and today's notes, all on one screen, without needing their password. No memory required, and no group-text at snack time.

Frequently asked questions

Why give allergens like peanut and egg so early? We used to wait.

This is the biggest change, and it is well established now. Large studies found that introducing common allergens early, from around 6 months, and keeping them in the rotation actually lowers the chance a baby develops that allergy. Waiting was the old advice; the guidance flipped. Peanut (as a thin butter or puff, never whole), egg (fully cooked), and the others are introduced one at a time, on their own, watching for a reaction.

Isn't baby-led weaning a choking risk? Purée feels safer.

Soft finger foods, offered the right way, are not more likely to cause choking than purées, and they help babies learn to handle texture. The key is how food is cut: soft enough to squish, and shaped safely (long strips early on, never coins of sausage or whole round grapes). Purées are perfectly good too. Both work. What matters is that food is soft, safely sized, and the baby is always upright and supervised.

What are the hard rules I should never break?

Three that matter most: no honey before the first birthday (risk of infant botulism, even a taste), no added salt or sugar (their kidneys and taste buds are still developing), and always supervise, seated and upright, never propping a bottle or leaving them alone with food. After that, follow the parents’ safe list and offer one new food at a time.

What if the baby won’t eat for me the way they do for their parent?

Very normal, and not a reflection on you. Babies test different caregivers and have wildly different appetites day to day. Offer the food calmly, do not force or bribe, and let them decide how much. A meal that ends in more on the floor than in the baby is a totally normal meal. Milk or formula is still their main nutrition this whole first year.

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Track it in YummyYucky

Log first tries, get nudged through the allergen watch, and keep every bite in one place you can share with your pediatrician.

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Last updated July 2026. 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.

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