Baby food

Baby food is any soft, easily consumed food other than breastmilk or infant formula that is made specifically for human babies between six months and two years old. The food comes in many varieties and flavors that are purchased ready-made from producers, or it may be table food eaten by the family that has been mashed or otherwise broken down.

Readiness and health

Readiness

As of 2023, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and many national health agencies recommended waiting until six months of age before starting a child on food.
In Italy in 2020, a survey of parents found that more than two-thirds of babies were first fed baby food when they were five or six months old. A survey in Scotland in 2017 indicated that almost no babies were fed baby food before the age of four months, and that about half of them were not given baby food until they were at least six months old.
Inappropriately early introduction of baby food was associated with the family being concerned that the baby's hunger was not satisfied by breastmilk alone. Feeding a baby baby food, or any food except breastmilk or infant formula, before the age of four months is also associated with the development of food allergies; delaying the introduction of potentially allergenic foods, such as peanuts, beyond six months provides no health benefit. It also increases the risk of choking, strain on the kidneys, and gastroenteritis.

Health

As a global public health recommendation, the World Health Organization recommends that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Most six-month-old infants are physiologically and developmentally ready for new foods, textures and modes of feeding. Experts advising the World Health Assembly have provided evidence that introducing solids earlier than six months increases babies' chances of illness, without improving growth.
One of the health concerns associated with the introduction of solid foods before six months is iron deficiency. The early introduction of complementary foods may satisfy the hunger of the infant, resulting in less frequent breastfeeding and ultimately less milk production in the mother. Because iron absorption from human milk is depressed when the milk is in contact with other foods in the proximal small bowel, early use of complementary foods may increase the risk of iron depletion and anemia.
In Canada sodium content in infant food is regulated; strained fruit, fruit juice, fruit drink, and cereal cannot be sold if sodium has been added. Foods naturally containing sodium are limited to 0.05 - 0.25 grams per 100 grams of food, depending on the type of infant food.
If there is a family history of allergies, one may wish to introduce only one new food at a time, leaving a few days in between to notice any reactions that would indicate a food allergy or sensitivity. This way, if the child is unable to tolerate a certain food, it can be determined which food is causing the reaction.
Meeting the nutritional needs of infants as they grow is essential for their healthy development. Feeding infants inappropriately or insufficiently can cause major illnesses and affect their physical and mental development. Educational campaigns that share information on when to introduce solid foods, appropriate types of foods to feed an infant, and hygiene practices are effective at improving these feeding practices.

Nutritional needs and the amount of food

The World Health Organization recommends starting in small amounts that gradually increase as the child gets older: 2 to 3 meals per day for infants 6 to 8 months of age and 3 to 4 meals per day for infants 9 to 23 months of age, with 1 or 2 additional snacks as required.
Newborns need a diet of breastmilk or infant formula. In infants, minimum carbohydrate intake should be 40% of total energy, gradually increasing to 55% energy by the age of 2 years.
As shown in the 2008 Feeding Infants and Toddlers study, the overall diet of babies and toddlers, the primary consumers of baby food, generally meets or significantly exceeds the recommended amount of macronutrients. Toddlers and preschoolers generally ate too little dietary fiber, and preschoolers generally ate too much saturated fat, although the overall fat intake was lower than recommended. Micronutrient levels were typically within the recommended levels. A small group of older infants in the American study needed more iron and zinc, such as from iron-fortified baby foods. A substantial proportion of toddlers and preschoolers exceeded the upper recommended level of synthetic folate, preformed vitamin A, zinc, and sodium.

Preparation and feeding

Baby foods are either a soft, liquid paste or an easily chewed food since babies lack developed muscles and teeth to effectively chew. Babies typically move to consuming baby food once nursing or formula is not sufficient for the child's appetite. Babies do not need to have teeth to transition to eating solid foods. Teeth, however, normally do begin to show up at this age. Care should be taken with certain foods that pose a choking hazard, such as undercooked vegetables, grapes, or food that may contain bones.
Babies begin eating liquid style baby food consisting of pureed vegetables and fruits, sometimes mixed with rice cereal and formula, or breastmilk. Then, as the baby is better able to chew, small, soft pieces or lumps may be included. Care should be taken, as babies with teeth have the ability to break off pieces of food but they do not possess the back molars to grind, so food can be carefully mashed or pre-chewed, or broken into manageable pieces for their baby.
Around 6 months of age, babies may begin to feed themselves with help from older family members or caregivers.

Homemade or commercial

Homemade baby food is less expensive than commercial baby foods. Homemade food is appropriate only when the family has a sufficient and varied diet, as well as access to refrigeration and basic sanitation. It is important to follow proper sanitation methods when preparing homemade baby food such as washing and rinsing vegetables or fruit, as well as the cooking and packaging materials that will be used.
Homemade food requires more preparation time than simply opening a jar or box of ready-to-eat commercial baby food. Food may need to be minced or pureed for young babies, or cooked separately without the salt, intense spices, or sugar that the family chooses to eat.

Picky eating

Parents and/or caregivers may perceive up to half of toddlers as being "picky" or "faddy", with the peak around 24 months. Adults who hold this opinion often stop offering new foods to the child after only three to five attempts, rather than continuing to offer the food until the child has tasted it eight to fifteen times. They may also engage in counterproductive behaviors, such as offering appetite-suppressing milk or other favorite foods as an alternative, or trying to force or bribe the child into eating.

Types

Through the first year, breastmilk or infant formula is the main source of calories and nutrients. By six months old, infants are ready to be introduced to table food.
Babies may be started directly on normal family food if attention is given to choking hazards; this is called baby-led weaning. Because breastmilk takes on the flavor of foods eaten by the mother, these foods are especially good choices.

Food type

;Cereals
;Fruits
; Vegetables
;Meat
; Sweet and salty foods

Region	Country	First food	Age at first food	Feeding methods
Africa	Nigeria	eko, a liquid pap from sorghum or maize	6	The pap is held in the mother's cupped hand and poured into the baby's mouth. The mother may force-feed the baby if the baby resists swallowing it.
Africa	Tanzania	uji, a thin millet gruel	3 to 4	Uji is drunk from a cup or gourd.
Africa	Mali	porridge or gruel made of millet or rice, perhaps with fish or potatoes	7 for girls and 10 for boys	Children feed themselves, with their right hands, from a bowl.
Africa	Zimbabwe	bota, a pap made from ground corn meal	3 or earlier	The mother or caregiver feeds the baby with a cup or spoon.
South America	Brazil	cornstarch and other grains	4	Powdered milk was often given to newborns before 3 months of age. After 6 months, most babies ate beans and rice or whatever the family ate. Adult foods were broken into small bits and fed from the mother's hand.
South America	Guatemala	Incaparina or cornmeal gruel, eggs, and fruit juice	4 to 6	Mothers normally chose suitable food from among what the family was eating. Cornmeal gruel was often given in a bottle.
South America	Peru	Wheat and potato soup	6 to 8	Children were normally allowed to feed themselves, unless they were ill. Urban children were given solid foods sooner than rural children.
South America	Dominican Republic	Orange juice, lime juice, beans	3	Powdered milk was often given to newborns before 1 month of age. Milk and juice were usually given in a bottle. Fruits and vegetables were usually introduced before meat and beans, and grains were usually last.
Asia	Bhutan	porridge of rice flour or maize, cooked with butter	2	Babies are fed from their mother's hands.
Asia	Bangladesh	finger foods, rice, or rice-like foods		The amount of solid food given to the babies is usually very small, but happened several times each day. The food is usually held in the caregiver's hands, but a bottle, cup, or spoon may be used.
Asia	Nepal	grains	6	Mothers pre-chewed grains that they were cooking for the rest of the family, mixed them with water or butter, and used their fingers to put the food in their baby's' mouth. Babies in Hindu families were fed rice at the age of 3 weeks in the celebration of Annaprashana, but did not regularly eat food until later. Many mothers work on farms, and the introduction of solid foods often happened at the start of busy agricultural times.
Asia	Philippines	lugao, mashed fruits or vegetables, or soft bread	3 to 6	Bottle-feeding was perceived as having a higher social status. Mothers rejected fibrous foods such as pineapple and maize because of a belief that babies could not digest these foods easily.
Oceania	Papua New Guinea	mashed papaya, sweet potato, pumpkin, and banana	6 to 12	Water, vegetable broth and peeled sugar cane were given to young infants as an extra source of fluids. Liquids were given in a bowl, cup, or bamboo straw. Taro and meat were withheld until the baby was about a year old. Traditionally, babies were not given solid foods until they could walk.
Oceania	Solomon Islands	Pre-chewed taro with water or sweet potato cooked in coconut milk	0 to 9	Practices among the Kwaio people were divided by religious tradition. Many pagan mothers, who adhere to traditional food taboos, began feeding their babies solid foods within 1 to 2 months after birth; they thoroughly chew the food and feed it mouth-to-mouth for the first few months. This was also a common practice for feeding a hungry baby if the mother was temporarily unavailable. Sukuru mothers usually began feeding solid foods between 6 and 9 months. Some fed babies mouth-to-mouth; others pre-chewed, boiled, or mashed the food and gave it to the baby in a spoon or the baby's hand.
Oceania	Trobriand Islands	soup, then mashed or pre-chewed yams or taro	1	In the 1970s and 1980s, some women followed traditional post-partum practices that placed the mother and baby in seclusion, in a dark building with a fire. Foods were considered kanua and kawenu. Foods that were considered kanua were preferred for babies.
North America	United States	Infant cereal, then pureed fruits or vegetables	2 to 6	Cereal was mixed with infant formula and given in a bottle, or fed to the baby with a spoon. Poor women began feeding solid foods much earlier than wealthier women.