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It can feel overwhelming not knowing where to start or what are the best first solid food for your baby. You are not alone in feeling this way because it’s a very common question that I get from parents.

Parents like you want to know what the first foods for their vegan baby should be when they begin to start eating solid foods. Introducing solid foods can be a time of great excitement. I remember when my daughter was just about to start solid foods, I was so excited to begin not just her feeding journey with her but also starting our vegan Baby Led Weaning journey! But like most parent, I was just as nervous to begin introducing solids to my daughter.

In this blog post, I want to answer some of the top questions I get asked from vegan parents in starting their infant on solids foods, from the first foods for baby at 6 months to how to handle the biggest anxiety for most parents—gagging and choking.

Signs Baby is Ready to Begin Solid Foods

Before we get to talking about the details of what first foods to feed your vegan baby, let’s briefly talk about some of the signs to know when your baby is ready to start solids.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastmilk and/or formula to be a baby’s primary source of nutrition for the first six months. This is because a baby’s digestive system hasn’t fully matured yet until around 6 months, which is typically when babies begin to show signs of readiness to begin solid foods.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend to begin solids foods or complementary feeding around the time your baby turns 6 months old. This is recommended because some babies show signs of readiness at different times, some before 6 months and some after. It just depends on your baby when they are ready. You want to look for some of the signs of readiness that your baby is ready to start with solid foods.

Sits independently with good head control
Shows interest in your food
Brings toys to mouth

What is Baby Led Weaning?

Baby Led Weaning is a method of feeding that involves allowing your baby to self feed by skipping puree foods and offering solid foods that are appropriate texture and size for your baby. For 6 month old babies, this is typically finger-like shapes and foods that are soft cooked. Foods that have an appropriate texture are ones that pass the “smush” test. To test this, simply place the item of food in between your index finger and thumb, and then press lightly. If a food item passess the “smush” test, it means that it is safe for your baby. Alternatively, you can put a piece in your mouth and press it with your tongue against the roof of your mouth. If it easily presses, then this is safe for baby as well. This mimics what your baby’s gums can do. Babies don’t need teeth to be able to chew solid foods.

Benefits of starting solids using BLW approach

Baby can have the same food as the rest of the family (with slight modifications)
Less time spent in the kitchen
Less money spend on jarred baby food
Greater food acceptance (of foods and textures)
Supports baby’s ability to self-regulate hunger
Supports a healthier relationship with food and body image later in life

What are the first finger foods for a vegan baby?

Starting solid foods is a gradual process, meaning babies need time and lots of practice to know how to eat. Many parents I work with tell me that their infant isn’t eating any of the food and they worry they are not meeting their nutrient needs.

This is certainly valid and understand your concern. During the early stages of feeding, baby won’t eat much of what you offered. Babies need time to learn how to eat and it can even take a few days or weeks for some babies to be interested in picking up food. That’s because they may not know what to do with the food you just presented. Just like how they needed time to learn how to crawl or roll over, they need time to learn how to eat, chew, and swallow food. Those are a lot of tasks for a baby! So, don’t be surprised if at first your baby doesn’t eat much. This is totally normal and may take 1 - 2 months for them to grasp the art of eating.

One thing I recommend to parents is to simply begin with something that you are comfortable with as well. It can be a bit nerve wracking for many parents who choose to implement the BLW approach (it was even for me). Starting BLW has to do a lot with trust: trust in your baby handling food and your baby trusting the food. The more comfortable you are with a particular food, the more comfortable your baby will be at handling that food too.

The very first food that I recommend for babies is one that is super soft and easy for baby to hold to self-feed. An example of this is a banana and this was actually my daughter's very first food. You can serve a banana to a BLW baby by leaving on a small piece of the peel on to help baby hold it better so it won’t be so slippery. You can also offer peeled, cut in half, and rolled in wheat germ or ground flax seeds for baby to better grasp.

Another example of a first food for vegan baby is avocado. Offer large wedges of avocado. You can use a crinkle cutter knife to help baby hold the avocado better and/or roll with wheat germ/ground flax seeds so the avocado isn’t so slippery.

It’s okay to help baby hold any food and give a little bit of support. I also like to remind parents that the bigger the piece when first starting solids, the better. Babies at this stage in their feeding have a sucking reflex and offering something small can pose a choking risk. Offering a large, soft piece of food is a safer approach and allows baby to learn how to bite.

List of Baby Led Weaning first foods for vegan baby:

Banana
Avocado
Firm tofu (can be seasoned and baked)
Very soft sweet potato, peeled and steamed
Steam-roasted butternut squash
Steamed broccoli
Mashed or refried beans (pre-loaded onto spoon. click here for my favorite for BLW)

Once you and your baby feel comfortable with these foods, I recommend to prioritize plant foods rich in iron. Iron is a nutrient that is so important for little vegans as they need about 1.8x more iron than non-veg kids. This is because the type of iron in plant foods (non-heme iron) is not as readily absorbed as that found in animal foods. Non-heme iron is bound to a compound called phytate that makes it a little challenging for our bodies to absorb. However, pairing an iron-rich food with Vitamin C can help with iron absorption.

Some examples of plant foods that provide iron are: beans, lentils, hummus, tofu, chickpea pasta, chia seeds, and farro.

Focus on providing one iron rich food at each meal. I introduced tofu in the form of finger-like shapes. I found that using firm to extra firm tofu worked best. I season it and either bake or lightly cooked on stove top for a few minutes. I make my own hummus or smashed beans and offered it to my daughter using a Goo-Tensil from Num Num, Inc. I would pre-load the spoon and then offer it to her so she can self-feed. Having at least 2 Goo-tensils worked well because as she ate from one, I would pre-load the second one so it can be ready for her.

Resources for Baby Led Weaning

Do you need to start with one food before introducing another?

Not really. The recommendation used to be to introduce one food to baby and wait 2-3 days before introducing another as a way to see if there was an allergic reaction, but this is no longer the standard protocol. In fact, studies suggest that introducing certain allergen foods from the very beginning may be beneficial in preventing kids from developing an allergy to a certain foods later on in life.

Many parents are afraid to introduce peanuts because of fear of an allergy but new guidelines recommend beginning introducing peanuts in baby’s diet as soon as they start eating solids to prevent a peanut allergy later in life. If your baby has a family history of peanut allergy, has an increased risk for a peanut allergy, or severe eczema, it is recommended to begin the introduction of peanuts as early as 4-6 months. An allergy test to peanuts is recommended as well. If you believe your baby may be at risk for a peanut allergy, speak with your healthcare provider to determine the best approach for your family in introducing peanuts to your baby.

So, if you’re starting solids, there is no need to start with just one food and wait 2-3 days before introducing another because research no longer supports this idea. In fact, I didn’t follow this. I began with about 3 different foods at the same time, at each meal. If you suspect an allergy, definitely isolate this food and wait awhile to re-introduce, or speak with your healthcare provider.

Difference between gagging and choking

Many parents fear their baby choking when they begin with baby’s first foods. This is a total normal feeling because as a new mom, I had those feelings too! It’s important to provide texture-appropriate first foods to babies but knowing the signs of gagging and choking can help your confidence as well in serving these foods.

Gagging is a completely normal reflexive that all babies show and can be common in the first few months of baby starting solids. If your baby experiences gagging, this is a good thing because it’s your baby’s way of naturally preventing choking. It’s a way for your baby to also learn how to handle food in their mouth. So give them time to figure this out on their own. There will be a lot of coughing involved and there may even be some vomiting, but trust the process and ultimately do what makes you feel most comfortable.

Choking occurs when food passes through your baby’s gagging reflex and ends up being stuck in your baby’s windpipe. If choking is involved, there’s no sound and no coughing. Becoming CPR certified or knowing what to do when this happens is a good approach.

It really doesn’t matter what finger food you start for your baby when doing Baby Led Weaning, it just has to be a food you are comfortable with and one that is of appropriate size and texture. That is truly the key. Be patient with your infant during this time and give them the support they need to learn how to eat so that you both have a healthy relationship with food and with feeding.