First weeks: how do I get from the first spoonful to a full plate?

1. What Is It?

Your baby’s first plate does not need to be full on day one. At about six months, start with one soft, iron-rich food, then add new foods one at a time over the next few weeks. Vegetables, fruit, yoghurt or cheese, and grains join gradually, and textures get lumpier as you go.

So, what can the first month look like?

• Week 1 (the iron block): one iron-rich food, such as minced beef, mashed lentils or iron-fortified infant cereal
• Week 2: the iron-rich food plus one vegetable, such as soft-cooked carrot or sweet potato
• Week 3: add a fruit and a spoonful of yoghurt or a little soft cheese
• Week 4: add a grain, such as oats or soft pasta, and the plate is close to full

That is one way to pace it, not a rule. The only fixed point is iron first. Think of the first month as filling the plate one section at a time, not serving a complete meal from the first spoonful.

2. Why It Matters During Starting Solids

• The pressure peaks in the first weeks. Every book, app and relative has an opinion, and the first spoonful often comes straight back out. It is easy to feel behind before you have even started.
• Iron comes first, everything else can wait a week. Health Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) both name iron-rich foods as the place to start. Colours, textures and favourite fruits can arrive over the following weeks.
• One new food at a time makes reactions easier to read. When something new goes on the plate on its own, you can see how your baby responds to it.
• Slow is normal. Some babies need to try a food many times before they accept it. A refused carrot on Tuesday is not a verdict on carrots.

3. What Does the Science Say?

4. What Parents Can Do Today

1. 1

   Check readiness, then start with one iron-rich food

   Pick something soft: well-cooked minced beef or chicken, mashed lentils, well-cooked egg, or iron-fortified infant cereal. Offer an iron-rich food twice a day, alongside your usual milk feeds.

2. 2

   Add one new food at a time

   CPS suggests offering no more than one new food per day, so you can see how your baby responds. After iron, there is no required order: the week-by-week plan above is one way to pace it.

3. 3

   Keep it safe and let baby lead

   Serve foods soft enough to squash between two fingers, with no added salt or sugar and no honey. Sit with your baby at every meal. Offer, then stop when your baby turns away or closes their mouth. Move towards lumpier textures and finger foods, reaching lumpy textures by nine months at the latest.