Would this be a good first breakfast? - Baby Led Weaning | Forums | What to Expect (2024)

I recommend checking out the Solid Starts app - it’s free and will tell you how to serve foods safely (eg at 6 months, you should serve a whole strawberry that’s large enough that they can’t get the whole thing into their mouth vs in quarters which would put them at high risk for choking). They also have a great website on how to get started with foods, allergens etc.

Allergies are not necessarily genetic, so it’s recommended to introduce the main ones one at a time. A waffle likely has wheat and egg, which are two of the most common allergens, so you would wait until you’ve given the baby wheat at least 3x separately and egg at least 3x separately before giving something with both in it. Dairy is another main one, so you wouldn’t add yogurt to that meal either.

I would avoid something like an Eggo for a baby completely - aside from the allergen issues, it’s a highly processed food with high sugar and sodium and is also a difficult texture for a baby to start with. You could do a homemade waffle or pancake if you really want to serve that once you’ve introduced allergens separately, and that way you can control the ingredients.

The baby doesn’t need a “meal” to start with - you can offer one or two things as they aren’t really going to consume much for a few months - it’s about exploring flavours, textures and practicing skills. As they get more efficient and start actually consuming the food, you can slowly offer more foods at a time. Initially, you could just give one big strawberry! Other easy ideas are avocado, cucumber, banana. If you are still wanting to boost nutrition, you can roll soft/squishy things in ground flaxseed, chia seeds or hemp hearts - boosts nutrition but also makes them easier to pick up.

https://solidstarts.com

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A team of pediatric feeding experts and doctors to help you start solids, prevent + reverse picky eating. Free First Foods® database.

It’s the first meal! We just pick by what we want to remember was fun for a first meal and made sure it was served safely. We don’t have allergies in our family either, so we were just watchful and if there ever was a reaction, we could try things separately to confirm (we’ve never had to do that).

He’ll probably barely get any into his mouth and even less chewed up (so much gets spit out at first). He’ll just be happy to try something new and to be at the table with you.

Remember, he’s still getting almost all the nutrition he needs from breast milk or formula (your pediatrician can let you know if iron or vitamins are a good idea). BLW before 12 months is about trying new things and learning independence and small motor skills.

All that to say, it sounds like a great first meal to me (like others said, whole strawberry is best). Putting this much thought into it, you’re already doing an amazing job!