First Foods For Your Baby

by Tiny Organics

• Scientific research shows that both adults and children benefit from eating real food - whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense food that comes from the ground, a plant, or an animal.
• We recommend starting with more savory soft foods like avocado or sweet potato before moving on to juicy fruits so that your baby doesn’t develop a sweet tooth too quickly.
• Babies who are exposed to a variety of flavors in the first year develop a more adventurous palate that extends way past toddlerhood and can have lifelong effects.

“The way you teach a child to eat well is through example, enthusiasm, and patient exposure to good food.”

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• Bee Wilson, award-winning food writer, historian, and author of First Bite: How We Learn To Eat_

You brought a little human onto this planet! Congratulations on accomplishing THAT feat!

From the moment your little one is born, you're expected to make an endless amount of choices. When it comes to their food journey, these decisions can feel particularly daunting. “Am I feeding her enough?” “Is he getting all the nutrients he needs?” “Is the texture right for this age?” “Am I setting her up for a healthy relationship with food?” “Can I afford to feed my baby exclusively organic ingredients?” We’ve been there.

But really, babies aren’t so different from us. Their developing digestive systems, are, well developing! And teeth or no teeth, they can’t quite gnaw away on corn on the cob like you can. But at the end of the day, we follow science that shows both adults and children benefit from eating real food.

What do we mean by real food? Without getting too in the weeds, we define real food as whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense food. Real food comes from the ground, a plant, or an animal. Making wholesome, delicious, real food more accessible for your little one is the reason we founded Tiny Organics.

How do you choose your baby’s first food? There are so many options, but we recommend starting with more savory soft foods like avocado or sweet potato before moving on to juicy fruits so that your baby doesn’t develop a sweet tooth too quickly. Babies who are exposed to a variety of flavors in the first year develop a more adventurous palate that extends way past toddlerhood and can have lifelong effects. Take this opportunity to introduce interesting flavors, including bitter, sour, and intense ones. You never know what will stick! And don't get discouraged if your child isn't a fan the first time. Sometimes a different preparation or simply another (and then another) try is all that's needed to develop a taste.

Popular first foods for babies include:

• Ripe avocado. Cut it into sticks and lightly coat in oat flour for easier handling.
• Cooked sweet potato. Steam or roast sweet potato until very soft. Be sure to serve without the skin, which can be a choking hazard.
• Banana. Peel it halfway and allow your baby to hold the bottom like a handle and gum the peeled banana half. Babies LOVE this!
• Steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Break broccoli into large pieces: the florets are easier to gum. Many little ones can’t get enough “trees” (of the green and white variety)!
• Cooked carrots. Peel, steam, and cut into long, thick strips.
• Egg. Eggs are so versatile and full of protein. Hard-boil and halve them or cook into a flat “omelet.”

We're here to help you and your little one explore the wide world of healthy, nutritious eating. We don’t have all the answers but have learned a few things along our journey and are so excited to share them with you.

With love,

The Tiny Team