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Foods to Avoid Before Age 1
Do not give honey, unpasteurized dairy, added salt and sugar, juice, cow’s milk as a drink, or choking-risk foods such as whole nuts, popcorn, and whole grapes. Most other family foods can be adapted if they are soft and low-salt.
Unsafe in the first year
- Honey, including baked foods with honey, because of botulism risk
- Unpasteurized milk, juice, or cheese
- Cow’s milk as a main drink (small amounts in cooking are different)
- Added salt and sugar as a habit
- Fruit juice and sugar-sweetened drinks
High choking-risk foods
- Whole nuts and thick nut butter globs
- Popcorn
- Whole grapes, cherry tomatoes, and round chunks of hot dog
- Raw hard vegetables and fruit
- Hard candy and marshmallows
Frequently asked questions
Is a little salt in family food okay?
A tiny taste from a shared meal is different from salting the baby’s portion. Cook the baby’s food without added salt when you can.
Sources
- Starting Solid Foods — American Academy of Pediatrics
- When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods — CDC
- Complementary feeding — World Health Organization
- Your baby’s first solid foods — NHS
Reviewed by Morvarid Nikousokhantayar.