There are so many healthy, baby-friendly foods out there, but some stand out from all the rest. These culinary superfoods are loaded with essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals and are easy to prepare and incorporate into baby’s daily diet.
Here are 12 foods you should be feeding your child:
1. Avocados
Avocados are a rich source of unsaturated fats, which play a key role in maintaining a healthy heart. This versatile fruit is known for its high nutrient value and can be added to all sorts of dishes, savoury or sweet, due to its mild flavor and rich, creamy texture.
2. Broccoli
Of all the cruciferous vegetables, broccoli stands out as the most concentrated source of vitamin C and contains high levels of both calcium and vitamin K, both of which are important for bone health. Broccoli is also high in fiber, which aids in digestion, prevents constipation, and maintains low blood sugar.
3. Beans and lentils
Beans and lentils are a great source of plant-based protein, iron, folate, fiber, zinc and manganese. They’re one of the healthiest and also one of the cheapest foods you can buy. To make beans and lentils baby-friendly, soak them overnight, drain, rinse and cook until very soft.
Coconut-Curried Lentils and Brown Rice
4. Blueberries
Blueberries contain antioxidants, which work to neutralize free radicals linked to the development of cancer and cardiovascular disease. They are loaded with vitamin C and are an excellent source of manganese, which plays an important part in bone development and converting carbohydrates and fats into energy.
5. Chia seeds
These tiny, crunchy seeds are packed with nutrition and are a great source of protein, fiber, antioxidants, calcium, manganese, and omega 3 fatty acids. They lower cholesterol, aid with intestinal irregularity, and level out blood sugar levels.
Strawberry Cheesecake Chia Pudding
6. Dark leafy greens
Leafy greens, such as kale and spinach, are major sources of iron and vitamin C. They are low in fat and contain high levels of vitamin K, dietary fiber, potassium, and magnesium. Dark leafy greens are rich in phytochemicals, such as lutein, and beta-carotene, which help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses.
7. Eggs (Organic)
Eggs are easily digestible and are high in iron, folate, vitamins A, E and are a great source of protein. They’re one of the few foods that naturally contain vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium.
8. Greek yogurt
Green yogurt has two to three times the amount of protein and less sugar than regular yogurt. Yogurt is a great food to introduce to baby at 6 months since it boosts the immune system and supports brain and heart health. It’s a good source of calcium and vitamin D and is known to boost immunity and aid digestion.
9. Natural nut butters
Nuts and nut butters such as peanut, cashew, and almond are packed with minerals and vitamins. They provide baby with a great source of protein, beneficial fatty acids, vitamin E and minerals like manganese, potassium and iron.
10. Wild Salmon
Salmon is an outstanding source of heart-healthy omega-3 fats, which play a crucial role in retinal and brain development and is especially important for children in the first two years of life. (Be sure to pick wild salmon, which is lower in mercury and higher in omega-3 fatty acids).
Lemon Dill Salmon Puree
11. Oats
Oats provides high levels of fiber and protein, and low levels of fat. Fiber-rich whole grains, like oatmeal, digest slowly, providing kids with a steady stream of energy. The high fiber content and the complex carbohydrates slow down the conversion of this whole food to simple sugars, while the high levels of magnesium nourish the body’s proper use of glucose and insulin secretion.
12. Quinoa
Quinoa is naturally gluten-free and incredibly nutritious, containing iron, B-vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, vitamin E and fiber. It is one of the most protein-rich foods we can eat and is one of only a few plant-based foods that is a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids.
I love everything on this list (well, except Avocados, I’m not a huge fan). The items on this list weren’t a consistent part of my diet but I am proud to say that, that has changed now. 🙂
Great list, luckily my boys like everything on the list….long may it continue!
THANX FOR SHARING SUCH A USEFULL LIST.I LOVE THIS KIND OF POSTS WHICH ARE REALLY HELPFULL AND INFORMATIVE FOR PEOPLE WITHOUT EXPERIENCE
It’s good to know you found this so informative!
Great list! I don’t have kids yet but this will surely come in handy soon!
Avocados are so good. There is nothing like a dish with nice, fresh guacamole as a side.
I add a few scoops of avocado to almost everything I eat!
I love oatmeal. Not so much in the summer but in the winter it’s almost an everyday thing for me. Broccoli is another tasty food to me. I eat that a whole lot too. I love lentils, beans, ham and all that in the winter made up in my crock pot.
We have the same taste in food (except I don’t eat meat!).
I bought a pack of lentils from an Amish store but haven’t found a good recipe. Thanks for sharing this one, I will have to try it.
I LOVE coconut-currid lentils…if you like those two flavours, then you will too!
Yum! I should be eating more of some of these foods! I just need to find the right recipes for them.
You should try some of the recipes posted 😉
deifnitely 🙂
I used to do a lot of avocado and beans when my kids were babies, but we don’t do a lot of them now and I don’t know why. I think its time to start incorporating them into meals again. I love these recipes!!
Me too..I still prepare them often but my kids are in one of their phases right now and don’t care for them!
These all look like great natural foods for babies. I am going to have to pin these for later. Some of these my son already loves like brocholi and lentils.
Thanks for pinning!
I love this list!! I am always trying to get my kids to try new foods, one recently that surprised me was Lentils that they loved!
I love lentils! I try to get my kids to eat them more often but it always depends on their mood! lol!
I love your list. These are things that we all eat in our house. Makes me want to go and cook!
Thankfully, my kids actually love a lot of these. We don’t do grains in the house though because I think they do more harm to your body than good
It’s really hard to keep up with a diet of no grains, how do you do it?
Ensuring that my kids eat healthy is very, very important to me. They love mac and cheese which isn’t very healthy by itself but with broccoli is always a good choice.
Actually, I don’t think homemade mac n’cheese is all that bad, especially if you use skim milk and a good quality cheese! Of course, the broccoli makes it healthier though!
I love this list and all the recipes that you have with them. My kiddos eat most of these and I wish they liked more of them.
That’s great that they already eat a lot of these…there are so many more super healthy foods that aren’t on this list!
These are all great foods to get your baby accustomed to eating–they are also really very good for the whole family!
This is a fantastic list – I knew of some of them, and make sure Pickle has them, but there are many I didn’t know about. Thank you for sharing. Kaz
Thanks! I hope this post has inspired you to incorporate some of these foods into your child’s daily diet!
This is a great list. Kiddo isn’t a fan of salmon and I haven’t tried to give her Chia seeds just yet. Thankfully, she pretty much likes everything else on this list.
Lucky you actually…if the only thing she doesn’t eat is salmon 😉
This is an awesome list of foods parents should feed their kids. Chai seeds and quinoa are the only things my kids I don’t think never ate. Thanks for sharing.
I think it’s a great list for adults too!
These are all fantastic foods. I am excited to try the Creamy Avocado Pasta.
My kids LOVE that pasta! It’s so rich and creamy!
My son is on a green bean kick right now but I should try some of these others. Smoothies would be an easy idea.
When my son loved green beans I would boil them then sautee them in tomato sauce and add Parmesan cheese!
What a great list!!! I’m all about giving my daughter blueberries. I use to give her avocado but she stopped eating it -_-
My son too! He would literally scoop it out of the shell…that lasted about 3 months. Now, he can’t stand it, lol!
I’d like to try a creamy avocado recipe for myself. I would have never thought to feed a baby/child avocado.
That’s a pasta dish that my whole family loves!
I just started making smoothies. My 4 year old loves them. I feed him a few on he list bit have not tried some of the others.
A lot of these are great to add to smoothies, especially avocado! It adds such a creamy texture!
Well, I am an epic failure of a mother. My kids eat about 3 of the 12 things on your list!
Not true, lol! Sometimes we just get in a rut and serve the same foods. Hopefully this list will inspire you 😉
Check, check, check and check. My granddaughter is two and she eats all of these with glee. 🙂
Awesome! Your granddaughter is a lucky (and healthy!) little girl 😉
She is… and my 7yr old has admonished me, asking why I didn’t feed him better when he was young so he would love it now like she does. Oy!! Working on it….
These are great, healthy foods for everyone. Salmon is my favorite food, so I’m happy to see it added to the list.
Mine too! My kids actually love smoked salmon but aren’t as keen on cooked salmon…
I think everybody should eat these. I think if parents started their kids younger than the kids wouldn’t have a problem with being picky eaters.
Definitely, it’s a great list for adults too. I also agree with the problem with picky eaters!
Wow want an extensive list of food to feed your kids. I never would of thought many of these that babies can eat and it be healthy for them!
I think it all comes down to discretion but most of these can be given to baby, although the timing and amount may vary.
This is a great list. We love avocados, in fact, I just made guacomole a while ago. My kids also love it when I spread it on their sandwiches.
I love using guacamole as a sandwich spread 😉
We love avocados. Aside from the usual guacamole, we scoop out chunks of the fruit into bowls, pour milk over them, sprinkle a little sugar and then chill in the refrigerator. Perfect dessert for a hot summer day.
That sounds delicious! I’ve made ice cream, using frozen bananas and some avocado…it adds such creaminess and richness!
What a great highlight of foods to feed kids! I think it is important children get exposed to a wide variety of healthy foods are young ages!
I agree, that way they’ll be less inclined in becoming picky eaters.
my kids love avocados. great fat, keep them full longer
I wish I had discovered avocados earlier in life. I would have included them in a lot more home recipes.
Well, it’s never too late! 😉
These are really great suggestions! My son is a really picky eater and I’m trying to get him to eat more foods. He’s tried avocados but I’ve never been able to get him to eat chai seeds!
You should try making a chia seed pudding, or better yet, add a few to a smoothie!
Yes! My kiddos eat all of this minus avocado. I don’t buy them enough and I should! I need to try those pizza muffins with quiona!
Mine used to love avocados, but I think they ate so many of them that they got sick of them, lol!
Those are all great recommendations for healthy foods for babies (and for adults)! I just recently started eating chia seeds.
Thanks, it’s definitely a great list for adults too!
I think the only thing that I did not give my babies was the chia seeds. I still haven’t tried that till this day.
I have a ton of great chia seed recipes on the Blog you should check out!
I love all those foods. I never thought to feed them to my babies. But now I would for sure.
I’m so lucky that my kids are good eaters. It hasn’t been hard for me to make sure they eat healthy things.
Yes, you are lucky! Mine definitely have their phases!
You just described the mainstay of my diet and all of these foods are so good for kids and adults. I always look for ways to hide some of these super foods in my grandkid’s meals. 🙂
Good for you…smart woman!
These are all great suggestions, and I feed my kids most of these. I’m still trying to figure out how to get them to try quinoa, though.
Quinoa is definitely a tricky one! I have a recipe for you quinoa pizza muffins you might want to try 😉
These are some great suggestions for healthy eating for kids and adults! Thanks for the suggested recipes using them.
No problem! I hope you get a chance to try some of them!
Great list, my kids eat a lot of these, but I see a few we’ve never tried. They probably wouldn’t go for the Chia Seeds but I will try some of the others.
You should try chia seeds in a pudding or in smoothie! A little bit goes a long way!