how to: find the best first foods for your baby

as a breastfeeding mama, you've fed your baby liquid gold since birth.

your milk has provided your little one with an exception foundation for their growing bodies and maturing minds. your milk gives your baby all of the vitamins, nutrients, and antibodies they need to flourish.

all of which can make it overwhelming to introduce foods to your baby’s diet––how could anything match all that goodness your baby has been consuming? you might even be thinking to yourself, “I wish I could maintain this pristine diet for my baby forever!” (then you consider driving up to your child’s high school to nurse them and decide perhaps introducing food is best for everyone after all.)

so instead of giving your kid a bottle to take to calculus class, sometime around 6 months your infant can get started eating their first foods. since your little one will still be getting many of their calories from your milk, you can focus on feeding baby foods to help them establish healthy eating habits and a happy tummy.

overwhelmed by all the options for baby foods? we’ve got your back, mama.

we recommend looking for first foods that meet the three following standards, just like mama’s milk: they contain simple ingredients, are certified organic, and work to promote healthy digestion and a happy tummy.

what to look for in your baby’s first foods:

1. simple, natural ingredients

• look for baby foods with ingredients you know and know are good for you: fruits, veggies, whole milk, healthy proteins.
• avoid foods with a bunch of ingredients you can’t pronounce. chemicals and additives aren’t good for anyone, but especially not your little one’s pristine digestive tract. (one exception: probiotics––more on that below)

2.  certified organic ingredients

• organic foods have more of the good stuff like: 50% higher omega-3 fatty acids in meat and milk, and 20% higher antioxidants in produce than in conventionally raised versions.
• organic foods also less of the bad stuff like heavy metals and residual pesticides, which children and fetuses are most vulnerable to because their immune systems, bodies, and brains are still developing.

3. probiotics for a healthy belly

• probiotics naturally exist in amniotic fluid and breast milk and help newborns establish healthy gut flora.
• as babies transition to foods, it's important to seek out probiotics in places like fermented foods and certain dairy products to keep up optimal digestion and gut health.
• probiotics additionally support immune system strengthening and help to stabilize mood
• when looking at ingredients, you’ll see probiotics listed by each strain of bacteria, like S. thermophilus or L. acidophilus.

a first food that meets our high standards is YoBaby, a yogurt made with the highest quality organic milk and fruit purees, free from sweeteners and additives, and containing six strains of probiotics to promote healthy baby tummies.

this post is sponsored by our Stonyfield YoBaby Yogurt. YoBaby is a pumpspotting favorite as well the  #1 pediatrician recommended yogurt for babies 6 months to 2 years among refrigerated yogurts.