Starting solids with organic foods

The CDC says your child can begin eating solid foods at about 6 months, and that introducing foods before 4 months is not recommended. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends only breast milk for about the first 6 months, then continued breastfeeding along with other foods. Babies who are formula fed follow the same timing for solids.

Age is a guide, and readiness is the test. The CDC lists these signs:

There is no required order. The CDC, citing the AAP, says that for most children you do not need to give foods in a certain sequence, and the AAP adds there is no evidence that babies who get fruit first will dislike vegetables.

What the AAP does ask for is iron and zinc: baby food made with meat, or iron-fortified cereals. If you buy premade cereal, it should be made for babies and iron fortified. The CDC suggests offering a variety of fortified cereals such as oat, barley and multigrain instead of only rice cereal, because feeding only infant rice cereal can raise a child's exposure to arsenic.

None of the AAP or CDC guidance we read makes organic a requirement. The AAP notes that organic baby foods may have lower levels of certain pesticides, and also that they often contain similar levels of heavy metals as non-organic foods. So organic is a reasonable preference, not a safety line. Our pages on organic baby cereal and organic baby food and pouches show which products carry the seal.

The current advice is not to wait. The CDC says to introduce potentially allergenic foods when you introduce other foods. The AAP says there is no evidence that waiting beyond 4 to 6 months to introduce baby-safe forms of eggs, dairy, soy, peanut products or fish prevents food allergy.

There is one group that needs a plan first. Both the AAP and the CDC say that if your baby has severe eczema or an egg allergy, you should talk with your child's doctor about when and how to give peanut products. The AAP notes that testing for peanut allergy is recommended for these babies.

This advice rests on the 2017 addendum guidelines sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). NIAID says they followed a 2015 trial in which early introduction of peanut-containing foods to high-risk infants led to an 81 percent relative reduction in later peanut allergy.

Form matters as much as timing. Whole nuts and chunks of peanut butter are on the AAP's choking hazard list for babies. Ask your pediatrician which forms are suitable.

The USDA Organic seal means at least 95 percent organic ingredients, not counting salt and water. A label that says "made with organic" named ingredients means at least 70 percent, and that product may not show the seal.

Then read the ingredient list, which runs from most to least. The AAP warns that different flavor blends can share the same first ingredient, so two pouches with different names may both be mostly sweet potato. Variety on the shelf is not always variety in the pouch.

For puffs, melts and teething biscuits, note that FDA's 2025 lead action levels for baby food do not cover snack foods. We explain that gap in heavy metals in baby food, and list certified options under organic baby snacks.

If you make your own, the AAP says to cook fresh foods with no added salt or seasoning and to refrigerate what you do not use. For choosing produce, see our guide to the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen.