Best Baby Food Pouches Jars Organic And More

Best Baby Food

Every parent wants to choose the “best” foods for their baby, and there can be so much pressure to feed a child perfectly. So let’s start with something really crucial: There is no one “best” way to feed a baby, but there sure are a lot of wonderful options to choose from. I love to share my picks for what to feed babies and toddlers since there are so many options on the market to choose from. The baby foods below are tested at the highest standards with transparency by the companies, made with easy-to-understand ingredients, available in an accessible way—whether in a store or through direct mail—and taste great. Some of these may work better for your family than others, whether for your specific food budget, time and energy levels, or preferences. My goal is to offer fully vetted options to help you feel a little less overwhelmed when choosing a baby food. TIP: Enjoy my comprehensive guide to the best First Foods for Baby and How to Start Solids.

Best Baby Food Stage 1 (6 months)

There are two ways to start this first phase of solids—either with very thin single-ingredient purees, or with baby-led weaning. With either, choosing nutrient-dense whole foods is a great plan so baby can experience those flavors and have exposure to a range of nutrients. Sign up for our email updates to get tips and ideas sent to your inbox. TIP: Find my favorite foods to start solids with in this first foods guide.

Top 10 Baby Food Brands

These are the brands I turn to when buying baby food at the store: TIP: See each individual brand’s website for more information.

Heavy Metals in Baby Food—What to Know

The wide-spread issue of heavy metals in baby foods was shared in 2021 in a report from the US House Committee on Oversight and Reform. It said that commercial baby foods are tainted with dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. Many brands families rely on were found to have potentially unsafe levels of heavy metals—but the report was limited in that it looked at only a few companies. Take the guesswork out of feeding baby with these flavorful, easy-to-use meals. They’re plant-forward and so YUM. This is a very, very complex issue and goes far beyond baby food standards into farming and manufacturing practices.

How to Lower Heavy Metals in Baby Food

Nothing in the findings indicated that anyone needs to fully stop buying baby foods at the store, but you can do two things to help feel less panicked about the situation and mitigate potential risks. TIP: The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends checking your water for heavy metals (ask your water department for the yearly water quality report, which is usually posted on their website), mitigate lead risks in the home (including testing your water, replacing old pipes as needed, and knowing if you have lead paint and taking steps to mitigate the risk), avoid juice (such as apple) which can be high in arsenic), and choose low-mercury fish.

Safest Baby Food Brands

You can consider incorporating some options from these companies, which have more rigorous testing standards. (Go to each company’s website for more information.) Again, you do not need to exclusively buy these brands, but they are options to use at times when they fit in your budget.

Amara Organic Baby Food Yumi Baby Food Little Spoon Cerebelly

TIP: I want to emphasize that you do not have to buy these brands only. You can use the tips above to lower risk and incorporate any store bought options as you like.

Best Baby Cereals

These are some favorite baby cereals to try:

Homemade Quinoa Cereal Homemade Baby Oatmeal Baby Rice Cereal Amara Organics Oats n’ Berries Happy Family Organics Oats and Quinoa Gerber Multi-Grain Cereal Earth’s Best Organic Oatmeal Gerber Whole Wheat Cereal

TIP: You certainly don’t have to do baby cereal, but one benefit from purchased baby cereals is that they contain iron, which babies need to be eating soon after 6 months, as the iron stores they are born with start to run out.

Best Baby Food Recipes

These are some of my favorite easy baby food recipes that you can easily make at home when you have time in your schedule and energy to do so. I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please comment below!