← Starting solids: the overview
What foods should babies not eat?
The good news first: the list of no-gos is short. But the few items on it matter – they cover two different dangers: foods that can make a baby ill and shapes a baby can choke on.
In short: off limits in the first year: honey because of the botulism risk, raw milk and raw animal products such as raw egg, raw minced meat and raw fish, and salt and sugar. Because of the choking risk, also: whole nuts, whole grapes unless you quarter them lengthwise, hard raw pieces of vegetable and fruit. And: always stay with your baby while eating, baby sits upright.
The red list: can make your baby ill
| Food | Why it's off limits | OK from |
|---|---|---|
| Honey, also in baked goods or tea | Can contain botulism spores – life-threatening in an infant's gut (BfR). Cooking doesn't reliably destroy the spores. | From the 1st birthday |
| Raw milk & raw-milk cheese | Risk of listeria and EHEC. | Pasteurised as an ingredient at any time; cow's milk as a drink only towards the end of the 1st year in small amounts |
| Raw or soft egg | Salmonella risk. | Hard-boiled or cooked through, already during solids – introducing it early is good, see allergens |
| Raw meat & raw sausage such as steak tartare or salami, raw fish | Listeria, salmonella, toxoplasmosis. | Cooked through, already during solids – meat is the best source of iron |
| Salt | Strains the immature kidneys. | Sparingly after the 1st birthday |
| Sugar & sweets | Shapes preferences, damages teeth, displaces nutrients. | The later and rarer, the better |
| Wild mushrooms, large predatory fish such as tuna when eaten often | Heavy-metal or contaminant load. | Toddler age, in moderation |
Choking hazards: the shape is the problem
Here the food isn't toxic – it just has the perfect size to get stuck in the windpipe. The paediatricians' rule (AAP among others): defuse anything round, hard and smooth.
| Risky | How to make it safe |
|---|---|
| Whole grapes, cherry tomatoes, large blueberries | Quarter lengthwise – not just halve |
| Whole nuts & peanuts | Only ground or as thinly spread nut butter, stirred lump-free into purée |
| Raw carrot, raw apple, raw kohlrabi | Cook soft or grate finely – raw only once chewing is reliable |
| Sausages or hot dogs in slices | The classic of emergency rooms: always quarter lengthwise, better to offer rarely |
| Popcorn, hard sweets, chewing gum, whole cherries with stones | Not at all for babies and toddlers |
| Sticky fruit spread, a spoonful of nut butter “neat” | Always thin nut butter and stir it in – sticky blobs can block the airway |
The basic rules at mealtimes
Always stay with your baby. Baby eats sitting upright, never lying down, never in a moving car, never while crawling around. No distraction from commotion – and no popping food into the mouth “on the side”. It sounds strict, but it's half the battle: most choking accidents happen in passing.
Warnings at exactly the right moment
Nobody has a table in their head while feeding – that's why HeyFini puts it right into the food catalogue: pick grapes, honey or raw carrot, for instance, and the app warns you before you log it, with the specific note and the source (BfR, Gesund ins Leben, AAP). Over 230 foods, each with preparation by age (6+/9+/12+ months).
Just as important as the ban is the question of how an allowed food gets onto the plate. That’s why the app shows the age-appropriate preparation for every one of its 234 foods: at 6 months, at 9 months and from 12 months. Bell pepper at 6 months means steamed soft and peeled in finger-length strips, at 9 months in pea-sized pieces, from 12 months raw in thin strips. More about that in the starting solids overview.
Sources: Starting solids and readiness signs: German network Gesund ins Leben, infant nutrition recommendations; ESPGHAN, Fewtrell et al. 2017; American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP); choking hazards and raw milk: German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR); allergens: LEAP study, Du Toit et al., NEJM 2015; EAACI; German S3 guideline on allergy prevention (AWMF); iron: ESPGHAN and Gesund ins Leben.
Download HeyFini on the App Store
Frequently asked questions
Why no honey for babies?
Botulism spores can germinate in an infant's gut – life-threatening (BfR). Applies for the whole first year, cooked honey included.
Are grapes really that dangerous?
Yes – round, smooth, exactly airway-sized. Quartering them lengthwise makes them harmless.
When can my child eat whole nuts?
Whole nuts stay off the menu for a long time because of the choking risk – ground or as thinned nut butter they're fine from the start of solids.
My baby gags on finger food – should I stop?
Gagging is loud and comes with coughing – a normal protective reflex while learning to chew. Stay calm and keep going – the danger is silent choking, see the warning box above.
More guides on starting solids
General guidance, not medical advice. For questions about your child, talk to your paediatrician or midwife; in an emergency call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US).