What can my baby eat at 6 months?

Solids start at around 6 months, as soon as the readiness signs are there. For every food in the HeyFini catalogue you can read here what shape is safe at the start.

Well suited With limits Not suitable

Vegetables

Food	How it works
Carrot	Cooked soft, as a purée or a finger-thick stick to hold.
Potato	Boiled soft as the base of the purée or as a large soft wedge to hold.
Sweet potato	Cooked soft as a purée or a finger-length wedge. Raw it is as hard as a carrot.
Parsnip	Cooked soft as a purée or a finger-thick stick. Raw it is hard and woody.
Pumpkin	Cooked soft as a purée or a finger-length wedge. Hokkaido can go in the pot with its skin.
Zucchini	Steamed soft as a purée or a finger-length stick. With large courgettes cut out the seeds.
Broccoli	A soft-steamed floret to hold. The stalk is the handle.
Cauliflower	A soft-steamed floret on its stalk to hold, or puréed. Start with a small amount, cabbage can cause wind.
Kohlrabi	Only cooked soft, as a purée or a finger-length stick. Raw it is hard and breaks into pieces.
Fennel (vegetable)	Steamed soft as a purée or a finger-length wedge. Leave out the tough outer leaves.
Peas	Boiled soft and mashed with a fork. Whole peas are too round for the start.
Green beans	Cooked right through and puréed, or as a whole soft bean to hold. Never raw, because of phasin.
Spinach	Freshly cooked and finely puréed, in small amounts and only now and then. Do not reheat it, spinach is high in nitrate.
Beetroot	Cooked soft and puréed, in small amounts and only now and then. It is high in nitrate like spinach.
Cucumber	Peeled, deseeded and as a finger-length stick to suck on. Cool it soothes teething.
Tomato	Peeled and strained, or cooked soft as part of the meal.
Bell pepper	Steamed soft and peeled, as finger-length strips or puréed. Raw it is still too hard and the skin too tough.
Corn	As polenta or finely puréed. Whole kernels are small and smooth and slip down easily.
Celery	Cooked soft and puréed, in a small amount. Celery is a major allergen, so introduce it on its own.
Leek	Stewed soft and finely puréed, only the pale part. Leek can cause wind, so start small.
Onion	Cooked along and finely puréed in the vegetable purée. Raw it is sharp.
Mushrooms	Cooked right through and finely puréed, in a small amount. Mushrooms are never served raw.
Eggplant	Stewed or baked soft and puréed, with the skin removed. It is not served raw.
Asparagus	Boiled soft, peeled and puréed, or as a whole soft spear to hold. Cut off the woody ends.
Avocado	Mashed or as a wedge to hold. Rolled in oats it is less slippery.
Brussels sprouts	Cooked soft and puréed, just a small amount at first. Sprouts can cause wind.
Kale	Braised soft and finely puréed, a small amount at first.
Chard	Freshly cooked and finely puréed, in small amounts and only occasionally. Chard is high in nitrate, like spinach.
White / red cabbage	Braised soft for a long time and finely puréed, a small amount at first. Cabbage can cause wind.
Savoy cabbage	Braised soft and finely puréed, a small amount at first. Cabbage can cause wind.
Napa cabbage	Steamed soft and finely puréed, or chopped and mixed into the purée.
Leaf lettuce	Not yet. Smooth raw leaves stick to the palate.
Lamb's lettuce	Not raw yet. At most steamed soft with other food and puréed.
Radishes	Not yet. Radishes are hard, round and peppery.
Swede / rutabaga	Cooked soft as a purée or as a finger-length wedge to hold.
Parsley root	Cooked soft as a purée or as a finger-thick stick. Raw, it is hard.
Celery stalks	Pull off the strings, cook it soft and purée it. Just a small amount, celery is a major allergen.
Sugar snap peas	Steamed soft and with the strings removed, as a whole pod to hold or puréed.
Edamame	Out of the pod, cooked soft and mashed. Introduce soy on its own.
Olives	Pitted, soaked and finely chopped into food in small amounts. Olives are very salty.
Artichoke	Only give the soft cooked heart, puréed or mashed.
Pointed cabbage	Braised soft and finely puréed, a small amount at first. Pointed cabbage is milder than white cabbage.
Butternut squash	Peeled and cooked soft, as a purée or as a finger-length wedge.
Other edible mushrooms	Only cultivated mushrooms, cooked through and finely puréed, a small amount at first.
Okra	Braised soft and puréed. It turns slimy when cooked, that is completely normal.
Bok choy	Soft-steamed and finely puréed or chopped into rice.
Garlic	A tiny amount cooked in and finely crushed into the purée.
Ginger	A hint cooked into the food. On its own it is too hot.
Tomato sauce (passata)	Stirred without salt into purée or pasta sauce.
Guacamole	Without salt from a spoon or spread thinly on a strip of bread.
Veggie mash (stamppot)	Without salt and mashed fine, then it is a purée.
Cress	A few leaves finely chopped and sprinkled over the food.
May turnip	Cooked soft as purée or as a finger-length wedge. Raw it is hard.

Fruit

Food	How it works
Apple	As a purée or a steamed wedge. Raw at most one large piece to gnaw on.
Pear	Ripe and soft as a wedge to hold. Steam hard pears first.
Banana	Split lengthways to hold, or mashed with a fork.
Peach	Ripe, without skin and stone. Mashed or as a soft wedge to hold.
Apricot	Ripe and stoned, mashed or as a soft half to hold. Remove the skin.
Plum	Ripe and stoned, mashed or as a soft half. It has a laxative effect, so start small.
Melon	Ripe and seedless as a finger-length stick to suck on, or mashed.
Watermelon	Ripe and with every seed removed, as a finger-length stick to suck on.
Mango	Ripe and peeled, mashed or as a wedge. Rolled in oats it is less slippery.
Blueberries	Every berry squashed flat, so nothing slips down whole.
Strawberries	Mashed or cut into thin slices. Ripe berries are nice and soft.
Raspberries	Mashed or as a whole soft berry. It falls apart by itself when mashed.
Grapes	Always quartered lengthways and deseeded, without exception.
Cherries	Stoned and quartered lengthways, or mashed. Never whole, it is round like a grape.
Kiwi	Ripe and peeled, mashed or as a soft wedge to hold.
Orange / mandarin	Segments without membrane, mashed or as a whole segment to suck on. The acid can irritate the mouth.
Pineapple	Ripe and without the core, finely puréed or as a large piece to suck on. The fibres are tough, so keep the amount small.
Papaya	Ripe, peeled and deseeded, mashed or as a wedge. It is very soft and mild.
Nectarine	Ripe, without skin or stone, mashed or as a soft wedge to hold.
Mirabelle plum	Use ripe mirabelles, remove the stones and mash them finely.
Blackberries	Mashed or as a whole soft berry. Halve large, firm berries.
Currants	Mash them or cook them into a compote. They are small, round and sour.
Gooseberries	Cook them soft and mash them, or make a compote.
Sour cherries	Pit them and mash them, or cook a compote. Only a small amount, they are sour.
Raisins	Soak them and purée them, and only now and then. Plain, they are sticky and very sweet.
Dates	Pit them, soak them and purée them to sweeten porridge. Just a tiny amount.
Figs	Fresh, ripe and peeled. Mash it or hand over a soft wedge.
Pomegranate	Only the squeezed juice in cereal. The seeds are small, round and firm.
Persimmon	Only fully ripe and jelly soft. Peel it and mash it.
Lychee	Peel it, pit it and mash it. It is round and slippery like a grape.
Physalis	Mash it or quarter it. It is small and round.
Rhubarb	Only cooked, as a compote with sweet fruit, a small amount and rarely. Never raw.
Quince	Only cooked soft as a purée or compote. Raw, it is rock hard.
Elderberries	Only cooked through, as a thin juice or compote. Raw, babies cannot tolerate them.
Grapefruit	Segments without membranes, mashed and in a tiny amount. It is very bitter and rarely popular.
Lemon / lime	A squeeze into the food is enough. Plain, it is too sour.
Passion fruit	Push the pulp through a sieve and stir it, seed free, into fruit purée.
Dragon fruit	Ripe and peeled, mashed or as a soft wedge. The black seeds are tiny and soft.
Nashi pear	Peeled and steamed as a purée or soft wedge. Raw, it is as crunchy as an apple.
Coconut (flakes/milk)	Stir coconut milk into purée or curry. No firm flakes or chunks yet.
Applesauce (unsweetened)	Plain from a spoon or stirred into porridge, always without added sugar.
Cranberries	Fresh only cooked and mashed in compote. They are very sour.
Fruit pouch	Squeeze it onto a spoon and feed it as fruit purée. Do not let your baby suck on it.
Dried fruit (sulphured)	Choose an unsulphured kind, soak it and purée it, just a small amount.

Grains & sides

Food	How it works
Oats	Fine oats, soaked soft in liquid and served as porridge.
Millet	As a fine purée, soft-cooked, happily with fruit purée.
Rice	Boiled soft and mashed as a porridge. Alternate with oats or millet, not rice every day.
Rice cakes	Not needed yet. If at all, only now and then as a large piece to suck on, it softens in the mouth.
Spelt	As a fine porridge from spelt semolina or flakes, soaked soft. Offer gluten early and regularly.
Wheat / semolina	As a fine semolina porridge, cooked soft. Start gluten in a small amount and then offer it regularly.
Bread	The soft inside or soft crust as strips to suck on. Very fresh bread sticks to the palate.
Pasta	Cooked very soft, big grippable shapes like fusilli or penne, whole.
Couscous / bulgur	Very soft and swollen, mixed with a little veg purée so it doesn't crumble.
Polenta	Cooked creamy as porridge or cooled as a finger-length stick to hold.
Quinoa	Rinsed thoroughly, cooked very soft and stirred into veg purée.
Rye	As a fine porridge from rye flakes, well soaked. It has a strong taste, so only a small amount.
Buckwheat	Cook it soft and purée it into a fine porridge.
Amaranth	Cook it very soft into a porridge. The grains are tiny.
Barley	As a fine porridge from barley flakes, or purée very soft cooked pearl barley.
Green spelt	As a fine green spelt porridge that you cook nice and soft.
Rusk	A big piece to suck on, it softens in the mouth. Choose a sugar free kind.
Crispbread	Not yet at six months. Crispbread breaks into hard splinters.
Pretzel	Hand over a soft pretzel arm without salt to suck on.
Toast	Lightly toasted in finger length strips. That way it does not stick to the roof of the mouth.
Porridge / muesli (unsweetened)	Cook it fine and soft, with some fruit purée if you like.
Cornflakes (unsweetened)	Soaked in milk and mashed, unsweetened. Dry, they are too hard.
Pancakes	Bake it without sugar, cook it through and cut it into finger length strips.
Waffles (unsweetened)	Unsweetened, baked soft and cooked through. Cut it into finger length strips.
Gnocchi	Cook them soft and halve them for holding, or mash them.
Dumplings	Cook it soft and mash it, or hand over a piece to suck on.
Spaetzle	Cooked soft and mashed, or hand over single soft spaetzle to hold.
Rice pudding (unsweetened)	Cooked very soft, unsweetened and with fruit purée if you like. Alternate with other grains.
Tortilla / wrap	Soft and cut into finger-length strips, thinly spread with purée.
Corn cakes	As a big piece to suck on, unsalted. It dissolves in the mouth.
Millet rings	One at a time to suck on, they dissolve in the mouth. The ingredients list says millet only.
Spelt sticks	One stick to suck and gnaw on, without sugar and without salt.
Rice noodles	Cooked very soft, cut small and mashed. Alternate with other kinds of pasta.
Croissant / pastry	As a rare exception the soft inside in strips. It is full of butter and often sugar.

Meat, fish & egg

Food	How it works
Beef	Finely puréed in the vegetable, potato and meat purée, the classic first lunch.
Pork	Lean meat, cooked right through and finely puréed in the purée.
Poultry	Cooked right through and finely puréed into the vegetable purée.
Lamb	Lean meat, cooked right through and finely puréed in the vegetable purée.
Salmon	Cook it all the way through and mash it finely into the purée. Remove every bone first.
White fish (e.g. cod)	Cook it through, remove every bone and mash it finely into the purée.
Egg	Hard boil it and mash it into the purée, or serve firmly set scrambled egg.
Liver	Cooked through and finely puréed, only now and then and in small amounts. Liver is very rich in vitamin A.
Sausage	Not needed yet. Sausage is salty, and raw kinds like mett or salami are off limits.
Cooked ham	A tiny amount of cooked ham, finely chopped into the purée. Raw ham is off limits.
Duck	Cook it through, remove the skin and purée it finely into the mash.
Venison	Cook it through and purée it finely into the vegetable mash.
Rabbit	Cook it through, carefully pick out every bone splinter and purée it finely.
Trout	Cook it through, debone it very carefully and mash it finely into the purée.
Pollock	Cook it through and mash it finely into the purée. It is almost bone free.
Tuna	Cooked through and finely mashed, but only rarely. Tuna contains mercury.
Mackerel	Cooked through, deboned and finely mashed into the purée. Smoked mackerel is salty, better take fresh.
Herring	Only cooked through, deboned and finely mashed. No matjes or pickled herring.
Shrimp	Fully cooked and finely puréed, just a small amount. Introduce shellfish one at a time.
Fish fingers	As an exception, that works. Remove the coating and mash the fish finely.
Meatballs	Without salt and cooked well through. Mash them finely into the purée.
Omelette / scrambled eggs	Let it set firmly and cut it into finger length strips for holding.
Spanish tortilla	Fully set and in finger-length strips. The potatoes need to be soft.
Sardines	From the tin in oil and finely mashed into purée. The soft bones can go in.
Mussels	Cooked through and finely puréed, a tiny amount. Introduce molluscs on their own.
Squid	Braised very soft and finely puréed, a tiny amount.

Dairy

Food	How it works
Plain yogurt	Plain whole milk yoghurt from the spoon or stirred with fruit purée. Just a small amount at first.
Cheese (sliced)	Grate it finely and sprinkle it over the purée.
Quark	A spoonful of whole milk quark stirred with fruit purée, only now and then. Yoghurt is the better choice.
Butter	Stir a small knob into the vegetables. Every purée needs some fat.
Cow's milk	Only cooked into the milk and cereal porridge. Not as a drink yet.
Cream cheese	Stir a little into the vegetables or spread it thinly on a strip of bread.
Mozzarella	Finely grated or in tiny pieces into warm food. The balls are slippery.
Skyr	A spoonful stirred with fruit purée, and only now and then. Yoghurt is the better choice.
Cottage cheese	Choose a low salt kind. Mash it into the purée or offer it plain from the spoon.
Kefir	A few spoonfuls plain or stirred with fruit purée are enough.
Buttermilk	Stir a few spoonfuls into porridge or purée.
Cream (for cooking)	Stir a spoonful into the vegetables. Fat belongs in the purée.
Goat cheese (pasteurised)	Only pasteurised. Grate it finely over the purée.
Feta / sheep's cheese	Soak it in water and add a few crumbs to the vegetables. It is very salty.
Parmesan	A touch finely grated over the food. It is salty, so the amount stays tiny.
Greek yogurt	A spoonful plain or with fruit purée, but only now and then. It has more protein than normal yoghurt.
Cheddar	Finely grated over the purée, a small amount. It is salty.
Ricotta	Pasteurised, a spoonful stirred into vegetables or with fruit purée.
Goat's milk	Only pasteurised and only cooked into purée. Not as a drink yet.

Legumes & nuts

Food	How it works
Lentils	Cook red lentils until they fall apart into a purée. Just a small amount to start.
Chickpeas	Cook them soft and purée them finely, for example as hummus without salt.
Beans (kidney, white)	Well cooked through and finely puréed, a small amount at first. Raw beans are off limits.
Tofu	Soft tofu mashed, or as a finger-length strip to hold. Introduce soy on its own.
Peanut butter	Stirred thinly into the purée, early and then regularly. That is what the LEAP study recommends.
Almond butter	Stirred thinly into the purée, regularly and in small amounts. Never whole almonds.
Nut butter (mixed)	Stir a thin layer into the purée, that is plenty.
Tahini (sesame paste)	Stirred thinly into the purée, a small amount at first. Introduce sesame on its own.
Hummus	Homemade and without salt, from the spoon or spread thinly on a strip of bread.
Cashew butter	Stir a thin layer into the purée. Never whole nuts.
Hazelnut butter	Stir a thin layer into the purée. Never whole hazelnuts.
Sunflower seed butter	Stir a thin layer into the purée. It is the nut free alternative.
Pumpkin seed butter	Stir a thin layer into the purée, that is plenty.
Soy yogurt (unsweetened)	Unsweetened from a spoon or with fruit purée, just a small amount at first. Introduce soy on its own.
Flaxseed (ground)	Ground into the purée, no more than half a teaspoon and with plenty of liquid.
Chia seeds	Pre-soaked into the purée, no more than a teaspoon and with plenty of liquid.
White bean spread	Without salt from a spoon or spread thinly on a strip of bread.
Baked beans	A low-sugar kind, rinsed and mashed, just a small amount at first.
Peanut puffs (e.g. Bamba)	Unsalted, softened in breast milk or water and mashed. That is exactly how the LEAP study did it.
Lupin flour / products	A small amount baked in or stirred into purée. As a major allergen, introduce it on its own.
Tempeh	Steamed and finely mashed, or as a soft strip to hold.
Seitan	Unseasoned, braised very soft and finely mashed, a small amount. Shop-bought is usually salty.

Fats & sweets

Food	How it works
Rapeseed oil	Stir a teaspoon of rapeseed oil into every vegetable purée, it belongs there.
Olive oil	A teaspoon stirred into the vegetables. It is mild and works well alternating with rapeseed oil.
Herbs & mild spices	Finely chopped and cooked in, a small amount. Salt and heat stay out.
Linseed oil	Half a teaspoon cold over the finished purée. Never heat it.
Margarine	A small knob stirred into the vegetables. Butter or rapeseed oil work just as well.
Pesto	Made at home without salt and with ground nuts, a spoonful stirred into soft pasta.
Cinnamon	A pinch of Ceylon cinnamon stirred into porridge, that is all it needs.
Vanilla	A little real vanilla seed stirred into porridge. Leave vanilla sugar out.
Mild spices (curry, cumin)	A pinch of mild spice cooked into the food. Heat stays out.
Mustard	A hint of mild mustard stirred into the sauce or meatball. Introduce mustard on its own.

Drinks

Food	How it works
Water	A few sips from an open cup with meals. Tap water is fine for that.
Unsweetened tea	Unsweetened and lukewarm from a cup, only now and then. Water is better, and fennel tea stays sparing.
Juice	No baby needs juice. If at all, a splash heavily diluted with meals.
Oat drink	Fine for cooking into porridge. As a drink it replaces neither breast milk nor infant formula.
Almond drink	Fine for cooking into purée. As a drink it replaces no milk.
Soy drink	Fine for cooking into purée. As a milk substitute only if your paediatrician recommends it.
Coconut water	Not needed, water is the drink. Unsweetened, a few sips are harmless though.
Smoothie	Home-blended and thin from a spoon, a small amount. Not for drinking.

Sources: WHO and UNICEF on texture stages, ESPGHAN 2017 on the lumpy-food window in months 8 to 10.

This page gives general information and does not replace medical or dietetic advice. Every child develops differently. When in doubt, talk to your paediatrician or a registered dietitian.

The ages are rough guides. What counts is not the calendar but what your child can already do with mouth and hands.

The five safety rules

Quarter round food lengthwise. Grapes, cherries and cherry tomatoes never go on the plate whole.
Cook hard food soft or grate it finely. Raw carrot and raw apple break into hard pieces otherwise.
Nuts are never whole, only as a butter or finely ground.
Eating happens sitting upright, never lying down and never on the move.
Stay with your baby while they eat. Choking happens silently.

⚠️ If your child chokes or can't breathe, call the emergency number straight away: 112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US.

Sources: AAP, the German BfR and Netzwerk Gesund ins Leben. All dangerous foods at a glance

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