When babies can have stage 1, stage 2, and stage 3 baby food (2024)

You'll often see baby food jars labeled with "stages" that refer to a baby's general level of experience with eating solid foods. These stages aren't standardized by experts or consistent across brands, but there are some general similarities in each stage.

• Stage 1 foods are made for a baby's first introduction to solids. They're pureed to a liquid for easy swallowing and are usually a single ingredient to help parents identify any allergic reactions to food. Containers are often smaller to reflect the portions younger babies eat.
• Stage 2 foods have a thicker consistency and are designed for more experienced eaters who have become more skilled at moving food from the front to the back of their mouth. These foods often combine two or more ingredients to expose a baby to new flavor mixtures.
• Stage 3 foods have chunkier textures and are made for older babies who are mastering their chewing skills.

There's no set age when your baby needs to move on to the next stage of baby food, but here's a general guide for each stage.

Note: If you're making your own baby food, you won't have the stages to guide you – but the idea still applies if you're starting with purees. Baby-led weaning, on the other hand, is a different approach entirely. Since you'll start with finger foods, the puree stages don't apply.

Stage 1 baby food

At the very beginning, when your baby is still getting used to new flavors and textures, offer single-ingredient purees such as a meat, vegetable, or fruit. (Or you can start with baby cereal.) Only give them one type of puree at a time, and wait three to five days before introducing another new food to make sure that your baby doesn't have an allergic reaction.

Good stage 1 baby food purees include:

• Apple, banana, or prune
• Chicken or turkey
• Peas
• Carrots

As the list of foods your baby has tried and likes grows, they'll be ready to move on to stage 2 foods.

Stage 2 baby food

You can introduce foods with more than one ingredient once your baby is comfortable eating solid food and has tried each ingredient separately without having an allergic reaction. This usually means giving them purees made with two or more ingredients, though if your baby is an experienced chewer, you can start giving them things like well-cooked pasta with tomato sauce or mashed potatoes with a little butter or cheese.

You can also start experimenting with consistency once your baby has a little more experience with solid food. If they're used to being spoonfed very thin baby cereal, try adding less liquid for a thicker consistency – or even adding baby cereal to a fruit or veggie puree – to see how they like it.

Some good stage 2 baby foods include:

• Apple and berries
• Sweet potato and chicken
• Butternut squash and corn

If you're making baby food at home, here are some ways you can expand your baby's palate:

• Mix familiar flavors. Puree bananas and mangoes together, swirl pureed prunes into oatmeal, or blend meat and a veggie. You can also introduce thicker purees and soft mashes – root vegetables make a great first mash.
• Add a little spice. Flavor vegetables with lemon juice or herbs. Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon over apple and pear sauce, cumin on pureed lamb, or turmeric on smashed chick peas. Roast garlic and puree it with meat, or sauté and then puree onions with spinach, kale, or chard. Don't add too much salt or sweeteners – babies don't need sodium or sugar in their diets. Also avoid honey, which isn't safe for babies under one year old.
• Build on familiar flavors. Riff on something your baby has already eaten by adding new ingredients to it. For example, once your baby is eating avocado and plain yogurt (two of our 10 best foods for babies), squeeze in some lime juice to make baby guacamole. When you make the next batch, add fresh cilantro.

Stage 3 baby food

By the time your baby is eating stage 3 baby food, they're ready for some bigger adventures. Think thick, chunky purees; soups and stews with soft-cooked meats and veggies; and pasta or rice dishes with flavorful sauces.

Some good stage 3 baby foods include:

• Carrot, corn, and chickpeas
• Apple, berry, and oats
• Banana and blueberry rice pudding

By this point, your baby is also likely ready to eat whatever the rest of your family is eating – which will definitely make things easier for you! Just make sure anything you give your baby is cut into small, bite-size pieces (around a quarter of an inch) and is easy for your baby to mash in their mouth. (If you're doing baby-led weaning, you'll giver larger pieces of soft foods that are easy to grab and chew.) Don't give your baby raw, crunchy foods they could choke on, like carrots or whole grapes.

If you're not doing baby-led weaning, this is also a great time to introduce finger foods, like banana slices and O-shaped oat cereal. Your baby likely has lots of experience with different textures and flavors by now. Let them take the reins by giving them some finger foods and letting your baby feed themself.

Not sure what foods to give your baby and when? Check out our age-by-age guide to feeding.