30 Worst First Foods for Baby: Which Foods Are Unsafe and Should Be Avoided
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30 Worst First Foods for Baby: Which Foods Are Unsafe and Should Be Avoided

Discover 30 first foods that are unsafe for babies to eat, including why you should avoid giving them to your little one.

Updated September 22, 2024

by Dr. Nicole Avena, Ph. D.

Associate Professor of Neuroscience
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Becoming a mom is fraught with many decisions you may never have considered before. What to feed your baby once they’re old enough to start solids is one of the most common questions parents ask. You might not realize that you should avoid certain first foods for babies that can be unsafe.

It can be easy to get caught up in what the media tells you to feed and not feed your little one as a new mom. For example, you might have heard that commercially processed food is safer for your baby than homemade food — but is this factual? Information on media platforms often doesn’t provide scientific evidence to back their claims. So, this article will look at the most recent scientific evidence on what to avoid feeding your baby.

30 Worst First Foods That Are Unsafe and Should Be Avoided

Here are 30 foods that you don’t want to feed your baby:

1. Cow’s Milk

Let’s start with a popular topic — cow’s milk. Should you feed your infant cow’s milk as one of their first foods? It’s best to avoid feeding your child cow’s milk until they’re a year old.1 Cow’s milk lacks certain nutrients like vitamin E and iron, which are essential to optimal health.1,9,10 Your infant’s digestive system also can’t process high levels of protein, sodium, or potassium — all of which cow’s milk is abundant in.1

2. Pasta With Tomato Sauce

Spaghetti is one of the most simple recipes, but feeding it to your baby can be very harmful. Tomato sauce is often very high in salt.11 And as previously mentioned, your little one can’t process high sodium levels.12

3. Honey

Although you may want to give your baby a sweet treat, honey isn’t the way to go! Contaminated honey is one of the leading causes of infant botulism.2,13 Botulism results from a bacteria known as Clostridium botulinum and is often deadly.2,13,14 If your infant ingests honey contaminated with this bacteria, botulism could occur.13

4. Peanuts

Peanuts have protein and healthy fats and could be a taste your little one loves.15 Due to the hardness of peanuts, though, they’re a choking hazard.16 It’s best to avoid hard foods like nuts until your child is older.17,18 While introducing allergenic foods to your baby is a good idea, make sure you aren’t giving them any choking hazards.19 You can introduce peanuts safely by offering smooth peanut butter, peanut soup, ground peanuts in yogurt, age-appropriate snacks that contain peanuts, etc.20,21

5. Tea

If your child is feeling sick, you may think it’s good to give them some hot tea to help them feel better. Although this sounds nice in theory, tea contains about 48 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounces. That much caffeine entering the body of your little one can be harmful and even toxic at high doses.3

6. Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are very nutritious, but they can easily become lodged into your baby’s airway and lead to an infection.22,23 Along with nuts, seeds are very difficult for babies to chew and can increase their chances of choking.17

7. Chocolate

Chocolate isn’t a food we necessarily view as high in caffeine, but it certainly contains it!3 Due to this, giving chocolate to your little one isn’t advised. Caffeine can negatively impact your baby’s functioning.3 Not to mention, most chocolate also contains cow’s milk!

8. Cupcakes

Your baby just turned another month old, and you want to celebrate! However, it’s best to avoid celebrating with cupcakes or other desserts that are high in sugar. Foods high in sugar can increase the risk of your child becoming overweight.24 If you feed your child these types of foods often, tooth decay can occur.4

9. Lunch Meat

As your baby continues to develop, so do their organs. If a food contains too much salt, like lunch meat, your infant’s kidney is likely too immature to process it.5 Giving your child too much salt can have adverse effects — like kidney damage.12

10. Raw Vegetables

You’re probably wondering why raw vegetables are on the list of worst foods to give your infant! The reason is that they’re a choking hazard.16,17 Raw vegetables are often very hard, which is tough for your little one to chew. Make sure you steam, soften, or purée your vegetables before giving them to your baby.

11. Home-Canned Vegetables and Fruits

You may have spent the summer growing and canning different vegetables to enjoy. Although the home-canned items likely taste amazing, you shouldn’t share these with your newborn. Similar to honey, home-canned vegetables and fruits can result in infant botulism.14

12. Soda

Soda is high in sugar, but it’s also high in caffeine, making it a terrible choice for your baby!3,7

13. Marshmallows

Marshmallows are soft and fluffy and may seem like a nice treat for your little one. Unfortunately, marshmallows are large, increasing your child’s risk of choking.17 They can also get stuck in the back of their mouth and are overall hard to swallow.

14. Pretzels

Since pretzels are high in salt, they aren’t the best option to feed your baby.11 Pretzels are also an extremely hard food, making it difficult for your little one to chew and swallow — leading to choking.17

15. Fresh Tuna

Fish is often said to be beneficial for babies. However, the high levels of mercury found in some types of fish can be extremely harmful. Fresh tuna contains high levels of mercury, so you should never give it to your baby.6

16. Orange Juice

It might be surprising to see orange juice on this list, but it’s here for a good reason! Orange juice is high in sugar, and fruit juices (including orange juice) don’t provide your baby with necessary nutrients — like fiber, vitamin D, or zinc.6,25 Due to the high sugar content of orange juice, tooth decay and stomach issues are also possible.6

17. Too Much Water

Too much of a good thing can often be harmful. Giving your baby water too often may satisfy their appetite and negatively affect their breast milk intake.6 When deciding between water and breastmilk/formula, always go with breastmilk/formula — they have all the nutrients your baby needs!26

18. Unpasteurized Food

Unpasteurized food may contain bacteria and parasites that can be very harmful to your little one.7 Examples of unpasteurized food are raw dairy products or unpasteurized juice.7,27 Most of our foods are pasteurized, but be careful if you shop at farmer’s markets or purchase homemade items from a farm or stand, as those products may not be fully pasteurized.28

19. Watermelon

Watermelon is packed with nutrients, but it may not be the best food for your baby who’s starting solids.29 It can be too hard for your little one to chew and swallow — making it a choking hazard.23,30

20. Processed/Refined Grains

Processed or refined grains provide little nutrients and aren’t beneficial to your baby.31 An example of a refined grain would be white bread or white rice.32

21. Popcorn

Popcorn can be dangerous since it’s another choking hazard.16,17 You shouldn’t introduce popcorn to your child until they’re 4 years old.33 Popcorn also contains high amounts of salt and isn’t best for babies.33,34

22. Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits can be very acidic, which can be very hard on your baby’s little stomach.35 These fruits can also cause a skin reaction in some sensitive infants around the mouth.36,37

23. Gummies

In addition to their high sugar content, gummies aren’t ideal for babies due to their sticky texture. Gummies can stick to your baby’s teeth and cause damage to their enamel.38

24. Cereal

Breakfast cereals are best to avoid giving to your little one. Most have a high sugar and salt content, which is difficult for your baby to digest.39,40

25. Ice Cream

You should skip ice cream when trying new foods with your child for countless reasons. Ice cream contains cow’s milk, high amounts of sugar, saturated fat, and sometimes even high amounts of salt.41,42 We’ve discussed these components individually, and combining them into one food could negatively impact your baby.

26. Frozen Meals

To maintain a long shelf life, frozen foods are loaded with salt.45 High amounts of salt are rough on your little one’s stomach because they cannot process sodium effectively.1

27. Chips

Not only are chips high in salt but they could also be easily choked on.17,43 Chips can break into uneven, sharp pieces. These pieces can be difficult for your baby to chew and may even become stuck in their small throat.

28. Fast Food

Being a new mom can become busy, and sometimes fast food can sound very appealing. But even if you decide to get fast food for yourself, don’t feed this to your little one! Fast food is packed with sodium, sugar, and saturated fat, none of which are suitable for your infant.44

29. Soft Cheese

Soft cheeses like feta cheese aren’t safe for your little one to eat. They’re mold-ripened and can contain listeria — a bacteria that can cause your baby to become ill.8,47

30. Lollipops

The high sugar content of lollipops easily places them into the foods to avoid category. They’re high in sugar and can cause teeth damage but are also very sticky.46 Sticky foods are best to avoid because children can easily choke on them.16,17

The specific foods that are unsafe and should be avoided go beyond the ones listed here. Generally, it’s best practice to avoid giving your baby food high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat.18 Avoiding large, sticky, uncooked, or hard foods will help prevent choking.16,17 When introducing your baby to new foods, always keep their health and safety in mind.

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