6 Month Baby-Led Weaning Meal Ideas Week 1 – Easy & Nourishing First Foods for Your Baby

Welcome to Part 2 of my Starting Solids series! By popular demand, I’m sharing 6 Month Baby-Led Weaning Meal Ideas—these are the foods I introduced to my daughter during her first week of solids. Before you dive in, I highly recommend checking out Part 1 of the series for a better understanding of baby-led weaning and answers to common FAQs.

Other Posts from Starting Solids Series-

• Introduction To BLW
• BLW Meal Ideas Week 2

My goal with BLW is to introduce a variety of textures and flavors—including cultural and family foods—while helping her practice self-feeding.

How to Choose the First Foods

There are so many options out there, and it can feel a bit overwhelming to decide which foods to introduce first. Here are my tips as a second-time BLW mom.

1. Start with seasonal fruits and vegetables – They’re fresher, more flavorful, and often easier to find. Think cherries, watermelon, and mango in summer; pears, apples, and pumpkin in fall; sweet potatoes, peas, and citrus in winter; and strawberries, zucchini, and green beans in spring.
2. Keep it simple – Choose foods that are simple to prepare and soft enough for your baby to grasp and chew. You don’t need complicated recipes at the beginning—check out the meal ideas below for inspiration.
3. Introduce one allergen per week—starting allergens early can help reduce the risk of allergies later on. You can offer eggs, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, and gluten from day one of solids, and introduce fish once you start offering meat.
4. Focus on nutrient-rich options – Pick foods that offer vitamins and minerals important for growth and development, like iron-rich veggies (broccoli, pumpkin) or healthy fats (avocado).

6 Month Baby-Led Weaning Meal Ideas Week 1

Note: I like using the Solid Starts website and app for guidance on how to cut and serve food safely. Their cutting guide makes introducing new foods so much less stressful.

In the first few weeks, since babies were still learning to grasp and hold food, I offered all finger foods in two ways:

• Pinky finger-sized pieces – easy for them to pick up.
• Mashed on a pre-loaded spoon – especially helpful for slippery foods like avocado. This not only made self-feeding easier but also gave them a chance to explore different textures while actually getting more food in.

Day 1 – Avocado with Flax Seed Powder

I didn’t stress too much about where to begin. With my son, we started with avocado, so I did the same with my daughter. Avocado is one of the best first foods for babies—it’s creamy, nutrient-rich, and full of healthy fats.

How I Offered It

I served it in two ways:

1. I sliced a ripe, soft avocado into thick spears.
2. I mashed some avocado and mixed in a little flaxseed powder (rich in iron), then served it on a pre-loaded spoon.

If the food feels too slippery for your baby to grasp, you can help by holding it for them at first and then letting go once they have a good grip. If they drop it, pick it up and repeat it.

Day 2 – Steamed Broccoli With Pumpkin Seed Powder

Broccoli florets make the perfect baby-led weaning food because the stem acts like a natural handle.

I use the Beaba Babycook, which I got in 2021 when we started solids for my son V. We still use it at least once or twice a week for his lunches, and now it’s my go-to for preparing solids for my daughter too. It has two levels of steaming—the first level makes broccoli soft but not mushy, which makes it easy for the baby to hold. On the stovetop, you must constantly check to ensure the food doesn’t become too soft or mushy. I highly recommend it if you plan to use it in the long run. I use it to steam veggies for pasta sauce and even for stuffed parathas regularly.

How I Offered It

1. Large steamed broccoli florets for easy grasping.
2. Mashed steamed broccoli mixed with pumpkin seed powder (a great source of iron) and served on a pre-loaded spoon.

Day 3 – Oatmeal with Breast Milk or Formula + Strawberry

Oatmeal is a wholesome, iron-rich grain that makes a great soft food for babies. For this, I prefer using rolled sprouted oats and cooking them for a little longer with more water.

How I Offered It

1. Oatmeal – Once the oatmeal cooled down, I mixed in a little breastmilk and placed the plate in front of her to see if she’d try eating with her hands. She didn’t, so I preloaded the spoon and offered it to her.
2. Strawberry – I usually prefer to keep things simple and not offer two foods at the same time in the first week. But since we had fresh strawberries from our garden that day, I added them to her plate. To serve, I just washed them, removed the stems, and offered them whole. My daughter loved both the strawberries and the oatmeal—it was such a big hit with her!

Day 4 – Sautéed Summer Squash With Avocado Oil with Pumpkin Seed Powder

Yellow squash is soft, cooks quickly, and is easy for babies to chew. If your little one is teething, they may enjoy gnawing on the tender skin—my daughter loved sucking the juice out of it. It turned out to be such a great first food.

How I Offered It

I washed and cut the summer squash into spears, then sautéed them in avocado oil. Following Solid Start’s recommendation, I left the peel and seeds intact since they’re soft and not a choking risk once cooked. Finally, I sprinkled pumpkin seed powder on top for added nutrition.

Day 5 – Steamed Carrots

Carrots are naturally sweet and usually a hit with babies.

How I Offered It

1. I cut the carrots into sticks using a crinkle cutter for better grip and steamed them in the Babycook.
2. I also mashed some steamed carrots with the back of a spoon and mixed in flaxseed powder for an extra boost of nutrition.

Day 6 – Mashed Boiled Egg With Some Breastmilk / Formula (First Allergen)

Drumroll, please—here comes the first allergen, the EGG! I debated between offering omelet strips or boiled egg, and I’m glad I chose boiled. It gave her plenty of opportunity to taste while also introducing a new texture compared to what she’s had so far.

How I Offered It

I served a boiled egg, mashed with a fork and mixed with a little breast milk for a smoother texture. I let her explore it with her hands first before loading some onto a spoon and offering it to her.

Day 7 – Cooked Cherry

Cherries are a seasonal favorite—soft, juicy, sweet with a hint of tartness, making them a wonderful first food for babies. They’re great mixed into oatmeal, chia pudding, or yogurt, and both my kids absolutely love them.

How I Offered It

I wasn’t entirely comfortable giving finely chopped, pitted, and de-stemmed cherries—even though Solid Starts says they’re safe. So I chopped and cooked them on the stove with a little water, removing the skins that peeled off. It was a huge hit with my daughter, and I wished I had made more!

That’s a wrap for Week 1! Stay tuned for Week 2 meal ideas coming next week!