Cheese, Tortilla and Beans
From 6 months · 3 foods
Ingredients
How to prepare each food
Cheese
Use pasteurized, full-fat cheese and offer it finely grated or as a thin smear rather than in pieces. Sprinkle a little grated cheese over soft vegetables or stir it into mash or a soft pasta so it melts in. Choose a mild, lower-salt cheese where you can.
Finely grated or a thin smear stirred through food; never cubes.
A chunk or firm cube of cheese can block a small airway. Serve cheese finely grated, as a thin smear, or in thin soft strips, and avoid large firm pieces.
Tortilla
A soft corn tortilla, warmed until pliable, is easy to handle at this stage. Tear off finger-length strips so a piece sticks out of the fist for self-feeding, or soften pieces in a little soup or sauce until they mash easily. Keep it plain, with no added salt. A flour tortilla contains wheat, so treat that version as a wheat food and offer it on its own first.
Finger-length strips, or pieces softened in soup or sauce.
Soft, pliable tortillas are low risk when warmed and torn or cut small. The risk is in the crisp forms: tortilla chips, hard taco shells, and tostadas are hard and brittle, and break into sharp pieces, so keep those off the menu for now. A whole or folded tortilla can also bunch up in the mouth, so offer small pieces and stay close while your little one eats.
Beans
Cook beans until completely soft, then mash them smooth or flatten each one well. A bean mash or a no-salt purée spreads easily onto a spoon or a soft strip of food. Make sure no whole bean is left intact.
Mashed smooth or each bean flattened; no whole beans.
A whole bean is a small, firm, rounded shape that can be a choking hazard. Mash or flatten each bean before serving so no intact bean is left whole, and supervise closely while your baby eats.
Putting it together
Prepare each ingredient using the age guidance above, then serve them together.
Cook with Lumi
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Chat with Lumi in the appSources9
- AAP - Starting Solid Foods (around 6 months)
- NHS - What to feed your baby from around 6 months
- AAP - Choking prevention guidance for infants and toddlers
- CDC - Foods that are choking hazards for infants and toddlers
- AAP - Why infant formula instead of cow's milk before 12 months
- AAP - Introducing common food allergens to your baby
- USDA FoodData Central - Cheese (nutrient data)
- USDA FoodData Central - Tortilla (nutrient data)
- USDA FoodData Central - Beans (nutrient data)
General informational content, not medical advice. Always consult your pediatrician about introducing new foods, especially if your baby has any medical conditions or family history of allergies.
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