Pasta, Tomato, Cheese and Zucchini
From 6 months · 4 foods
Ingredients
How to prepare each food
Pasta
Cook pasta until very soft, well past al dente, and serve plain or with a smooth, low-salt sauce. Larger soft shapes like penne or fusilli are easy to grab; you can also mash it. Wheat pasta is a common allergen, so offer it on its own first. Enriched pasta adds iron and folate.
Serve large soft shapes whole for grabbing, or mash. Cut long pasta into short pieces so it does not dangle. Keep small shapes lightly mashed.
Tomato
Choose a ripe, soft tomato. Peel off the skin (it can bunch up and be hard to chew), scoop out the seedy core, and mash the flesh or stir it into a purée. If offering a piece to hold, give a soft finger-length strip of peeled flesh. Cherry and grape tomatoes are a round choking shape, so always quarter them lengthwise into small pieces and never serve them whole or halved.
Peeled, mashed, or a soft finger-length strip; quarter cherry/grape tomatoes lengthwise.
Cherry and grape tomatoes are a classic choking shape: whole or halved, they can block a small airway. Always quarter them lengthwise into small pieces, and keep doing so until about age 4. Peel and de-seed larger tomatoes, since the skin can bunch up while chewing.
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.
Zucchini
Steam or roast the zucchini until soft, served warm. Offer it as a finger-length spear the baby can hold, or mash it smooth. The skin can be a little chewy early on, so peel it or cook until very tender.
Soft finger-length spear, or smooth mash. Peel if the skin is firm.
Putting it together
Prepare each ingredient using the age guidance above, then serve them together.
Cook with Lumi
In the nappi app, Lumi joins you in the kitchen. Chat about any recipe: adapt it to what you have at home, swap an ingredient, or ask questions while you cook.
Chat with Lumi in the appSources11
- AAP - Starting Solid Foods (around 6 months)
- NHS - What to feed your baby from around 6 months
- ESPGHAN 2017 - Complementary feeding position paper (gluten and allergen timing)
- AAP - Introducing common food allergens to your baby
- USDA FoodData Central - Pasta (nutrient data)
- AAP - Choking prevention guidance for infants and toddlers
- CDC - Foods that are choking hazards for infants and toddlers
- USDA FoodData Central - Tomato (nutrient data)
- AAP - Why infant formula instead of cow's milk before 12 months
- USDA FoodData Central - Cheese (nutrient data)
- USDA FoodData Central - Zucchini (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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