The tasting map · 6 months to 2 years

The First-Foods Market Map

A fridge-friendly map of what can come next, how its form changes with age, and the foods that still need to wait.

For

Use this while making the shopping list, staring into the vegetable drawer or wondering whether today's pear should be mashed or cut. Ages are signposts, not deadlines. Read them alongside your baby's readiness and your pediatrician's guidance.

How to read it: ✓ = ready in the form shown · △ = the cut or preparation matters · ✗ = wait.

Next tastes

Three ideas for the next shop

Choose what is seasonal, familiar to your family and easy to serve safely. A varied plate grows one ordinary food at a time.

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From the vegetable drawer

Age	What & how
6 months	Smooth puree of mild vegetables (carrot, zucchini, pumpkin), one at a time	✓
6-8 months	Thicker creams, then soft mashed; green beans and fennel well blended	✓
9-12 months	Soft pieces and batons to pick up; broccoli and cauliflower florets well cooked	✓
12+ months	Most vegetables, soft-cooked, in small pieces with the family	✓

From the fruit bowl

Age	What & how
6 months	Cooked and blended (apple, pear)	✓
6-8 months	Mashed or grated raw if very ripe; banana, plum, peach	✓
9-12 months	Soft ripe pieces, peeled; strawberries quartered lengthwise	✓
12+ months	Most fruit in small pieces; grapes always quartered lengthwise	△

Cereals and family staples

Age	What & how
6 months	Cream of rice or corn-and-tapioca in vegetable broth	✓
6-8 months	Semolino, first pastina well cooked; gluten is fine to introduce	✓
9-12 months	Soft rice, pastina, small pieces of soft bread	✓
12+ months	Pasta, rice, bread, polenta with the family	✓

Protein to rotate

Age	What & how
6 months	First pureed meat or white fish can start - iron-rich first foods	✓
6-8 months	Pureed meat, white fish, well-cooked egg; lentils and chickpeas passed fine	✓
9-12 months	Soft shredded meat, fish flakes (check bones), soft frittata, legumes	✓
12+ months	Most proteins in small soft pieces; oily fish once a week	✓

Dairy in baby-sized forms

Age	What & how
6 months	A little plain whole yogurt or ricotta can start	✓
6-8 months	Plain whole yogurt, ricotta, a little grated parmesan	✓
9-12 months	Yogurt, soft cheeses, parmesan	✓
12+ months	Cow's milk as a drink; most cheeses	✓

The finishing drizzle

Age	What & how
6 months	A drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil in the bowl	✓
6-8 months	Olive oil every day; avocado is fine	✓
9-12 months	Olive oil, avocado	✓
12+ months	Olive oil as the family's main fat	✓

The wait-for-later corner

✗ Honey - never before 12 months (infant botulism risk).
✗ Added salt and sugar - not needed, ever.
✗ Whole nuts, grapes, hard raw pieces - choking shapes; nuts only as smooth butter thinned, and grapes quartered lengthwise later.
✗ Cow's milk as a drink - fine in yogurt and cheese, but not as a main drink before 12 months.

Remember

Variety does not need to happen in one heroic week. Circle three ordinary foods for the next shop, serve them safely, and let familiarity build. This is a map, not a race.

Primi Bocconi · based on Ministero della Salute, SIP, ESPGHAN and EFSA guidance · primibocconi.org/fiches