"What should I feed my baby?" has a different answer at six months, ten months and eighteen months. This guide walks through the three stages, what changes between them, and how to know when your little one is ready to move up.
Stage 1 β around 6 to 7 months: single grains
The opening phase is deliberately boring, and that's the point. One grain at a time, thin, with nothing added β no salt, no sugar, no mixed blends.
Ragi, rice and oats are the usual starting grains in India. Introduce one, stay with it three days, then add the next. That three-day gap is what lets you trace any reaction to a single food.
Quantities are small: one or two teaspoons once a day to begin, building to two or three tablespoons twice a day over the first month. Milk remains the main source of nutrition throughout.
Ready to move on when: your baby is comfortably taking three or four single grains, swallowing rather than pushing food out, and finishing what's offered.
Stage 2 β around 7 to 9 months: grain plus dal
This is where protein enters. Grain-and-dal combinations β ragi with moong dal, brown rice with moong, oats with green moong β provide what a single grain can't.
Sprouting matters here more than anywhere. Sprouting pulses before grinding raises the available protein and iron, and reduces the compounds in dal that cause gas β the difference between a bowl your baby digests easily and a difficult night for everyone.
Vegetables and fruit join at this stage too: beetroot for iron, spinach, sweet potato, banana. Texture thickens from pourable to properly spoonable.
Ready to move on when: your baby manages thicker textures without gagging, sits up well, and shows interest in what's on your plate.
Stage 3 β around 10 to 24 months: complete meals
By now your toddler wants a meal, not a spoonful. Multigrain porridges combining several grains, dals, vegetables and nuts; khichdi-style bowls with real texture.
Nuts and seeds usually enter here for healthy fats and brain development β ground rather than whole, and one at a time. Mild spices can begin: a little jeera, a little haldi. Salt in very small amounts is generally acceptable after twelve months.
Three meals plus a snack or two becomes the rhythm. This is also when many toddlers turn suddenly and dramatically picky β normal, and usually temporary.
What matters at every stage
Iron. Babies are born with iron stores that run down by around six months. Ragi, dals and green vegetables all help, and iron from plants absorbs better alongside vitamin C.
Variety. The window between six and twenty-four months is when taste preferences form. A baby exposed to many flavours tends to become a less fussy three-year-old.
No added sugar or salt before one year. The kidneys can't handle salt, and early sugar exposure sets preferences that are hard to shift later.
Milk continues. Breastfeeding or formula stays central through the first year and is recommended alongside solids well beyond it.
Homemade or packaged
Homemade gives control; packaged gives consistency and time back. Neither is automatically better. If you buy, look for a short ingredient list, certified organic grain, no added sugar or salt, and sprouted grains where possible.
Browse by stage: Stage 1 first foods, Stage 2 grain and dal blends, Stage 3 toddler meals. Not sure where to start? The 50g trial packs are the low-waste way to find out. For the six-month starting point specifically, see our first foods guide.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know when to move to the next stage?
Go by your baby rather than the calendar β texture tolerance, sitting ability and appetite matter more than the month.
Can I skip a stage?
Better not to. Each stage builds the chewing and digestive readiness the next one assumes.
My toddler suddenly refuses food they used to love.
Very common between one and two. Keep offering without pressure; preferences usually swing back.
Is organic worth it for baby food?
For grains eaten daily in large relative quantities, the pesticide-residue case is reasonable. Less critical for occasional foods.