Best Baby Food: Jars, Pouches, Cereals and Snacks

It’s pretty nutty that just a minute ago you and baby were all about around-the-clock nursing and bottle feedings. Now? You’re in full-on solids-mode, searching for the best baby food to feed your little one.

The good news is that there are tons of options available online and at your local grocery store—from organic blends and fortified cereals to baby food subscription services. Baffled by all that choice? Don’t sweat it! We’ve done the research and cooked up a list of the best baby food brands on offer. Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about introducing solids to baby’s diet—plus, expert tips on how to determine which options are best for your family.

When to Introduce Baby Food

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of baby’s life. However, once baby has doubled their birth weight (at around 4 months old) they may be ready to try solid foods. “Starting solids by six months is important to ensure your infant’s oral-motor development,” says Dina DiMaggio, MD, and Anthony F. Porto, MD, official spokespeople for the AAP and the co-authors of The Pediatrician’s Guide to Feeding Babies and Toddlers. “It’s also important to start solids at this time as it will provide your child with specific nutrients needed for growth and development, including iron and zinc, especially if your child is exclusively breastfed,” continue DiMaggio and Porto. Every child is different so look for developmental cues—like reaching for food and sitting up unassisted—that signal baby is ready to expand their food horizons.

Tips for Introducing Baby Food

Introducing solids to baby’s diet can be a confusing (and messy!) process. Here are some general tips and tricks that’ll help you get started:

• Start slowly. Start baby with a half spoonful of solid food to help them get used to the new flavor and texture. Increase the amount of food gradually, (a teaspoonful or two) as they get the hang of it. This gives infants time to learn how to swallow solids.
• Begin with food that has a lower allergy risk. Introduce pureed fruits, vegetables and infant cereal to baby’s diet first, as these items tend to have a lower allergy risk. For babies that have been exclusively breastfed, DiMaggio and Porto recommend introducing infant cereal or other iron- and zinc-fortified foods early on in the process.
• Introduce one thing at a time. Feed baby one new single-ingredient food at a time, and wait three to five days before introducing something new. This gives you time to monitor your child for any potential allergic reactions.
• Choose a mealtime and stick to it. Starting out once a day, choose a mealtime that’s convenient for you and is consistent for your child. Breakfast is a good place to start, since baby is often hungriest in the morning. Once baby is comfortable with one meal, you can advance to two and then three meals per day.

How to Pick the Best Baby Food for Your Child

Whether you’re whipping up homemade purees or opt for store-bought jars, there are lots of factors to consider when choosing the best baby food brand for your family. From affordability and age-appropriateness to safety and nutrition, here are a few guidelines to keep top of mind as you browse the grocery store aisles:

• Read product labels. Check the ingredients on food labels so that you can make an informed decision. The best store-bought baby food contains whole ingredients without additives and sweeteners. “If you want to feed your baby kale, then the food should contain mostly kale and not primarily applesauce with a small amount of kale as the last ingredient,” explains DiMaggio and Porto. Babies will learn to like what they’re fed, so if you want them to eat vegetables, look for a store-bought brand that doesn’t mask the flavor with sweeter ingredients.
• Check that all ingredients are safe and age-appropriate. According to the AAP, honey and products that contain honey are not suitable for children under the age of 12 months, due to the risk of infant botulism. DiMaggio and Porto also recommend that parents avoid rice cereal, unpasteurized dairy, undercooked foods (such as meat, fish or eggs) and products that are high in salt and sugar.
• Variety is the spice of life. It’s important for children to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, full-fat dairy products and whole grains. Although some parents like to shop organic, these products can be expensive and there’s no direct evidence that an organic diet leads to improved health or lower risk of disease.

Best Baby Food Brands

Packaged food is a convenient option for many families. Baby food brands are constantly innovating, which means there are plenty of options on the market from classic jars to travel-friendly pouches and subscription services that deliver fresh meals direct to your door. Whether you’re stocking up your pantry, or just need a quick fix for when your blender is on the fritz, here are three of the best baby food brands.

• Once Upon a Farm is a baby food brand created by celebrity mom Jennifer Garner. The farm-fresh baby food comes in convenient single-serve pouches and there’s finger food options for big kids too. The organic, unsweetened blends are cold-pressed to lock in the nutrients and flavors kids love. Once Upon a Farm is also the recipient of both the Clean Label Project Purity Award and the Clean Label Project Pesticide-Free Certification, meaning the products have been third-party tested for over 400 environmental and industrial toxins, including heavy metals. One thing to note is that this baby food must be stored in the refrigerator.
• Cerebelly is one of the best baby food brands backed by science. Founded by a neurosurgeon and developed by a team of doctors and food experts, each pouch is packed full of 16 brain-supporting nutrients. Cerebelly takes a “veggies first” approach to baby food and only uses non-GMO, certified organic ingredients. Plus, this baby food is free from the eight major allergens and contains no added sugar.
• Amara is a shelf-stable baby food brand offering blends that can be mixed with breast milk, formula or water. Amara uses a patented cold high-pressure processing technique that gently dries fruits, veggies and grains via pressure instead of high heat. This method locks in vitamins and nutrients without additives, preservatives or pesky fillers. (And yes, it’s organic.) As if that wasn’t good enough, the products contain no additives, preservatives, binding agents or added sugars.

Best Baby Food Pouches

Now that we’ve discussed our favorite baby food brands, let’s take a look at the specific products on offer. And first up is baby food pouches. Many parents prefer baby food pouches as they are resealable, convenient and easy to take on the go. Below find a few top-rated baby food pouches parents and kids love.

Best Baby Food Jars

Pouches are great but many parents prefer to buy baby food packaged in glass jars. Why? Glass baby food jars are infinitely recyclable making them better for the environment. Plus, glass containers reduce the risk of contaminants leaching into baby’s meal. Below find a few of our favorite jarred baby food.

Best Baby Cereals

For as long as little ones have been cooing, cereal has been among babies’ first foods. One thing to note is that parents should avoid rice-based baby cereals, which may contain higher amounts of heavy metals, in favor of whole grains like oats, barley or quinoa. Not sure what to look for? Browse a few tried and true options below.

Best Baby Food Snacks

Our biggest piece of parenting advice? Snacks, and lots of them. Trust us, there’s no arguing with a hungry baby or toddler, so it’s best to have a couple of healthy snacks to hand. Here are a few of our favorites to stock up on.

What to Know About Heavy Metals in Baby Food

When it comes to baby food, safety is the top priority. But a 2021 congressional investigation report which found that several major baby food brands contained high levels of toxic heavy metals that can potentially “endanger infant neurological development”, left many parents feeling confused and concerned.

Although the risks shouldn’t be minimized, the AAP stresses that the low levels of heavy metals found in food are only a small part of a child’s overall toxic metal exposure risk. Furthermore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reiterates that there’s no immediate health risks from possible exposure to the toxic elements found in baby food.

So how can you limit baby’s exposure to heavy metals in food? Offer a varied diet and age-appropriate serving sizes, advises DiMaggio and Porto. A well-balanced diet that includes fruit, vegetables, grains and protein is the best line of defense as it lowers exposure to heavy metals and other contaminants found in single-source ingredients. Parents should also replace rice products, which tend to contain higher levels of arsenic, with other grains like oats, barley or quinoa.

How We Chose the Best Baby Food Brands

Ensuring baby hits their nutritional goals is of the utmost importance to families. But finding the best baby food brand isn’t always easy. To streamline your decision-making process, our goal is to do the bulk of the research for you, so you don’t have to spend hours scrolling through online retailers and advice forums. We do this by considering a list of criteria when sourcing baby food, including ingredients, nutritional values, texture and taste, packaging and last but definitely not least, safety.

To decide which baby food brands are the best options on the market, we leverage our familiarity with leading baby brands to make sure items are from reliable manufacturers. We read user reviews and typically don’t consider anything with less than an average four-star rating. And since many of us are also parents, we rely on our writers’ and editors’ experience feeding their own kids.

To make sure we’re highlighting products that are safe and effective, we spoke with medical experts to understand safety considerations to keep top of mind. We also follow the safety recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and look for certifications and seals of approval from key organizations.

Interested in learning more about our editorial process? Read about how our team develops and reviews all articles here.

Plus, more from The Bump:

These Leading Baby Food Brands Contain High Levels of Toxic Metals

Feeding Essentials: the Best Baby Spoons, Bowls and Plates

Yum’s the Word! Healthy Snacks for Kids