When you think about starting solids with your little eater, foods like bananas, avocados, and infant cereals probably come to mind. These are all great foods to offer in the beginning, but foods like ground beef are also recommended as a first food for your baby! That’s because ground beef is so rich in iron, which babies need right around the 6 month mark.
Red meat, especially ground beef, has been a controversial topic in nutrition for many years, and the social media world has created a lot of confusing and fearful information. We know, as a parent, that you’re concerned and want to do the right thing when it comes to offering nutritious foods for your little ones. We’ve done the research for you, and are here to provide reliable information that will help you on your baby led feeding journey.
As an added bonus, we wanted to share our delicious beef burger recipe with you! Not only is this burger recipe juicy, delicious, and acceptable for the whole family, but it’s so easy to make in the oven, or on the grill.
If you’re looking for more baby-friendly recipes the whole family will enjoy – including more options with ground meat – be sure to check out our 60 Day Baby Led Feeding Meal Plan to get a jumpstart on offering solid foods to your baby. The meal plan was recently redone with an intro to purees week, new recipes, grocery lists, and so many more improvements! This is exactly what you’ve been looking for to make starting solids easier and less stressful.
We know the thought of serving ground beef to your baby may be frightening. That’s why we’re here to reassure you that it’s totally safe, and it’s actually one of the foods that we recommend offering.
This is because it’s a high iron food, which is something we want you to focus on offering your baby as soon as they start solids. It’s also rich in many other important nutrients, and an easier texture for beginner eaters – a great baby led weaning meat choice! Don’t worry, we’ll go over the details of how to serve your baby meat, below.
Now, understandably, you may have some questions and concerns, so let’s talk about how to safely serve up ground beef for your baby, and let me answer all of those burning questions!
Beef is unique as a first food, with 10 essential nutrients, including well-absorbed iron. Beef is easy and safe to introduce once baby is ready to begin solid foods — typically around 6 months of age.
How often should babies have ground beef?
Fresh red meat can be offered to babies regularly as it provides many essential vitamins and minerals. Serving it once a day would be acceptable, although a few times a week is more realistic. This would allow you to still offer baby a wide variety of different tastes and textures from other meat, or meat alternative sources.
What’s important is that between 6 and 12 months, babies should be offered iron-rich foods two or more times a day. From 12 to 24 months of age, iron-rich foods should be offered at each meal.
Now, iron-rich foods don’t always have to be animal meat, but animal-based products are typically higher in iron and provide other essential nutrients for growth and development. As they grow, I recommend offering older infants meat, fish, poultry, or meat alternatives, at least once per day.
Can babies eat ground beef?
If it wasn’t clear already, yes, your baby can absolutely eat ground beef! Actually, beef can be safely offered to your baby as one of their very first foods, once they’re showing all the readiness signs to begin.
As you begin your baby led feeding journey, you can offer beef to your baby in different forms depending on if you’re starting off with purées or solid finger foods. I’ll explain some different ways to serve ground beef for your baby in a little bit.
Sweet baby boy eating hamburger with ketchup, fries and juice in Burger King fast food restaurant.
FAQ
Can a 2 year old eat a hamburger?
When can toddlers eat ground beef?
How do you serve hamburger to a toddler?
What meat is safe for toddlers?
Can Toddlers eat burgers?
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. Burgers are fantastic, burgers are awesome, burgers are such a kid friendly dinner. The only problem for the little ones is they can be hard too hold and they can be tricky to get your mouth around. My solution is simple, mini toast burgers for toddlers!
What food should be given to kids?
Each phase of a child’s life presents a nutritional need, and in the first cycle, when babies are breastfed, breast milk during the first six months of life. After this period, food introduction begins.
What can a toddler eat instead of a Burger?
Picky Toddler Tip: Offer your toddler an apple sage meatball, instead of a burger, and add their favorite dipping sauce as a side. Encourage them to pick up the meatball with a toddler friendly food pick and take their animal for a swim in their favorite dipping sauce!
Can Toddlers eat a mini Toast Burger?
My solution is simple, mini toast burgers for toddlers! You take the same fillings you are serving for the rest of the family, but instead of popping them in a big bun, you make toast circles, and voila a mini toast burger for toddlers, so easy and cheap!