9 iron-rich first baby foods: photos

Mince meat is an easy first meat to try. Cook lean beef, lamb, pork or kangaroo mince until there's no pink visible and it's soft. Mash or puree it to the level of lumpiness your baby is ready for.

Try combining it with a sweet vegetable like cooked pumpkin, carrot or sweet potato. This may encourage your baby to eat the meat and also helps her body get the iron. Don't add salt or soy sauce while cooking because it will damage your baby's developing kidneys.

Choose lean meat because there's no iron in the fat. The iron is in the lean meat.

Strips of soft-cooked meat are good finger foods, and meatballs or mini-meatloaves are perfect for her to hold in her hand.

Beans and legumes are a great source of iron, especially when eaten with foods rich in vitamin C. Many are quite plain in flavour, so are a perfect addition to purees.

You could use canned cannelini beans, white beans, chickpeas, kidney beans or lentils, or soak and cook them yourself. Puree them or mash with your baby's vegetables, meat or fruit.

Be careful to choose canned beans that don't have any added salt because your baby's kidneys can't process it yet. And don't add salt during cooking.

If your baby is feeding herself, you can make balls in the style of meatballs for her to hold and eat. Include mashed beans and legumes with soft-cooked pumpkin, sweet potato, green veg, tofu, egg or meat to make an iron-packed tasty ball, which you can bake or fry in a little oil. Make sure they're well-cooked all the way through if you include meat or egg.

An older baby may also enjoy the pincer-grip challenge of picking up baked beans from a bowl. Baked beans are also a great transition to lumpy food for babies who have started with purees.

Choose chicken or turkey with no skin to include in your baby's first foods. Lean chicken mince and breast, poached or steamed, are great first foods. Puree or mash them to a texture your baby is comfortable with. Or combine chicken with vegetables to make meatballs your baby can hold in her hand to feed herself. Do not add salt or soy sauce while cooking, as your baby's kidneys can't process salt yet.

Make sure chicken is cooked all the way through and there are no pink bits. Once it's cooked, any leftovers you're not serving your baby should go in the fridge as soon as they stop steaming. Freeze any you won't be serving your baby within 24 hours.

Chicken and turkey combine well in purees and mashes with pear, apple, tomato, capsicum, spinach, avocado and button mushrooms. But try out lots of combinations to see what works for your baby.

You can feed your baby well-cooked egg or combine it with other foods from six months. Boiled egg yolks can be mashed into cooked vegetables, avocado or cereals for an iron boost.

Scrambled egg with a little milk added is a great first food. Don't add salt to the cooking as your baby's kidneys can't process it yet.

If you are doing baby-led weaning, she may like strips of egg cooked into a plain omelette or with finely chopped spinach, parsley or basil. Some babies also liked roughly chopped boiled egg to pick up and eat, though egg yolk does tend to crumble and end up everywhere!

You can add egg to meatballs or veggie balls, but make sure it's well-cooked. Raw or undercooked eggs may carry salmonella bacteria, which can cause food poisoning.

Some parents have been cautious about giving babies egg because it may cause an allergic reaction in some babies. But avoiding egg may actually be worse. Unless your baby has an egg allergy, she should eat cooked egg regularly before she turns 12 months old. Read more about the best way to start your baby on egg.

Nuts are a good source of iron and babies can be given nuts in the form of flour, paste or a butter. Whole nuts are a choking hazard and shouldn't be given to babies or toddlers.

There are many nut products that can be included in purees and mashes, and on finger food for babies. Almond meal, peanut butter, hazelnut butter, almond paste and cashew butter are all widely available. Be careful to choose pastes without any added salt or sugar. Your baby doesn't need sugar and her young kidneys can't process salt yet.

You can add a nut butter to pureed soft vegetables and fruit such as apple, berries, carrot, pumpkin, parsnip and avocado. The vitamin C in these fruits and vegetables help your baby's body absorb the iron in the nuts.

Nut butter can also be given as finger food with a simple smear on a piece of wholegrain bread or toast or use finely ground nuts in a coating for fish or chicken pieces.

Some parents have been cautious about giving babies nuts because they may cause an allergic reaction in some babies. But avoiding nuts may actually be worse. Unless your baby has a nut allergy, she should be given nuts regularly before she turns 12 months old. Read more about the best way to start your baby on nuts.

Fish is a part of a healthy diet for babies, children and adults. Starting early is a good way to get children used to the taste and texture of fish as a part of their normal diet.

Children are encouraged to eat two to three serves of fish and other seafood per week. Make sure the fish has been thoroughly de-boned before giving it to your baby. And be sure that it's been properly refrigerated from the shop until when you cook it.

If your baby is eating purees and mash, she may like a mild-tasting white fish such as flathead or barramundi, steamed or poached in water and a little milk. After double-checking for bones the fish can be mashed or pureed and combined with soft-cooked vegetables such as potato, pumpkin, broccoli, carrot and zucchini. You could add a small amount of a mild cheese for flavour. Don't add salt because your baby's kidneys can't process it yet.

You can also use tinned fish, such as salmon or tuna, making sure it has no added salt or brine. Fingers of softly cooked fish, or fish balls you've made with other mashed veggies or beans are great finger foods for babies who are doing baby-led weaning.

Some fish have a higher level of mercury than others. It's recommended that children under six years old have only one serve (75g) a fortnight of swordfish (broadbill), marlin or shark (flake), with no other fish eaten in that fortnight. Also limit a child to one serve per week of orange roughy (deep-sea perch) or catfish, with no other fish eaten that week.

Many babies start solid foods with iron-fortified rice cereal. It tastes very plain and can be mixed with a baby's breastmilk or formula so babies tend to happily eat it.

Although it does have some of the iron your baby needs, the iron will be better absorbed by your baby's body if you mix the cereal with vegetables or fruit.

You can reduce the amount of cereal and add other less-processed food such as meat, tofu and beans as your baby gets used to stronger flavours. Cereal can also be used to thicken purees to your preferred texture.

Choose veggies or fruit that are high in vitamin C to help her body absorb the iron, especially strawberries, broccoli, capsicum, sweet potato, rockmelon, mango or leafy greens.

Green leafy veggies are a good source of iron, so you can happily add them to your baby's food. Spinach, silverbeet, kale, brussels sprouts, bok choy and broccoli can all be steamed and added to purees and mashed food.

Some good combinations include spinach and carrot, apple and broccoli, silverbeet and pumpkin, white beans and spinach, and chicken and broccoli.

Steamed broccoli is a great finger food and many babies like to hold the stalk as a handle. Some older babies may like to have a nut paste or homemade unsalted hommus as a dip for broccoli.

Tofu is a packed full of iron and is a great mild-tasting source for babies. Tofu can be combined with fruits and vegetables to give them an iron boost, and the combination will help your baby's body to absorb the iron.

Add soft tofu to cooked vegetable purees like carrot, sweet potato or peas. A soft piece of tofu can also be added to a quick fruit dish such as mashed banana or stone fruit, or cooked apple or pear.

If your baby's eating finger food she may also like a stick of cooked tofu cut so she can hold it. You could also grill cheese over sticks of tofu, squeeze a little orange over it or give it to her with a tomato puree to dip in.

Some things can make it hard for your baby's body to absorb iron from her food.

Tea is an iron-stopper and babies don't need to drink tea. Occasionally, some herbal teas may be given.

Unprocessed bran is also too much for little bodies and can stop your baby getting the iron she needs.

Cow's milk (fresh or powdered) can stop your baby absorbing iron and also hurt her tummy. It's okay to use cow's milk when cooking for your baby, and for her to have a little on her cereal. But don't give her cow's milk (or any animal milk, soy or nut milk) as a drink until she turns one.

Until her first birthday, her main drink should be breastmilk or infant formula. You can also give her water in a sippy cup.

In her second year, there is no need for toddler or follow-on formula. She can continue having breastmilk, water and no more than 500ml of full-fat cow's milk a day.

Get more recipes and ideas for first foods with our family and baby meal planners.