Making Sense of 'Stages' and 'Steps' on Baby Food Labels

You'll often encounter charts listing baby foods, how much of them a baby should eat at each stage, and when you should go about introducing them into your child's diet. It would be helpful if baby food products were clearly and consistently labeled so that parents could quickly determine how an option aligns with their baby's needs when using commercial products, but brands differ in this regard.

This can be confusing when using a combination of pre-made foods as well as homemade foods, or combining baby-led feeding with commercial foods.

The popular brand Gerber has registered trademarks for "1st Foods," "2nd Foods," and "3rd Foods." Other brand labels simply use "1," "2," or "3," which some companies use to refer to the age of the baby and others use to define the stage in which the baby is ready for a certain type of food.

Baby Food Stages and Steps by Age

The American Academy of Pediatrics does not specifically discuss stages or steps, but advises: "It is important for your baby to get used to the process of eating—sitting up, taking food from a spoon, resting between bites, and stopping when full. These early experiences will help your child learn good eating habits throughout life."

Most popular brands work around four stages, which coincide with ages 4 to 6 months all the way to 12 months and up. These stages aren't standardized, but can generally be explained in the following way:

Stage 1: Age 4 to 6 Months

Foods that you might first start your baby on at age 4 to 6 months include single-ingredient foods such as rice cereal or pureed fruits or vegetables.

Some examples by popular brands include:

• Beech-Nut Naturals Stage 1
• Earth's Best 1st Beginner Foods
• Gerber 1st Foods
• Heinz Step 1 Beginner Foods

Stage 2: Age 7 to 8 Months

When babies are 7 months to 8 months old, they can eat "2" baby foods, which include single-ingredient and combination foods that are strained instead of pureed.

Examples of stage 2 foods include:

• Beech-Nut Naturals Stage 2 Apples & Bananas
• Earth's Best Corn and Butternut Squash
• Gerber 2nd Foods Garden Vegetables
• Heinz Strained Vegetables

Stage 3: Age 9 to 12 Months

At 9 to 12 months old, babies should be ready for "3" baby foods. These foods have more texture and small chunks to encourage chewing.

Examples of stage 3 foods include:

• Beech-Nut Naturals Stage 3 Chicken Lasagna
• Earth's Best Chunky Orchard Fruit (Chunky Blend)
• Gerber 3rd Foods Broccoli & Carrots With Cheese
• Heinz Vegetables Beef & Spaghetti (Junior Foods)

These jars of baby food are easy to spot because they are usually bigger than stage 1 and 2 varieties since babies tend to have a bigger appetite by the time they are ready for these foods.

Stage 4: After Age 12 Months

Babies progress to "4" foods or table food around the end of their first year or the beginning of their second year. At this point, you may be feeding your baby the food that the rest of the family is eating, or you might continue to buy commercially prepared toddler foods.

Examples include:

• Beech-Nut Naturals Table Time Peach Dices in White Grape Juice From Concentrate
• Earth's Best Toddler Breakfasts, Snacks, and Entrees
• Gerber Toddler Foods Apple Mango Brown Rice With Vanilla
• Heinz Step 4 Toddler Cuisine Chicken & Stars With Vegetables & Gravy

Age Recommendations for Introducing Solids

Keep in mind that the age recommendations for when you start each stage are just general guidelines. Some babies are ready for stage 2 foods before they are 7 to 8 months old, while others might not be ready for them until they are 9 to 10 months old.

Instead of starting each stage of baby food at the ages listed, it is usually more important that babies advance through the different stages in their own good time. Your pediatrician can also help guide you regarding whether your baby might need extra time with one stage or texture.

The initial first step to starting your baby on solids at 4 or 6 months varies greatly from child to child and depends on your baby, but one constant is that a baby should be able to first sit up and have good head and neck control.

Be sure to talk to your pediatrician if your child gets "stuck" in any one particular stage and can't handle next-stage foods.