Safe Eating Environment for Babies

a photograph of a baby in a high chair with a bowl of food in front of them with his father looking on next to him — Kit, 6 months old, eats oatmeal with his dad nearby.

When introducing solid foods, create a safe eating environment for baby to explore real food in a low-risk way. Our licensed pediatric pros explain what do before, during, and after the meal to help keep your baby safe.

How to Create A Safe Eating Environment

Wait until you see all signs baby is ready before starting solids.
Ensure baby is safely seated and calm when offering solid foods.
Proper high chair positioning helps minimize the risk of choking.
Minimize distractions to keep baby focused on the meal (and not moving around).
Always stay within arm’s reach of baby should you need to help.

In addition to a safe eating environment, take these steps to help minimize risk at mealtime:

Do not force food: the choking risk is lower when you let baby feed themselves.
Prepare safe food shapes and sizes for baby’s age and developmental ability.
Know the difference between gagging and choking and how to respond, including infant rescue in the unlikely event of an emergency.
Learn how to safely introduce food allergens early on and keep them in the diet.
Follow food safety guidelines to minimize the risk of foodborne illness.

How do I know baby is ready for solids?

It’s more about developmental milestones than age. Typically around 6 months of age, most healthy, full-term babies show all signs that they are ready to start solids. These signs include:

Sitting: Baby can sit with minimal support.
Head Control: Baby can hold head upright and steady while seated (about 15 minutes).
Reach & Grab: Baby can pick up objects while seated and bring them to the mouth.
Interest: Baby intently watches you eat, mouths for food, or leans forward to reach it.

Check out our article, Readiness to Start Solids for more guidance.

What is proper high chair positioning?

Baby should be seated and still to minimize the risk of choking at mealtime. Eating on the move (while crawling, walking, or traveling in a car seat or stroller) significantly increases the risk of choking. While baby may be safely seated in your lap or on the floor, many families choose to use a high chair to ensure:

Back straight. The back is completely upright, shoulders are in line with hips. Baby should not be reclined; you may need to place a rolled-up towel or small blanket behind baby’s back (from their pelvis to their shoulder blades) to help them sit straight.
Knees bent. The knees are bent at a 90-degree angle, and feet are planted for support.
Feet on a surface. Baby’s weight is forward in the seat, and they are pressing through the feet. You may need to slide baby forward in a seat so feet reach the footrest.
Arms free. Baby needs to be able to reach for and practice picking up food.
Food below the chest. The table or tray should be positioned so baby does not have to reach up or hunch their shoulders to grab food. If baby is too low (the tray is at their chest), put a thick book or a firm, folded blanket under their bottom for a boost.

Always use the high chair harness and strap system to keep baby secure, and before starting solids, practice quickly unclipping the harness and straps. This way, you are already familiar with the clips if you need to quickly act in case of an emergency. While some families feel it is safer to leave off the straps so they can quickly act in case of an emergency, this actually significantly increases the risk of falling. In the United States, it is estimated that twice as many babies are seen in the emergency room each year for a high chair-related fall or other injury than for choking.

Check out our Guide to High Chairs for Babies for more details on proper positioning, including our top recommended high chairs.

What if baby refuses to stay in the high chair?

It is normal for babies to wiggle and want out of the high chair. It is okay to take a break for movement, but to minimize the risk of choking, it is best to reinforce the rule, “Food stays at the table, but your body doesn’t have to.” Check out our article, Tips for Keeping Baby in the High Chair for ideas to keep baby seated at mealtime.

What if baby is distracted while eating solids?

It is easy for babies to become distracted at mealtimes, especially by what is happening around them and how they feel. To help keep baby safe at mealtime, try to minimize distractions:

Stay seated. Do not offer solid foods in a car, stroller, or bouncer. Instead, only offer solids when baby is safely seated. This helps baby stay focused and minimizes risk.
Aim for a calm environment. Try to make mealtimes happen in a quiet area so baby can focus on food—not a barking dog, a loud television, or lots of activity. Refrain from making baby laugh or tickling baby when they are eating.
Remove distractions. Such as toys and screens. You might even remove plates, bowls, cups, and placemats if these are distracting your baby. Remove stray items from the table before mealtime like wrappers, bottle caps, etc.
Keep it simple. One or two big pieces of solid food is plenty to explore and practice eating at first. It is also less overwhelming than a full plate or lots of food on the tray.
Use simple language. Keep conversation brief to help keep baby focused. For example, “You try” instead of “Okay, now it’s your turn and you can try it!”
Soothe emotions. If baby begins laughing, crying, or throwing their head back, speak in a soothing tone and tap the tray to bring baby’s attention back to the food.
Remove food as needed. If baby is emotional, remove food from the table until they calm down. You can also bring baby to your lap if they need extra support.

Now, is it possible to always be sitting in a supportive chair, in a calm quiet environment, without the sniffles, and never making any noise, crying, or laughing? Absolutely not. But we can use this information wisely when deciding what, when, and how to structure solid food meals.

Is baby gagging or choking? What is the difference?

Gagging is often misinterpreted as choking, but they are different. Choking happens when the airway is blocked and baby is having trouble breathing. Choking is a life-threatening emergency that requires immediate intervention. Gagging, on the other hand, is not an emergency, but it can be scary to observe, especially the first time it happens. Check out our article, Gagging vs. Choking to learn what to watch for, and remember:

Do not stick your finger in baby’s mouth when they are gagging. This can push food further into the mouth and increase the risk of choking.

Should I let baby feed themselves?

Some families are surprised to learn that the risk of choking is lower when a baby is allowed to practice feeding themselves. In fact, the research is clear that placing food in a baby’s mouth increases the risk of choking. If you are planning to spoonfeed, we recommend responsive spoonfeeding, which allows baby to control the activity and prepare for the food going into their mouth.

What are safe food shapes and sizes for baby?

Solid foods need to be prepared in a way that meets a baby’s developmental ability. At first, bigger is better. The choking risk is lower with large pieces of food that baby can grab, hold, and independently bring to the mouth. When you see signs of a developing pincer grasp (the ability to pick things up with the tips of their thumb and pointer finger), move down in size by offering bite-sized pieces of food. Check out our article, Safe Food Shapes & Sizes for details.

How do I introduce allergens to baby?

A food allergy may be prevented by the early introduction of that food and regularly serving it once an allergy is ruled out. Before introducing allergens at home, consider a baby’s risk factors; if baby has severe eczema or existing food allergies, work closely with your pediatrician on a plan for introducing food allergens. If baby is at low risk of food allergy, you can introduce common food allergens at home as soon as baby is ready to start solids. See our article, Introducing Allergens, for more information on how to assess a baby’s risk and details on how to serve each food allergen.

How do I safely prepare and store food for babies?

Practice basic safety guidelines for food preparation and storage to help minimize the risk of foodborne illness, to which babies are more susceptible. Guidelines include:

Wash your hands. Before, during, and after cooking.
Use a clean work area. Wipe down counters, and wash cutting boards and knives.
Store foods by type. Vegetables with vegetables, meats and with meats. Don’t mix.
Wash then cut. A quick rinse with water removes germs from fruit and vegetable skins.
Defrost food in the refrigerator. Not on the counter or at room temperature.
Thoroughly cook food thoroughly. Avoid raw, or undercooked proteins at this stage.
Refrigerate after cooking. Food should not sit for 2+ hours at room temperature.
Reheat, then cool. Warm leftovers until steaming, then let cool to the touch.
Take care of breast milk. Know how to safely store and warm it.