# Foods to Wait On in the First Year: Honey, Water, Cow's Milk

> Honey, water, cow's milk and choking hazards in the first year.

Stage: baby - Topic: Feeding - Page: https://www.askcladle.com/guides/baby/first-year-foods-to-wait-on

Grounded in: CDC "When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods", AAP HealthyChildren and WHO breastfeeding guidance. General information; follow the pediatrician's advice.

Reviewed: 2026-10

## TLDR

- Breast milk or formula only for the first months: no water, juice or cereal in a bottle.
- Start solids around 6 months (not before 4), with iron-rich foods; ask about introducing peanut early.
- No honey, cow's or plant milk as a drink, or juice before 12 months. Cut round foods lengthwise and always supervise.

## In the first months

- Breast milk or formula only. No water, juice, cereal in a bottle, or other drinks unless the
  doctor advises it.
- Exclusive breast milk is recommended for about the first 6 months where possible, then alongside
  foods for 2 years or beyond (AAP, WHO).

## Starting solids

- Not before 4 months; most babies are ready around 6 months. Readiness signs: sits with support,
  good head control, opens mouth for food, swallows instead of pushing food back out.
- Offer a variety of iron-rich foods and fortified cereals (oat, barley, multigrain), not only rice
  cereal.
- Ask the pediatrician about introducing peanut early, especially for a baby with severe eczema or
  an egg allergy.
- Water can start around 6 months, about 4-8 oz a day from an open or straw cup until 12 months
  (AAP).

## Not before 12 months

- Honey, in any form, because of the risk of infant botulism.
- Cow's milk or plant milk as a drink (yogurt and cheese are fine earlier).
- Juice.

## Choking hazards

- Whole grapes, whole nuts, hot dog rounds, popcorn, and hard round foods. Cut round foods into
  small pieces lengthwise and always supervise eating, seated upright.