7 Common Mistakes in Baby Nutrition
What the baby food aisle won't tell you
Modern infant feeding advice often contradicts both traditional wisdom and our emerging understanding of developmental nutrition. Here are seven common mistakes—and what to do instead.
Mistake #1: Iron-Fortified Cereal as First Food
The conventional advice: Start with rice cereal at 4-6 months because babies need iron.
The problem: Babies do need iron, but fortified cereals are a poor source. Non-heme iron from fortified foods has absorption rates of just 2-5%, compared to 15-35% for heme iron from meat and liver.
More concerning: introducing high-iron foods before the gut is prepared may feed pathogenic bacteria rather than supporting the baby.
Instead: Start with fermented foods (yogurt, kefir) to establish beneficial gut bacteria. Then introduce egg yolk for its cholesterol and choline. Then liver—nature's iron supplement—in small amounts after the gut is ready.
Mistake #2: Avoiding Egg Yolks Before Age 1
The conventional advice: Delay eggs due to allergy concerns.
The problem: Current evidence suggests early introduction may actually reduce allergy risk. More importantly, egg yolk is one of nature's most perfect first foods—rich in cholesterol (needed for brain myelination), choline (for memory development), and DHA.
Instead: Introduce egg yolk around 7 months, starting with half a teaspoon and building up. The white is more allergenic and can wait until 12 months.
Mistake #3: Low-Fat Dairy for Babies
The conventional advice: Use low-fat milk and yogurt to prevent obesity.
The problem: Babies need fat for brain development. Fat provides concentrated calories for rapidly growing bodies. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) require fat for absorption.
Research shows children who consume full-fat dairy are actually less likely to be overweight than those consuming low-fat dairy.
Instead: Always choose full-fat dairy for babies and young children. Whole milk yogurt, full-fat cheese, butter.
Mistake #4: Avoiding Cholesterol
The conventional advice: Cholesterol causes heart disease, so limit it for everyone.
The problem: The developing brain requires enormous amounts of cholesterol for myelination—the process of insulating nerve fibers. Approximately 25% of the body's cholesterol resides in the brain.
Breast milk is rich in cholesterol for exactly this reason.
Instead: Embrace cholesterol-rich foods like egg yolks, liver, and full-fat dairy. These were traditional first foods across cultures for a reason.
Mistake #5: Starting With Sweet Fruits
The conventional advice: Start with mild foods baby will accept, like applesauce and banana.
The problem: Starting with sweet foods may establish a preference for sweetness that makes vegetables harder to accept later.
Instead: Introduce vegetables first—zucchini, carrots, squash—before the sweeter options. Pair vegetables with fat (butter, olive oil) for better nutrient absorption and to make them more palatable.
Mistake #6: Relying on Commercial Baby Food
The conventional advice: Jarred baby food is convenient and safe.
The problem: Commercial baby foods often contain seed oils, are heat-processed (destroying nutrients and creating oxidation products), and may contain heavy metals from industrial processing. Recent testing found concerning levels of arsenic, lead, and cadmium in popular brands.
Instead: Make your own baby food from real ingredients. It's faster than you think—steam vegetables, mash with butter, done. Batch cook bone broth on weekends. Freeze portions of homemade food.
Mistake #7: Combining Vitamin A Sources
The conventional advice: Nutrient-dense foods are always better.
The problem: Fat-soluble vitamins accumulate in the body. Giving cod liver oil on the same day as liver can push vitamin A intake to concerning levels (7,000-9,000 IU vs recommended limit of 2,000-3,000 IU).
Instead: Establish a rotation. Cod liver oil on non-liver days. Track vitamin A-rich foods and don't stack them. More is not always better with fat-soluble vitamins.
The Pattern Behind the Mistakes
Notice what these mistakes have in common: they reflect adult dietary concerns (low-fat, low-cholesterol, anti-egg) inappropriately applied to developing babies.
Adult nutritional optimization is different from infant nutritional optimization. Babies are building tissues from scratch. They need the building blocks—cholesterol for brains, saturated fats for stability, heme iron for blood, glycine for collagen.
The safest approach is often the traditional approach: the foods that every culture across history gave to their babies, the foods that produced generation after generation of thriving children.
Egg yolks. Liver. Bone broth. Fatty fish. Fermented dairy.
No industrial processing required.
This article synthesizes research on developmental nutrition through the lens of substrate chemistry. It is not medical advice. Consult healthcare providers for specific feeding recommendations.