Bridget levine

Everyone tells you to start with rice cereal. I didn’t.

Babies are in one of the fastest periods of growth they will ever experience. Their nutritional needs at 6 months are completely different from ours, which is why I don’t choose foods based on what is easiest. I choose foods based on what their growing body needs most.

Here are the first foods I prioritize and why.

🥣 Meat stock

Most parents don’t realize your baby’s gut is still developing. A well made meat stock provides gelatin, amino acids, and minerals that can help support the gut lining while also making other foods easier to enjoy alongside it.

🦴 Bone marrow

Your baby’s brain nearly doubles in size during the first year of life. Bone marrow is naturally rich in fats that provide energy for this incredible period of growth, along with collagen and fat soluble nutrients that support developing cells and tissues.

❤️ Liver

This is one of the biggest surprises for most parents. Around 6 months, the iron stores babies are born with begin to run low, yet iron becomes one of the most important nutrients for healthy brain development. Liver is one of nature’s richest sources of highly absorbable iron. It is also packed with choline for brain development, vitamin B12 for healthy red blood cells and the nervous system, folate for rapid growth, and vitamin A, which plays an essential role in immune function, vision, and healthy cell development.

Babies have tiny stomachs but enormous nutrient needs. Every bite matters, which is why I focus on foods that deliver the most nutrition instead of simply filling them up.

This is exactly what I teach inside my Baby’s First Foods Guide. I break down the best first foods, why they matter, when to introduce them, recipes, meal plans, feeding schedules, oral development, and so many things most parents are never taught.

Comment FOODS and I’ll send it to you. 🤍

🌼 The cutest way to make pancakes… turn them into flowers! 🌼

These are made with my high-protein Greek yogurt pancake recipe and they’re such a fun way to make breakfast a little more exciting for kids (and honestly, adults too 😍).

All you need is a squeeze bottle to pipe the petals and center, then cook like normal pancakes. They’re simple, adorable, and come out perfectly every time.

Comment FLOWER and I’ll send you:
🌼 My Greek yogurt pancake recipe
🫶 The exact squeeze bottles I used to make the flower shape

Perfect for toddlers, kids, or anyone who loves a fun breakfast.

Quail eggs contain more of several key nutrients than regular chicken eggs and DOUBLE the iron. 🥚✨

That’s one of the reasons I love rotating them into my baby’s diet.

Compared with chicken eggs, quail eggs are richer in several important nutrients, including:
• Vitamin B12
• Iron
• Selenium
• Riboflavin (B2)
• Healthy fats
• High-quality protein

They’re also packed with choline, an essential nutrient that supports your baby’s growing brain and nervous system.

I love serving quail eggs because they’re the perfect size for little hands, encourage self-feeding, and add more nutrient diversity to my baby’s plate.

The goal isn’t to eat the same “healthy” food every day—it’s to expose our babies to a wide variety of nutrient-dense whole foods.

Comment EGGS and I’ll send you my Baby’s First Foods Guide with 80+ nutrient-dense recipes, first foods by age, meal plans, and the feeding strategies I wish every parent knew before starting solids.

This bedtime feeding mistake could be keeping your baby awake. 👇

As someone certified in child nutrition, one thing I always prioritize before bedtime is a protein- and healthy fat-rich meal instead of a carb-heavy snack.

Why? Because protein and fat digest more slowly, helping keep your baby fuller for longer and supporting more stable blood sugar overnight.

Some of my favorite bedtime foods are:
🥩 Bone marrow
🍖 Slow-cooked beef or lamb
🥚 Eggs
🐟 Wild salmon
🦴 Meat stock
🥣 Full-fat Greek yogurt or kefir (if already introduced)
🥑 Avocado
🧈 Grass-fed butter served with dinner

One of my absolute favorites is bone marrow. It’s one of nature’s most nutrient-dense foods, packed with healthy fats, collagen, and minerals, and it’s incredibly easy for babies to eat.

On the other hand, I try not to make dinner revolve around foods like:
🍌 Fruit by itself
🍞 Bread, crackers, puffs, or baby cereal
🧃 Sweet pouches
🍪 Refined carbohydrates

These foods are digested more quickly and may not keep little tummies satisfied for as long.

Of course, nutrition is only one piece of the sleep puzzle. Development, teething, illness, your baby’s age, and temperament all play a role. But building a nutrient-dense, balanced dinner is one of the simplest ways to help support better overnight satiety and healthy sleep habits.

Comment “SLEEP” and I’ll send you both my Sleep Guide and my Baby’s First Foods Guide, including the nutrient-dense foods I recommend before bed, meals that support more stable blood sugar overnight, and 100+ recipes to help your little one thrive.

The first food I never skip? Bone marrow. Here’s why. 👇

As someone certified in child nutrition, bone marrow is one of my favorite first foods because it’s packed with nourishing fats that support your baby’s rapidly developing brain. It also contains collagen and naturally occurring compounds that support gut health, plus important minerals that growing babies need.

I also love the texture. Bone marrow is incredibly soft, making it easy for babies to eat while encouraging them to explore real food from the very beginning. When paired with an iron-rich diet that includes foods like liver and red meat, it’s one of my favorite nutrient-dense additions to a baby’s plate.

This is exactly why I focus on real, whole foods instead of processed baby foods. Babies deserve foods that nourish their growing bodies, brains, and taste buds from the start.

Comment BONES and I’ll send you my Baby Recipe Guide with this bone marrow recipe plus so many more nutrient-dense recipes.

Inside you’ll find:
• Nutritious recipes for every stage of starting solids
• Age by age feeding schedules
• Safe serving guides for every stage
• The nutrients babies need most and where to find them
• My favorite first foods and exactly how I prepare them
• Foods that support oral development, jaw strength, and healthy eating habits
• The feeding information your pediatrician probably never told you about starting solids

I created this guide to help parents feel confident introducing nutrient-dense first foods and to make starting solids feel simple, nourishing, and enjoyable. ❤️

Most babies are eating from pouches… but one of the best foods you can offer is actually meat on the bone.

It might look unconventional, but there’s a reason I prioritize it.

Gnawing on meat attached to the bone gives your baby a chance to practice biting, chewing, and using the muscles that help shape the jaw, support healthy oral development, and encourage nasal breathing. It’s also a sensory experience that a pouch simply can’t provide.

And nutritionally? Meat is packed with highly absorbable iron, zinc, B vitamins, choline, and complete protein, nutrients babies need in huge amounts during their first year of life.

No, they aren’t eating the bone. They’re safely stripping off the soft meat while building important feeding skills along the way.

Pouches have their place when you’re on the go, but they shouldn’t replace opportunities to learn how to chew, explore different textures, and eat real food. Every meal is a chance to nourish your baby while helping them build lifelong feeding skills.

This is one of the reasons I love offering foods as close to their natural form as possible.

Comment MEAT and I’ll send you my Baby’s First Foods Guide with nutrient-dense first foods, recipes, age appropriate meal ideas, and the feeding information most parents are never told.

Safety note: Always offer meat on the bone only when your baby is developmentally ready. Choose an appropriately sized bone with soft, attached meat (never small bones that could fit entirely in your baby’s mouth), and always supervise your baby closely during the entire meal.

For a full nights sleep….

This feeding habit could influence how your baby’s face and airway develop.

One of the biggest reasons I don’t keep my babies on purées and soft foods for too long is because I want to encourage proper tongue function.

Did you know your tongue is designed to rest on the roof of your mouth? That tongue posture helps support healthy jaw and facial development, and healthy oral function is associated with nasal breathing. While food isn’t the only factor, giving babies safe opportunities to chew is one way I support those developing skills.

That’s why, once my babies are developmentally ready, I intentionally introduce a variety of safe textures instead of sticking to only soft foods.

Some of our favorites are:
• Asparagus spears
• Lamb chops
• Steak strips
• Avocado wedges
• Soft cooked carrot spears
• Broccoli stalks
• Peeled cucumber spears
• Sardines
• Sweet potato fries

Chewing these foods encourages babies to use the muscles of their jaw, tongue, lips, and cheeks. Over time, those muscles become stronger, supporting oral motor development, jaw growth, and healthy facial development. To me, starting solids isn’t just about nutrition. It’s about giving my babies opportunities to practice the skills they were designed to develop.

Comment JAW and I’ll send you my complete feeding guide with everything I wish I’d known before starting solids, including the information your pediatrician probably never told you about food textures, oral development, jaw strength, healthy feeding progression, and the exact strategies I use with my own babies. You’ll also get my first foods roadmap, recipes, feeding schedules, and nutrient-dense meal ideas.

Most parents are told to start with baby cereal… but that’s not where I start.

At 6 months, babies have some of the highest nutrient needs of any stage of life, especially for iron, zinc, healthy fats, and protein to support rapid brain growth, bone development, and their developing immune system. They also benefit from foods that encourage chewing and oral motor development, instead of only smooth purées.

Some of my favorite first foods include:
• Egg yolk
• Liver
• Bone marrow
• Meat stock
• Sardines
• Salmon
• Full fat plain yogurt
• Avocado
• Slow cooked meats
• Soft cooked vegetables

Introducing a wide variety of nutrient dense whole foods early can help expose babies to different flavors and textures while meeting many of their nutritional needs during this important stage.

Every baby is different, so always introduce foods in age appropriate forms, introduce common allergens safely, and follow safe feeding practices.

Comment FOODS and I’ll send you my complete First Foods Guide with exactly what I feed at every stage, recipes, serving ideas, allergy introductions, and the developmental and nutritional information that most parents are never taught about starting solids.

Imagine checking into a French countryside village… without leaving California.

That’s exactly what Cal-a-Vie feels like.

Tucked away on more than 200 acres, every detail was designed to transport you to Provence. They even shipped over entire buildings and architectural pieces from France, which is why it feels so authentic compared to most spas. The stone pathways, European courtyards, gardens, lavender fields, and charming villas make it feel like you’re walking through a little French village in the middle of Southern California.

What makes it different isn’t just the breathtaking setting. Every morning you receive a personalized schedule filled with fitness classes, guided hikes, breathwork, face yoga, nutrition workshops, cooking demonstrations, and at least two luxurious spa treatments each day.

The food is fresh, seasonal, nourishing, and still feels like fine dining.

But my favorite part is the community. Everyone comes for their own reason, but by the end of the week, strangers become friends. There’s something so special about slowing down, sharing meals, encouraging one another, and leaving inspired to bring those healthy habits home.

This was our third visit, and every time we leave feeling healthier, more rested, and already planning our next trip back. Now I completely understand why it’s consistently recognized as one of the top destination spas in the world.

Have you ever been to a destination spa? If not, this is your sign to add one to your bucket list.