Chicken contains many nutrients that babies need to thrive, including vitamins B6 and B12, iron, zinc, choline, selenium, and vitamin B3. Together, these nutrients help support antioxidant activities, fuel cell energy, create healthy blood, promote a strong sense of taste and smell, and boost brain health. Chicken is also a great source of protein, with the full spectrum of amino acids that help develop a growing baby’s brain, muscles, nervous system, heart, skin, and hair. There are many labels for chicken. Free-range, organic, vegetarian-fed, cage-free, pasture-raised… What do they mean, and which one is best? Labels can help consumers, but sometimes they can be misleading. Some chickens are “vegetarian-fed”, which suggests a certain quality, but the label often means the birds are eating commodity grains like corn and soy. “Free-range” and “cage-free” chickens have access to the outdoors where they can eat a more natural diet of worms and bugs in addition to plant-based ...
Chicken contains many nutrients that babies need to thrive, including vitamins B6 and B12, iron, zinc, choline, selenium, and vitamin B3. Together, these nutrients help support antioxidant activities, fuel cell energy, create healthy blood, promote a strong sense of taste and smell, and boost brain health. Chicken is also a great source of protein, with the full spectrum of amino acids that help develop a growing baby’s brain, muscles, nervous system, heart, skin, and hair.
There are many labels for chicken. Free-range, organic, vegetarian-fed, cage-free, pasture-raised… What do they mean, and which one is best? Labels can help consumers, but sometimes they can be misleading. Some chickens are “vegetarian-fed”, which suggests a certain quality, but the label often means the birds are eating commodity grains like corn and soy. “Free-range” and “cage-free” chickens have access to the outdoors where they can eat a more natural diet of worms and bugs in addition to plant-based foods. Unfortunately, outdoor space is often limited, and many birds do not venture outside; instead, they remain in their (often overcrowded) grow houses where they eat commodity grains. Even “organic” chickens are not necessarily raised outdoors on a natural diet, though the animals are fed food that has been certified as organic.
Chickens raised on pastures have more nutrients, fewer additives, fewer toxins, and fewer pesticides than chickens raised indoors on grains.1 2 The downside is that pasture-raised chicken can be prohibitively expensive.
Bottom line: chicken delivers plenty of nutrients to nourish a growing baby. No label is perfect so do what you can with the resources available to you—and if you’d like, learn more about where and how the bird was raised.
Every baby develops on their own timeline, and the suggestions on how to cut or prepare particular foods are generalizations for a broad audience. Your child is an individual and may have needs or considerations beyond generally accepted practices. In determining the recommendations for size and shape of foods, we use the best available scientific information regarding gross, fine, and oral motor development to minimize choking risk. The preparation suggestions we offer are for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for child-specific, one-on-one advice from your pediatric medical or health professional or provider. It is impossible to fully eliminate all risk of a baby or child choking on any liquid, puree, or food. We advise you to follow all safety protocols we suggest to create a safe eating environment and to make educated choices for your child regarding their specific needs. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen here.
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