Week 1 of Baby GAPS weaning adds two complementary foods: warm homemade meat stock and freshly pressed vegetable juice, beginning with carrot. Both start at 1 to 2 teaspoons. Breast milk or the baby’s existing formula continues while these first tastes are introduced gradually.[1]
We began Baby GAPS with our youngest on September 20, 2026, and this is our first time following the baby sequence. This first week is about preparing two small additions while milk feeds continue.
When the Book Begins Solid Foods
In the expanded Gut and Psychology Syndrome book, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride says bottle-fed babies begin solid foods from the fourth month. A breastfed baby may wait until the sixth month unless the baby is very hungry and needs solid food sooner. The sequence begins with one very small meal while the remaining feeds continue as breast milk or the usual formula. For a formula-fed baby, the book also adds a small amount of probiotic to the usual formula.[1]
This page covers only the first week. The complete Baby GAPS first-food guide puts Week 1 into the full week-by-week sequence.
Week 1 at a Glance
| When | What to Offer | Starting Amount | What Follows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before each breastfeeding | Warm homemade meat stock | 1 to 2 teaspoons | Breastfeed as the top-up after the stock |
| Between milk feeds | Freshly pressed carrot juice mixed with a little warm water | 1 to 2 teaspoons | Continue the baby’s regular milk feeds |
| Before either new food | The food in the same form in which it will be served | One drop on the inside of the wrist | Check the spot the next morning |
The before-each-feed stock instruction is written specifically for breastfeeding. The book does not give an equivalent before-each-formula schedule. For a formula-fed baby, it says to continue the usual formula during this opening stage. Formula replacement with soup begins later, in Week 3.[1]
Start With Homemade Meat Stock
The first complementary food is homemade meat stock. The Baby GAPS method uses a piece of meat on the bone or a half or whole chicken simmered in water, with no salt or other additions. Fish stock may be made from a whole fish with its skin, head, tail, skeleton and fins. The 2020 book gives these cooking times: 2.5 to 4 hours for meat stock and about 1 to 1.5 hours for fish stock.[1][2]
Remove the bones and meat and strain the liquid carefully. Keep the fat for the Baby GAPS serving.[1] Rachael Mamane’s stock technique calls for rapid cooling in an ice bath, with frequent stirring. Refrigerate the cooled chicken stock for up to two days, or freeze small portions for longer storage.[3]
Offer 1 to 2 teaspoons of warm stock from a bottle, cup or spoon before breastfeeding. Once the baby accepts that amount, increase it gradually. The starting amount is a beginning, not a target the baby has to race past by the end of the week.[1]
Commercial granulated stock and bouillon cubes do not replace this stock. The source calls for homemade stock and excludes those processed products. If you want the full preparation in one place, use the GAPS Chicken Meat Stock recipe and leave out salt and other additions for this Baby GAPS Week 1 preparation.[1]
Meat Stock Is Not Bone Broth
Week 1 uses fresh meat stock made from raw meaty bones, joints, skin, connective tissue, fat and meat. It does not use long-simmered broth made from bare bones. In Gut and Physiology Syndrome, Dr. Campbell-McBride says bone broth is not used during at least the first year on GAPS and may be delayed for several years for some people. This guide follows that timing.[2]
Add Fresh Carrot Juice
The second Week 1 food is freshly pressed vegetable juice. Begin with 1 to 2 teaspoons between milk feeds, mixed with a little warm water. Plain carrot juice comes first.[1] CDC guidance advises against fruit or vegetable juice before 12 months and against unpasteurized juice for young children.[5] The amounts here describe the GAPS book; discuss this step in the baby’s individual feeding plan.
After about one week on carrot juice, the book says to try adding a small amount of cabbage, celery or lettuce juice. Those additions follow the first week of plain carrot juice. They are not separate juices to rotate through during the opening days.[1]
Use the Juice Within Thirty Minutes
Press the juice at home and serve it within 30 minutes. The direct Baby GAPS book says the juice cannot be stored. Press a small amount for the serving rather than making a bottle for the week. Commercial vegetable and fruit juices do not replace it.[1]
The small starting amount can make the setup feel disproportionate. You still need the juicer, but you do not need to press a large batch. Measure only what the baby will receive, dilute it with a little warm water, and discard anything that has passed the 30-minute window.
Perform the Sensitivity Test First
Before introducing a new food, the New Baby chapter uses an overnight wrist test. Place one drop of the food on the inside of the baby’s wrist at bedtime and let it dry. Check the spot the next morning. The book says a red or itchy reaction means leaving that food out for a few weeks before trying again. If there is no reaction, begin with the small oral amount and increase gradually.[1] A clear wrist spot does not rule out food allergy. Follow the baby’s allergy plan.[4]
Test the food in the same form in which it will be served. For Week 1 juice, test the freshly pressed and diluted juice. For the stock, test the finished warm stock. The book later applies the same served-form rule to raw egg yolk rather than a cooked or whole egg.[1]
What Waits Until Later
Week 1 does not yet add vegetable soup or puree, boiled meat, organ meat, whey, sauerkraut juice, yogurt, avocado, egg, cooked apple, raw fruit or pancakes. Week 2 adds probiotic food and soft non-starchy vegetable soup. Week 3 adds boiled meat, liver, fish, avocado and larger amounts of homemade fermented dairy when the dairy route is tolerated.[1]
Continue with Week 2 of GAPS Weaning.
Keep One Clear Record
With only two new foods, Week 1 is the easiest place to begin recording what was offered, how much, when it was served and what followed. A simple record matters more than a complicated scoring system. It lets you look back without relying on memory after several foods have been added.
A Baby Feeding Record You Can Use
My Baby Feeding Chart + Reaction Log brings together the food, prepared form, amount, timing, and response. It is listed in the WFLI shop.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Meat Stock Starts Week 1?
The book starts with 1 to 2 teaspoons of warm meat stock before each breastfeeding. Increase the amount gradually once the baby accepts it.[1]
How Much Juice Starts Week 1?
Begin with 1 to 2 teaspoons between milk feeds. Mix the freshly pressed carrot juice with a little warm water.[1]
Can Week 1 Juice Be Made Ahead?
No. The direct book says it cannot be stored and must be consumed within 30 minutes of pressing.[1]
Does Week 1 Replace Formula?
No. The chapter keeps the baby’s usual formula during the opening stage and adds a small amount of probiotic to it. Formula is gradually replaced with soup beginning in Week 3. Breastfeeding continues after meals for a breastfed baby.[1]
References
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. GAPS: Gut and Psychology Syndrome, expanded second German edition (2015), Part 4, “New Baby,” “Introducing Solid Foods,” Week 1.
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Meat Stock and Soups,” printed pp. 177 and 223.
- Mamane, Rachael. Mastering Stocks and Broths, “Cool in an Ice Bath,” “Store in Refrigerator or Freezer,” and “Basic Chicken Stock”: cooling, straining, and storage technique. GAPS infant ingredients and protocol timing follow Campbell-McBride.
- American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Allergy Testing.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Foods and Drinks to Avoid or Limit, April 14, 2026.
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