Young children need enough nutritious food every day to grow healthy, strong and smart. At around 6 months old, your baby is growing quickly and needs more energy and nutrients than at any other time in her life.
In brief: Feeding your baby at 6–12 months
After 6 months, breastmilk is still your baby’s main source of energy and nutrients, but solid foods should now be added.
Your baby has a small stomach and needs to be eating small amounts of soft nutritious food frequently throughout the day.
In addition to grains and tubers, feed your baby a variety of foods — especially animal foods (dairy, eggs, meat, fish and poultry), fruits and vegetables — every day.
At 6 months of age, breastmilk continues to be a vital source of nutrition; but it’s not enough by itself. You need to now introduce your baby to solid food, in addition to breastmilk, to keep up with her growing needs.
Be sure you give your baby her first foods after she has breastfed, or between nursing sessions, so that your baby continues to breastfeed as much as possible.
When you start to feed your baby solid food, take extra care that she doesn’t become sick. As she crawls about and explores, germs can spread from her hands to her mouth. Protect your baby from getting sick by washing your and her hands with soap before preparing food and before every feeding.
Your baby’s first foods
When your baby is 6 months old, she is just learning to chew. Her first foods need to be soft so they’re very easy to swallow, such as porridge or well mashed fruits and vegetables. Did you know that when porridge is too watery, it doesn’t have as many nutrients? To make it more nutritious, cook it until it’s thick enough not to run off the spoon.
Feed your baby when you see her give signs that she’s hungry — such as putting her hands to her mouth. After washing hands, start by giving your baby just two to three spoonfuls of soft food, twice a day. At this age, her stomach is small so she can only eat small amounts at each meal.
The taste of a new food may surprise your baby. Give her time to get used to these new foods and flavours. Be patient and don’t force your baby to eat. Watch for signs that she is full and stop feeding her then.
As your baby grows, her stomach also grows and she can eat more food with each meal.
Feeding your baby: 6–8 months old
From 6–8 months old, feed your baby half a cup of soft food two to three times a day. Your baby can eat anything except honey, which she shouldn’t eat until she is a year old. You can start to add a healthy snack, like mashed fruit, between meals. As your baby gets increasing amounts of solid foods, she should continue to get the same amount of breastmilk.
Feeding your baby: 9–11 months old
From 9–11 months old, your baby can take half a cup of food three to four times a day, plus a healthy snack. Now you can start to chop up soft food into small pieces instead of mashing it. Your baby may even start to eat food herself with her fingers. Continue to breastfeed whenever your baby is hungry.
Each meal needs to be both easy for your baby to eat and packed with nutrition. Make every bite count.
Foods need to be rich in energy and nutrients. In addition to grains and potatoes, be sure your baby has vegetables and fruits, legumes and seeds, a little energy-rich oil or fat, and — especially — animal foods (dairy, eggs, meat, fish and poultry) every day. Eating a variety of foods every day gives your baby the best chance of getting all the nutrients he needs.
If your baby refuses a new food or spits it out, don’t force it. Try again a few days later. You can also try mixing it with another food that your baby likes or squeezing a little breastmilk on top.
Feeding non-breastfed babies
If you’re not breastfeeding your baby, she’ll need to eat more often. She’ll also need to rely on other foods, including milk products, to get all the nutrition her body needs.
· Start to give your baby solid foods at 6 months of age, just as a breastfed baby would need. Begin with two to three spoonfuls of soft and mashed food four times a day, which will give her the nutrients she needs without breastmilk.
· From 6–8 months old, she’ll need half a cup of soft food four times a day, plus a healthy snack.
· From 9–11 months old, she’ll need half a cup of food four to five times a day, plus two healthy snacks.
Baby’s First Foods: How to Introduce Solids
Introducing solids to your infant is an exciting milestone. Here’s everything you need to know about timelines, safety, and recommended menu items — plus a simple baby food chart to print at home.
By the time your infant is 4 to 6 months old, you’ve probably got your breastfeeding or formula drill down to an art. Don’t get too comfortable, though — your child will soon be ready for “real” food. Here’s everything to know about starting Baby on solids, with tips for mastering mealtime.
When to Start Solids
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says you should start your child on solids between 4 and 6 months, but the answer really depends on your baby. Here are some signs that your little one may be ready for baby food:
- They can sit upright and hold up their head.
- They are curious, looking at everything around them — especially what you’re eating!
- They lost the tongue thrust reflex that automatically pushes food out of their mouth.
- They still seem hungry after getting a full day’s portion of milk (eight to 10 breast-feedings or about 32 ounces of formula).
Remember, there’s no need to rush this milestone. Most babies are ready to start solids between 5 and 6 months. Don’t start solids before 4 months.
Baby’s First Foods: How to Introduce Solids
as well as supplemental breastfeeding until your infant turns one. (Formula is also a great option for moms who can’t or don’t want to breastfeed). Introducing solids is more about getting them used to chewing and swallowing food than providing any significant nutritional benefit.
- Up to 9 months, feed your baby 20 to 28 ounces of formula daily or breast milk every 3 to 4 hours.
- At 9 to 12 months, feed them 16 to 24 ounces of formula daily or breast milk every 4 to 5 hours.
As soon as your little one understands the concept of eating and shows interest in mealtime (this usually happens between 6 and 9 months), start them on a routine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even if they aren’t hungry at times, they’ll get used to the idea of eating on a schedule. (That said, never force or pressure your baby to eat. If they aren’t interested, just take them out of the high chair and move on.)
- At 4 to 6 months, feed your baby two meals, each two to four tablespoons.
- At 7 to 12 months, feed them three meals, each the size of your baby’s fist.
As your baby adjusts to eating solids, know that there may be days when they’re more interested in peas and carrots than in the breast or bottle and, on the flip side, days when all they’ll want to do is nurse. This is all normal as your baby begins to grow more independent. But for now, they still need their normal day’s worth of breast milk or formula.
Baby’s First Foods by Age
There are no hard and fast rules for a baby’s first foods. It’s more important to offer a variety of fruits, vegetables, and meats in any order to get your baby used to different tastes. Here are some suggestions.
4 to 6 months: Single-grain cereals
The level of iron that’s stored in utero drops after birth, and a baby reaches an all-time low at around 9 months. That’s why cereals fortified with iron are an ideal early food. Combine one teaspoon of single-grain cereal with four to five teaspoons of breast milk or formula.
Don’t force your baby to continue eating if they shake their head no, turn away, or refuse to open up after only one mouthful. And if they seem completely uninterested in trying cereal, wait a week or so and try again.
Once your baby is used to swallowing runny cereal, thicken it by using less water or breast milk and more cereal.
4 to 8 months: Pureed veggies, fruits, and meats
You may have heard that eating fruits before vegetables can cause a lifelong preference for sweet foods, but there’s no research to back that up. So it’s up to you to determine whether you begin with bananas or carrots — or pureed chicken for that matter.
The AAP also believes that introducing allergenic foods early can reduce the risk of developing a food allergy, especially if your child is at risk. Common allergenic foods include peanuts, eggs, and dairy
6 to 8 months: Single-ingredient finger foods
Whether you’ve begun with purees or are starting solids with finger foods, many babies enjoy experimenting with self-feeding from an early age. Don’t offer any hard, raw foods (such as apple slices or carrot sticks) at this point. Make sure fruits and veggies are soft enough to mash with gentle pressure between your thumb and forefinger.
The shape matters too. Younger babies will be picking foods up with their whole palms, so a mound of mashed potatoes or a wedge of avocado will be easier to handle than smaller foods. Don’t put salt or sugar in their food — it’s best if your baby learns to like it without the added seasonings.
9 to 12 months: Chopped, ground, or mashed foods
As soon as your child is able, transition them away from smooth purees. Incorporate more finger foods with texture like yogurt, cottage cheese, mashed bananas, and mashed sweet potato. They can also use more iron, so try pureed meats like beef, chicken, and turkey.
Solid foods to avoid
You should avoid giving infants the following foods:
Honey: It can cause Botulism, a serious illness, if introduced too early.
Cow’s milk: Stick with breast milk and formula as a primary beverage until your baby is one year old. It’s fine to use cow’s milk in cooking or baking, though.
Choking hazards. Avoid these choking hazards during your baby’s first year: nuts, seeds, raisins, hard candy, grapes, hard raw vegetables, popcorn, peanut butter, and hot dogs.
Tips for Managing Mealtime
Create a routine. A baby needs focus to eat, so start a routine where you wash their hands, soothe them, and then sit them down to eat. And maintain the calmness by turning off the TV and any loud music. “This will help your baby become conscious of eating and learn to recognize when he’s full.
Prepare for messes. Your baby will likely fling food everywhere, especially if you’re practicing baby-led weaning. This is common and doesn’t necessarily indicate a dislike. “Getting food into his mouth takes coordination and practice for the baby.
Watch out for allergies. To make pinpointing allergies easier, give your child only one new food at a time and wait three or four days before trying another. Keep an eye out for signs of an allergic reaction or intolerance, like a rash, hives, wheezing, difficulty breathing, vomiting, excessive gas, diarrhea, or blood in their stools. Call your pediatrician if you notice any of these symptoms (they can take minutes or days to appear), and go to the ER if the reaction seems serious.
Baby Food Chart for Starting Solids
Take a page from our healthy-from-the-start handbook and take the guesswork out of what foods to introduce, and when. Print it out…and start feeding!
