BABY
The Best First Foods for Babies 6 to 9 Months
What should you feed your baby? Here is a list of perfect starter foods for your baby from ages 6 to 9 months.
Written by
Happiest Baby Staff
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BABY
Written by
Happiest Baby Staff
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You have spent the first six months of your baby's life making sure that they are nourished with breastmilk or formula. As they grow and thrive, you might notice that your little sprout shows you some signs that they are ready to graduate from the bottle or breast to solid foods. If your baby can sit up and hold their head up, that is a great first sign! If they bring objects to their mouth and show an interest in what you are eating, your curious child might be ready to begin eating solid foods.
But what should you feed your baby? Here is a list of perfect starter foods for your baby from 6 to 9 months of age.
At 6 months, babies may be starting to chew. Though this skill will not be mastered just yet, they are typically ready to get messy with some mushy, pureed eats—helping them learn about flavour and texture. At this age, the goal is not to satiate your baby with full meals of solid foods but rather to get your child curious and excited about their culinary options.
Because babies are growing so fast, their needs for iron are high to prevent iron-deficiency and support their overall health. Offer your little one iron rich foods like infant cereal (avoid rice cereal), well-cooked meat, poultry, mashed beans, and lentils. To keep your baby safe from choking, avoid adding solids like cereal to baby bottles.
Here are some great first foods for Baby to try:
By 7 months old, your baby will probably be eating more solids but not enough to replace breastmilk or formula as their primary source of food. The goal for this month is to keep introducing solid foods to your baby. What is fun is that by 7 months, it is safe to begin mixing flavours.
Here are a few nutritious and delicious food combos to try with your baby:
Seven months is also the perfect age to start giving your baby a plate, bowl, and plastic utensils so they can begin to practice feeding themselves. If your baby is teething, you can place frozen chunks of fruit in a sieve feeder/mesh bag that allows them to gnaw on the fruit without choking.
By 8 months, your baby is likely eating more solids and relying a little less on milk as a primary meal (though it is still where they get the bulk of their nutrition!). And they are probably having lots of fun learning how to use their hands to feed themselves. Something else to consider: Babies should be exposed to potential allergen foods (like peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and fish) before their first birthdays to help prevent future food allergies. Starting at 6 months of age, peanut butter is safe to introduce as long as you are comfortable giving it to your baby.
In fact, the Anaphylaxis Campaign says that babies can begin having these foods from as young as three months of age. Of course, consult with your little one’s paediatrician if you have concerns about potential allergen foods.
Here are some foods to add to your repertoire:
Here are some preparation ideas:
Though there is a greater variety of foods babies eat now, formula or breastmilk continues to be their primary source of nutrition until age 1. At 9 months old, babies get more comfortable with self-feeding and eating the foods their families enjoy. After all, eating solid foods is a sensory wonderland of texture, smells, and tastes. Not to mention all that fun making messes with those adorably curious fingers.
As you begin to focus on meal planning for your baby, there are few things to keep in mind:
Here are a few menu ideas to help meal plan for your baby:
Breakfast
Lunch
Snacks
Dinner
There are endless variations on what you can serve your baby for dinner; as long as your baby is safe and happy, try to encourage lots of food exploration!
You must not feed any child under the age of one year honey, cow’s milk, juice, hard foods like candy, raw vegetables, popcorn, or sticky foods like peanut butter, as these each present choking hazards.
Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider. Breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for babies. It is important that, in preparation for and during breastfeeding, mothers eat a healthy, balanced diet. Combined breast- and bottle-feeding in the first weeks of life may reduce the supply of a mother's breastmilk and reversing the decision not to breastfeed is difficult. If you do decide to use infant formula, you should follow instructions carefully.
