Feeding your baby from 6-9 months
By the time your baby reaches six months, he may well have doubled his birth weight and be having four milk feeds and two-three solid meals plus snacks a day.
Most babies start becoming used to a variety of solid foods, particularly infant cereal, fruit, and vegetables around this age. You may find your baby isn’t quite so keen on meat at first, but fortunately he doesn’t need a lot – around 1oz a day is enough. Tofu or pulses such as lentils, beans or chickpeas are also packed with protein and your baby might prefer the taste and texture of them.
You should still be breastfeeding or bottle-feeding your baby with iron-fortified infant formula, and continue to do so until he reaches a year.
If your baby is gnawing anything he can get his sticky little mitts on, it’s more than likely a sign that he’s getting ready to teethe.
Feeding routine
A typical feeding routine for a 6-9 month old might be:
6.30am - breast/bottle feed (210-240ml/7-8oz)
8am – breakfast: stewed or soft fruit and yoghurt, toast fingers, breakfast cereal. Only give your baby breakfast cereal that is labelled as being suitable for babies. Many adult breakfast cereals have a high salt content which could be dangerous for infants.
8.30am - breast/bottle feed
12pm - lunch: finely chopped vegetables, beans, lentils or tofu; minced pasta/rice with fresh tomato sauce; scrambled egg yolks (NB: only serve your baby eggs yolks – egg whites contain potential allergens. If there is a history of allergy in the family, delay the introduction of eggs until after the age of one).
12.30pm - breast/bottle feed.
5pm - dinner: e.g. finely chopped moist chicken or fish (with all bones removed) served with mashed vegetables; custard and stewed/soft fruit.
7pm - breast/bottle feed.
Your baby needs to develop his chewing skills, so you shouldn’t be pureeing food by this stage but mashing it instead with a fork or dicing it finely so it has a coarser texture.
Always give your baby full-fat as opposed to low-fat dairy products (cheese, yoghurt etc). Babies need the fat for brain development.
Finger foods
At around 7-8 months your baby will start to pick things up with his thumb and finger and transfer them from one hand to another. Once he has reached this stage, it is a good idea to encourage him to start feeding himself by offering finger foods as snacks. These can include: toasted bread, roti, naan or bagels, bite-sized pieces of cheese, bite-sized pieces of fruit, tiny sandwiches filled with soft cheese or mashed banana, cubes of tofu. It will be rather a messy experience to begin with so you may want to cover the floor and table with plastic to minimise the mess.
Commercial food
If you buy jars of baby food, there are a few things to keep in mind:
• Always read the labels to avoid unnecessary ingredients like starch and sugar, and remember that the first ingredient on any food label is the one that it contains in the largest amount.
• When you open a jar of baby food, listen for a popping sound which shows that it has been sealed correctly and remained sealed until you opened it. If it does not make this sound, return to the shop or manufacturer.
• Opened jars of baby food can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
Drinks
Water is by far the healthiest and purest drink you can offer your baby. Now that he is weaned, offer water whenever he is thirsty but not due a feed. Stick to water as your baby’s main drink for as long as you can because once your baby tastes juice, the sad fact is he will never look at water in the same light.
Although a good form of Vitamin C, fruit juice can reduce your baby’s appetite for milk. Fruit juice also contains natural sugars and acids which can cause tooth decay. For these reasons, it's best to try and hold off giving your baby juice until he is at least a year old.
If you do want to give juice, or perhaps are advised to do so by your medical practitioner in order to maximise your baby’s Vitamin C levels, always dilute one part juice with a minimum three parts cooled, boiled water. Serve juice in a cup, never a bottle, to minimise the risk of tooth decay.
The following drinks should never be given to babies: juice drinks that are not pure fruit juice, fizzy drinks, sugary drinks and squashes, diet drinks, 'low-calorie' and 'no added sugar' drinks, flavoured milks and flavoured waters, tea, coffee, herbal drinks.
The information on this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.
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Last Modified: 16/07/2008