Best baby foods 7 months

The Best First Foods for Babies 6 to 9 Months – Happiest Baby

By Happiest Baby Staff

You've 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's a great first sign! What's more, if they bring objects to their mouth and show an interest in what you are eating, your curious kiddo might be ready to start eating solid foods.

But what should you feed your baby? Here’s a list of perfect starter foods for your baby from ages 6 to 9 months.

Best Baby Foods at 6 Months

At 6 months, babies may be starting to chew. Though this skill won’t be mastered just yet, they are typically ready to get messy with some mushy, pureed eats—helping them learn about flavor 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 (read up on why you may want to skip 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:

Infant oat, grain, or barley cereals mixed with breastmilk or formula and spoon-fed to your baby
Sweet potato puree
Squash puree
Pea puree
Carrot puree
Mashed banana
Mashed avocado
Mashed or pureed beans
Mashed or pureed lentils
Pureed meats (beef, chicken, or turkey)
Soft, falling apart meats (salmon, beef, chicken, turkey)

Check out more of our favorite first food purees. Or, if purees aren’t your thing, read up on how to start baby-led weaning.

Best Baby Foods at 7 Months

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's fun is by 7 months, you can get more creative with mixing flavors and adding textures.

Here are a few nutritious and delicious food combos to try with your baby:

Peas pureed with breastmilk (or formula), sweet potatoes, or squash
Kale pureed with blueberry, squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, pears, or bananas
Apples pureed with cauliflower, carrots, pears, prunes, or beets
Beef pureed with broccoli
Chicken pureed with carrots and potatoes
Chickpeas pureed with bananas, apples, or sweet potato
Sweet potatoes pureed with red bell pepper

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. Learn more about helping your baby use a fork and spoon!

Best Baby Foods at 8 Months

By 8 months, your baby is likely eating more solids and relying a little less on milk as a primary meal (though it’s still where they get the bulk of their nutrition!). And they’re 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 Dietary Guidelines for Americans says that babies can begin having these foods when they start eating solids. But many families often feel more comfortable waiting to introduce these foods until around this age. Of course, consult with your little one’s pediatrician if you have concerns about potential allergen foods.

Here are some foods to add to your repertoire:

Whole eggs, scrambled
Nut butter thinned out with water and mixed with cereal (nut butters are sticky and can cause choking)
Fully cooked fish, like salmon or tuna
Full-fat yogurt

Here are some preparation ideas:

Well-cooked (think over-cooked until falling apart) pasta such as elbows or alphabet shapes
Mashed meat with mashed or ground vegetables such as peas and potatoes or kale and squash
Rainbow on a plate: Using tiny pieces of soft, strained, pureed, and mashed food options, look for a variety of colors to offer. Some fun options could include banana, avocado, sweet potato, peas, blueberry, raspberry, cheese, and chicken.

Best Baby Foods at 9 Months

Though there’s 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:

Babies need four to five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. A serving size for a 9-month-old is less than a quarter cup.
"Eat the rainbow" is excellent advice because it gives your baby exposure to lots of different fruits, vegetables, grains, and starches.

Here are a few menu ideas to help meal plan for your baby…

Breakfast Ideas for Babies

These morning meals pack a nutritional punch—and don’t forget to check out all of our favorite breakfast ideas for babies:

Soft fresh fruit cut up in small pieces (think: banana, raspberries, or blueberries)
Whole-grain waffles or pancakes
Unsweetened oatmeal made with breastmilk or formula combined with cut-up and cooked apples and pears or banana slices. (It is essential to steam the apples or pears to make them soft enough for your baby to mash with their gums.)
Full-fat yogurt mixed with mashed or pureed berries such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, or raspberries
Soft scrambled eggs
Veggie frittata

Lunch Ideas for Babies

Spread hummus on soft crackers or bread
Grilled cheese sandwich with cooled tomato soup
Macaroni and cheese with cooked veggies like peas and carrots mixed in
Pizza bites with chopped bits of spinach in the sauce and melted shredded cheese
Quesadilla made with pureed spinach, squash, or beans

Snack Ideas for Babies

Babies this young won’t likely need to snack too much (remember, breastmilk or formula will provide the majority of your little one’s nutrition). Still, it’s not a bad idea to have snacks on hand for when your mini muncher needs something to eat that’s not quite a meal. A few baby snack ideas:

Apple and carrot slaw
Cheese slices
Full-fat plain yogurt
Hard-boiled egg
Avocado slices
Muffins made with fruits, veggies, and/or whole grains
Fruit and veggie pouches
Sugar-free, whole-grain cereal, like plain Cheerios

Dinner Ideas for Babies

To help your baby get and stay excited about eating solid foods, serve a version of whatever the family is having for dinner. Remember to steam or mash, grind or chop foods into appropriate softness and sizes to prevent choking. Some baby dinner ideas:

Pasta with softened vegetables
Well-cooked rice, soft veggies, and chicken
Baked sweet potato with butter or cheese
Beans or lentils served with rice and veggies
Flaky fish served with steamed zucchini

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 1 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.

Learn more about feeding your baby:

The Happiest Baby Feeding Guide
The Benefits of Homemade Baby Food
The Best Store-Bought Baby Food

***

REFERENCES

Unlocking Opportunities in Food Design for Infants, Children, and the Elderly: Understanding Milestones in Chewing and Swallowing Across the Lifespan for New Innovations. Journal of Texture Studies, August 2017
Complementary Feeding: A Position Paper by the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) Committee on Nutrition, Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, January 2017
Infant Formula Feeding Practices Associated With Rapid Weight Gain: A Systematic Review, Maternal & Child Nutrition, July 2018
Solid Food Introduction and the Development of Food Allergies, Nutrients, November 2018
US Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025

View more posts tagged, feeding

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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.

Solids, Food Chart And Recipes

This food chart will help ensure that your baby’s solid food diet meets their needs.

Research-backed

MomJunction believes in providing reliable, research-backed information to you. As per our strong editorial policy requirements, we base our health articles on references (citations) taken from authority sites, international journals, and research studies. However, if you find any incongruencies, feel free to write to us.

Image: Shutterstock

If your baby has been transitioning from breastmilk to solid foods, a 7-month-baby food chart can be a helpful guide. During the first six months of life, babies drink breast milk or formula milk to get their complete nutrition. However, after six months, their needs can increase, and it is time to introduce solid foods.

Keeping the transformation slow and introducing foods one by one is essential. Try offering easily digestible, cooked, and mashed food first, then move toward blends. Keep the quantity small and be cautious about choking hazards.

This post provides detailed information on what to feed your 7-month baby and what quantities. It also provides a food chart with some interesting recipes.

How Much Food Should A 7-Month-Baby Eat?

AAP recommends mothers to continue breastfeeding their baby for at least up to 12 months. At seven months, continue to breastfeed your baby while giving them some solid foods. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), following portions of food from different food groups may be included in your seven months old baby’s diet (1) (2).

Food group	Portion size (per day)
Breast milk or formula milk	24 to 32 ounces (oz)
Grain products	1 to 2oz
Fruits	2 to 4oz; cooked, plain/strained/pureed/mashed
Vegetables	2 to 4oz; cooked, plain/strained/pureed/mashed
Meat and protein-rich foods	1 to 2oz; Cooked, plain/strained/pureed/mashed

Food Options For Your Seven Months Old Baby

Traditionally, parents start with single-grain cereals (3) or single vegetable and fruit (blended, mashed or soft cooked). When your baby is around seven to nine months old, you may include a variety of foods from different groups (2) (4).

Food group	Food items
Vegetables	Broccoli, cauliflower, peas, spinach, asparagus, parsnips, peppers, carrots, cabbage, avocado, green beans, kale, and pumpkin
Fruits	Banana, apple, mango, blueberries, kiwi, pears, strawberries, papaya, melon, peach, plums, and oranges.
Starch-rich foods	Potato, sweet potato, rice, porridge, oatmeal, oats, maize, millet, quinoa, cornmeal, and bread
Protein-rich foods	Meat (chicken, lamb, fish without bones), eggs, pulses, lentils, beans, and tofu
Dairy	Pasteurized full-fat yogurt without honey, sugar, and artificial sweeteners) Do not serve milk

Boil and mash hard fruits like apples before serving it to the baby. You may blend fruits and vegetable purees with formula or breast milk. When choosing meat, you can also consider serving meat broth.

All foods should be soft to prevent the risk of choking. Make sure the baby eats slowly and in small portions.

Click here to view an enlarged version of this infographic.

10 Homemade Baby Food Recipes For Your Seven Months Old

You can try these simple nutrient-rich homemade recipes to introduce your child to different flavors and textures of food (5).

1. Steamed apple and pear puree

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

½ apple, peeled and de-seeded
½ pear, peeled

How to:

Cut the apple and pear into wedges or chunks. Put these pieces in a saucepan with water.
Bring the water to boil and let it simmer for about 7-8 minutes. Allow it cool.
You can make a puree and also use them as finger food (if your baby is ready to eat finger food). You can use yogurt as a dressing!

2.

Eggy omelet fingers

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 egg
½ teaspoon oil

How to:

Beat the egg. Cut the onion into small pieces and add it to the egg. Whip them together.
Put oil in a frying pan. Once the pan is hot, add the mixture and let it cook.
Let the omelet cool. Cut it into thin slices, and serve it to the baby.

3. Hot lentil soup

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

Handful of butternut squash peeled
¼ onion peeled and chopped
30 g red lentils
½ tsp oil
Water

How to:

De-seed and cut butternut squash into pieces. Finely chop the onions.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Add all diced vegetables and let them soften.
Then add water and washed/cleaned lentils to the pan. Bring the water to boil and let it simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
Check if vegetables and lentils have cooked. Once cooked, let the mixture cool down and blend it before serving.

4. Berry porridge

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

2 tablespoon porridge oats
¼ banana
Frozen blueberries (you can use fresh blueberries too)
1 tablespoon yogurt
Water

How to:

Add oats and water in a saucepan. Let it cook till the mixture thickens and softens.
Add small pieces or mashed bananas and blueberries as a topping before serving.

5. Tangy chicken fingers

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

Skinless chicken breast
½ lemon juice

How to:

Take skinless chicken breast and slice it into thin medium-sized pieces.
Preheat your oven to 200°C (about 400°F).
Place the chicken slices in a tray and squeeze a few drops of lemon juice on them.
Bake the chicken for 25 minutes. Once baked, you can mince it or give it as finger food.

6. Veggie hotpot

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

½ leek
½ carrot, peeled and cut
1 potato, peeled and cut
1 tablespoon beans, chopped
1 small broccoli
1 teaspoon oil
Water

How to:

Peel and cut carrots and potatoes into small pieces. Cut beans and leeks.
Take a saucepan with water and add leeks, potato, beans, and carrot. Bring it to boil and let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes till all vegetables are cooked.
Once cooked and cooled, blend these vegetables into a puree with pasteurized cream cheese.
In another pan, cook pieces of broccoli in water for 3-4 minutes. Add these as finger food on top of the puree.

7. Pumpkin and thyme puree

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

½ pumpkin peeled and cut
Thyme leaves

How to:

Peel, de-seed, and chop pumpkin into small pieces. Place the pieces on a baking tray.
Preheat oven to 175°C (about 350°F).
Place the pumpkin and bake for 30 minutes. Once cooled, add thyme and blend it in a mixer.

8. Broccoli and spinach puree

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

1 medium-sized broccoli, chopped
5-6 spinach leaves chopped
Water

How to:

Bring water to boil in a pan. Add spinach leaves and broccoli florets. Let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
Once cooled, mash it with a fork or blend it before serving to the baby.

9. Avocado and banana mash

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

½ avocado
1 banana, peeled

How to:

Scoop out avocado and keep it in a pan. Add banana to it and mash.
You can also add formula or breast milk to the mash and blend it before serving.

10.

Root vegetables puree

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

How to:

Place the sweet potato and carrot pieces into a saucepan with water. Bring it to boil and let it simmer for around 10-15 minutes or till the vegetables are soft.
Let the veggies cool down and mash it with a fork or blend before serving.

Seven Months Old Baby Food Chart

You may use this sample food chart for your seven months old baby as a reference (6) (7) (8).

Meal name	Sample meal
Breakfast (morning)	Solid food: ● Iron-fortified infant cereal Liquid: ● Breast milk or formula milk
Snack (late morning)	Solid food: ● Pureed or mashed fruits such as banana, kiwi, strawberries, cooked apple, cooked pear with full-fat plain yogurt (unsweetened). Liquid: · Breast milk or formula milk
Lunch	Solid food: ● Cooked and finely chopped chicken, ● Cooked and mashed vegetables such as pumpkin, sweet potato, spinach, squash, etc. with cooked and mashed rice. Liquid: ● Breast milk or formula milk
Snack (evening)	Solid food: ● Cooked and mashed pear ● Cooked and finely chopped carrots or mashed chickpeas. ● Plain yogurt ● Whole-grain cracker Liquid: ● Breast milk or formula milk
Dinner	Solid food: ● Cooked and finely chopped green beans or other cooked vegetables. Liquid: ● Breast milk or formula milk

Start with one or two tablespoons of food and see if your baby shows signs of being hungry or full. Remember, their bellies are small! You can alternate between solid food and liquids, depending on your baby’s hunger cues.

Try including a variety of colorful foods and textures in the baby’s diet. You can also slowly start introducing finger foods by the end of seven months to develop a habit of self-feeding (6).

Seven Months Old Baby Food Schedule

According to World Health Organization (WHO), complementary foods (food items apart from breast milk) can be given to babies (six to eight months old) up to two to three times per day (9). In addition, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you should give your baby something to drink or eat every two to three hours, that is, about five to six times a day (10).

Tips and Precautions For Feeding A Seven Months Old Baby

These are a few points you should consider when feeding your little one (1) (11).

Introduce one single ingredient at a time. Give the food item for three to five days, during which do not give any other new food. Observe the baby for any sign of an allergy.

Gradually increase the variety and quantity of food ingredients; start with a teaspoon and then move to a tablespoon.

You can also try to give finger foods if your baby seems ready. Your baby may start to grasp items with fingers when they are ready for finger foods. Make sure you are present when your baby is eating, to avoid any choking hazards.

Wash, peel, and remove seeds and pits before giving fruits and vegetables to your baby.

Use a spoon to feed your baby. Make sure your baby sits in a high chair with a table when feeding.

Observe and respond to your baby’s hunger cues. Try to develop a predictable routine of all meals and snacks for your baby and limit the time of each meal from 15 to 20 minutes.

Avoid added salt, sugar, and butter when making baby food at home. In addition, avoid cow’s milk and honey until your baby is at least 12 months old.

How to Know When a Baby Is Ready for Solid Food?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the following points could indicate that the baby is ready for solid food (3).

Has good head control.
Can sit upright in a high chair or a feeding seat (with no or little support).
Tries to reach out (leans forward) for solid food.
Opens mouth and seems eager to eat solid food when offered.
Their fingers are able to grasp items, this is a sign that they are ready for solid/ finger foods.

According to UNICEF, delaying the introduction of solid foods may affect a baby’s healthy weight gain (12). So, encourage your baby to eat solids as soon as they show signs of readiness. A 7-month-old baby’s food chart can include various healthy foods, such as grains, pulses, meat, fish, poultry, fruits, and vegetables. With continued breastfeeding or formula feeding, babies can consume these foods in well-cooked puree or mash form.

They can also consume age-appropriate finger foods if they show signs of readiness. Feed them nutritious foods and drinks every two to three hours to support their proper growth and development. If the baby eats lesser than usual on some days, refrain from force-feeding. Remember, the main source of nourishment even for a seven-month-old is breast milk or formula. They can have solids but in small quantities, as they need time to adjust to weaning food’s taste, texture, and digestibility.

References:

MomJunction's articles are written after analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You can learn more about the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.

1. Guidelines for feeding healthy infants; The United States Department Of Agriculture. (2017)
2. Healthy Eating for 6 to 24 month old children (1) Getting Started; Family Health Service, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. (2019)
3. Starting Solid Foods; American Academy of Pediatrics. (2018)
4. What to feed your baby; National Health Service, UK
5. Recipes and meal ideas; National Health Service, UK
6. Menu planning for babies in childcare; Health Eating and Advisory Service
7. Feeding Your Baby: Sample Meals for Babies 6- 12 Months Old; HealthLinkBC. (2014)
8. Sample Meal Plans for Feeding Your Baby; UnlockFood.Ca. Dietitians of Canada. (2019)
9. What is the recommended food for children in their very early years?; World Health Organization (2011)
10. How much and how often to feed; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018)
11. Feeding Guide for the First Year; Stanford Children’s Health
12. Feeding your baby: When to start with solid foods; UNICEF Parenting

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Reviewer
Author

Swati Patwal is a clinical nutritionist, a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) and a toddler mom with over eight years of experience in diverse fields of nutrition. She started her career as a CSR project coordinator for a healthy eating and active lifestyle project catering to school children. Then she worked as a nutrition faculty and clinical nutrition coach in different... more

Charmaine Dominguez is a plant-based online dietitian nutritionist. She has her own online nutrition practice. Charmaine is currently living in LA, California in the US, and pursuing Masters of Public Health at California State University, Long Beach. She has completed her Bachelor in Nutrition and Dietetics at California State University, Long Beach. Charmaine is passionate about helping others regain control... more

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Baby food: the best foods for babies | Types of products for children

Not all mothers and fathers know what applies to baby food and when they can be offered to the baby. In the practice of doctors, there are many cases when a baby of 3-4 months is already given cow's milk, and vice versa - at the age of 8-9 months, meat puree is still not introduced into the diet.

According to the WHO, it is recommended that complementary foods be introduced when the baby is 4-6 months old and should be done while breastfeeding continues. Complementary foods are understood to mean all liquid and solid foods that are offered to the baby - with the exception of breast milk itself and infant formula. In the Russian Federation, the introduction of complementary foods from 4-6 months is recommended.

In this article we will look at what kind of baby food is best for babies, what is recommended to use to expand the menu, how to choose and in what sequence to introduce foods into the diet of a child of the first year of life.

Choose foods for the first feeding

Kashi

Kashi is the best baby food for the first feeding of babies. They are made from cereals, contain a lot of carbohydrates, which give the baby energy for growth and development, and fiber, which contributes to comfortable digestion. This natural and healthy baby food is also a good source of vegetable proteins and fats. All Nestlé® baby cereals are additionally enriched with the Iron+ trace element complex, thanks to which the baby receives iron and other minerals from food.

Dairy-free, gluten-free, hypoallergenic cereals - buckwheat, corn - should become the first cereal-based baby products. Then the baby's diet can be expanded and other cereals can be introduced:

Dairy cereals from gluten-free cereals - for example, buckwheat porridge with dried apricots, rice porridge with apple.
Cereals from cereals containing gluten - oatmeal, wheat.
Porridge from a mixture of cereals - multi-grain porridge with pear and peach, banana and strawberry pieces.

Nestle® Kashi is an easy-to-use dry baby food. Just take the right amount of porridge and dilute it with breast milk or water - it's very easy. You can prepare a very tiny portion, which is important when the baby first meets a new product.

Important!

Complementary foods always start with small portions. If your baby is trying porridge for the first time, offer him no more than one teaspoon. Watch out for reactions; if everything is in order - the next day increase the portion to two teaspoons. With good tolerance, gradually, within 5-7 days, bring the serving volume to the age norm. If, in response to the introduction of porridge, the child develops a rash on the skin, the nature of the stool changes, he becomes restless - do not give this product yet. It will be possible to try again to introduce it into the diet in a month.

Meat

Meat purees occupy a special place among baby foods. They are rich in protein, contain B vitamins, zinc, magnesium, and, most importantly, a lot of well-absorbed heme iron. By six months, the baby's iron stores are depleted, and a reliable source of this element should appear in his diet.

Meat is introduced into the diet as homogenized baby food. It is recommended to start with mashed light white meat - rabbit or turkey - they have the highest iron content. Then the menu includes more nutrient-dense meats: veal and beef.

Vegetables

Vegetables contain carbohydrates, organic acids, fiber, pectin, various vitamins and minerals. Some of them, such as carrots and pumpkins, literally scream with their orange color about the large amount of beta-carotene, a provitamin from which the body produces vitamin A.

Puree is the ideal consistency for introducing crumbs to vegetables. Therefore, for children aged 4-6 months, all baby food should be homogenized. Pieces of food appear on the menu of the child closer to the year - and then very small.

For the first vegetable weaning, mashed marrows, broccoli, cauliflower are recommended. As your baby becomes familiar with simple foods, you can move on to purees with sophisticated flavor combinations, such as cauliflower and potatoes.

Note

There is a rule: one day - one new product. If you introduced mashed broccoli into your child's diet today, do not offer other new dishes yet.

Egg

Egg is not a first food product. Egg yolk can be included in baby food immediately after the first cereals and mashed potatoes, from 7 months. The yolks contain a lot of easily digestible proteins and fats, vitamin A and phosphorus. Choline is especially important - it favorably affects the development of the nervous system.

Fruits

Fruits are not only healthy, but also very tasty, because they contain a lot of natural sugars. They are also rich in vitamins and minerals, organic acids (citric, malic and others), fiber, which contributes to the comfortable functioning of the intestines. Baby fruit products are recommended to be introduced after the first feeding. It is better to start with fruits traditional for our country - apples or pears.

Some mothers think that natural baby food from fruits can only be prepared at home. Actually it is not. Factory products - the best companies involved in the production of baby food, carefully test raw materials for the absence of heavy metals, traces of fertilizers and other harmful impurities, and are also responsible for the proportions of nutrients declared on the packaging. It is impossible to achieve this at home.

Fruit juices

Fruit juices are one of the popular liquid baby food options. They are similar in vitamin and mineral composition to fruit puree (especially juices with pulp) - they contain potassium, iron, vitamin C and many other useful substances. And, of course, juices are a pleasant delicacy that kids really like and greatly expands the palette of baby food flavors.

Juices are introduced into complementary foods simultaneously with fruit puree and according to the same scheme. It is advisable to start with simple drinks from one fruit - for example, an apple or a pear, and only then indulge the crumbs with complex cocktails - such as a mixture of apple, grape and rosehip juices.

Fish

Like meat, fish in baby food will become a source of protein, B vitamins and other trace elements. In addition, it contains polyunsaturated fatty acids that are important for growth and development, which the child's body is not able to synthesize on its own in the right amount.

Babies can be offered fish from 8–9 months, replacing meat with it 1–2 times a week. When introducing fish, you need to remember that children have intolerance to this product. If fish feeding has led to allergies or other undesirable consequences, temporarily exclude fish from the diet and be sure to consult a specialist. It will help you choose the right foods for your baby.

Dairy products

Many parents in Russia believe that cow's milk is the best baby food, and this misconception is actively supported by the older generation. Don't believe it: whole cow's milk does more harm than good to babies and can cause digestive problems. In addition, milk contributes to too rapid weight gain, which in the future increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and other diseases.

Instead of cow's milk, the following types of solid and liquid baby food are recommended for babies under 3 years of age:

Children's products containing milk in small quantities - such as industrial milk porridges.
Special for children after one year.
Fermented milk products - special adapted drinks.
Low-fat cottage cheese.

Water

In the first months of life, the baby receives the necessary amount of water from breast milk. However, as an independent product, water appears in the baby's diet almost simultaneously with the first complementary foods. It is used for breeding dry baby food - dairy-free and milk porridges, as well as just for drinking.

The choice of water must be approached responsibly. Pediatricians recommend buying a baby special bottled water for baby food. It is manufactured in compliance with strict bacteriological standards, does not contain radioactive and harmful chemical impurities, and is characterized by low mineralization. For parents, this water is convenient because it does not need to be boiled - but only if used within a day after opening the package.

Herbal teas

There are now quite a few herbal teas made specifically for baby food. They contain medicinal herbs and fruits - fennel, mint, anise, chamomile, rose hips, raspberries and others.

Sometimes berries, fruits, natural sugars are added to children's tea - this way the drink becomes more attractive for a little gourmet.

These children's products are a natural pharmacy that provides the baby with a complex of useful substances. However, some active components of herbal drinks can cause allergies, so teas should be introduced into the baby's diet with extreme caution.

Consult your paediatrician before starting complementary foods. A doctor who has been observing your child since birth will tell you what foods will benefit him, where to start getting acquainted with new dishes, and what points you should pay attention to.

1. National program for optimizing the feeding of children in the first year of life in the Russian Federation. Union of Pediatricians of Russia. Moscow 2019.
2. Feeding and nutrition of infants and young children. Guidelines for the WHO European Region with a special focus on the republics of the former Soviet Union.
3. Safina, A.I. Modern approaches to the nutrition of children from one year to three years old / A.I. Safina // Bulletin of modern clinical medicine. - 2016. - T. 9, issue. 2. - P. 77-85.
4. Infant and young child nutrition. WHO Newsletter.

Obstetrician-gynecologist (Southern State Medical University, Faculty of Pediatrics, specialization at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology)

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Goods with a quality mark

Black list

The ideal baby food up to 6 months is breast milk, but if it is not possible to feed the baby with mother's milk, then mixtures that are sold in stores come to the rescue. When choosing a ready-made mixture, follow the rule: the closer the mixture is to breast milk in composition, the better.
All formulas are thoroughly tested before entering the store, so they are all safe, which cannot be said about homemade food. But their price may differ, depending on how high-quality and modern the mixture is.
More modern formulas usually contain components whose benefits have only recently been proven by science (for example, lutein). But this does not mean that traditional mixtures that do not contain this substance should be abandoned.
From 6-7 months, the baby begins to receive complementary foods, and by 8-9 months, the proportion of mixtures in the child's diet is reduced to 50%, and the rest falls on fruit and vegetable puree, dairy-free cereals from ground cereals that do not contain gluten. At the second stage of complementary foods, meat puree can be introduced into the diet. It is not recommended to give juices to children under 1.5 years old.
Children under 1 year of age should not drink tea. It is better to boil baby water before drinking.
Starting from the age of 1, the baby can eat cottage cheese and other unsweetened fermented milk products. You need to be careful with yogurt: it may contain sugar, which is not recommended for children at this age. Kefir should be excluded from the diet of preschoolers, as it is highly acidic and may contain alcohol. Powdered milk for a baby can only be used as part of baking or in case of emergency.
Sugar and salt are generally recommended to be excluded from the baby's menu until at least 3 years old.