Feed nine month old baby
What and When Can Babies Eat at 9 Months?
What food is healthy for a nine-month-old?
A nine-month-old baby is growing rapidly, and complex brain development is taking place. A well-balanced, nutritional diet that fills their belly is critical at this time. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a nine-month-old should be eating a wide variety of foods. If babies are eating cereal, it should be fortified. This will provide the nutrients that they need.
It’s great to include a rainbow of foods in a nine-month-old’s diet. Their food should be colorful, fresh, and tantalizing. Encourage them to try fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and meats. Wait until they have turned one year old before introducing honey, as it may contain the bacteria that can cause botulism. Along the same lines, unpasteurized drinks or foods can contain E. coli and cause severe intestinal problems.
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What solid foods can a baby eat?
Food for 9-month-olds can be tricky. Many babies at this age are ready to try eating food with their hands. Finger food should be small and soft enough to pick up easily and chew without risk of choking.
At this age, babies’ chewing abilities haven’t yet fully matured. They may not use their teeth yet, instead using their tongue to mash up their food. Some safe options for nine-month-old babies include:
- Soft fruits (e.g., bananas and peaches)
- Bread (without the crust)
- Dry cereal
- Avocado
- Peas
- Green beans and cooked beans
- Tofu
- Meat and fish
- Sweet potato
- Pasta
When offering nine-month-old babies food (especially finger food), size is important. Pieces should be large enough to pick up but small enough that the baby won’t choke. Try to aim for cubes about a third of an inch in size. This is just a little bit bigger than a standard pea.
How much should a 9-month-old eat?
A nine-month-old feeding schedule is not much different than when they were first born.
They are still on an on-demand schedule. This basically means that parents should look for signs indicating when the baby is hungry and when they’re full. They might eat a different combination of solid foods, breast milk, and formula every day, depending on their mood.
How much formula is good for a nine-month-old?
Babies at nine months old still require breast milk and/or formula every day as part of their regular diet. Breast milk and formula contain high levels of nutrients that are necessary for proper growth. Cow milk can be introduced when babies get a bit older.
Babies should eat at least five to six times per day to meet their nutritional requirements. As they begin to eat more solid foods, the amount of formula or breast milk needed will likely decrease in frequency and amount.
Sample menu for a nine-month-old baby
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests the following menu and feeding schedule for 9-month-old babies.
Breakfast
¼–½ cup cereal or mashed egg
¼–½ cup fruit, diced (if the child is self-feeding)
4–6 ounces formula or breast milk
Snack
4–6 ounces breast milk, formula, or water
¼ cup diced cheese or cooked vegetables
Lunch
¼–½ cup yogurt, cottage cheese, or meat
¼–½ cup yellow or orange vegetables
4–6 ounces formula or breast milk
Snack
One teething biscuit or cracker
¼ cup yogurt or diced fruit
Water
Dinner
¼ cup diced poultry, meat, or tofu
¼–½ cup green vegetables
¼ cup noodles, pasta, rice, or potatoes
¼ cup fruit
4–6 ounces formula or breast milk
Before bedtime
6–8 ounces formula, breast milk, or water
A nine-month-old baby’s nutritional needs aren’t much different from the nutrients that adults need too.
Over the course of a day, offer a 9-month-old foods of different colors. Here are some colorful examples:
- Green — green beans, peas, spinach, zucchini, and asparagus
- Orange — cantaloupe and sweet potatoes
- Yellow — peppers, squash, and bananas
- Red, blue, and purple — beans, cooked tomatoes, red peppers, and smashed berries
These different foods can also be a great diet for new parents to follow when breastfeeding and trying to get back in shape after delivery. This is an exciting time for parents and babies. It’s fun to watch babies explore new things, including textures and tastes.
9-Month-Old Baby’s Food: Charts, Menu, and Ideas
Read this article to learn more about the best foods for 9-month-old babies.
What are the best foods for a 9-month-old baby?
It might seem like your baby was a newborn only yesterday, but at 9 months old, they’re developing their own temperament and preferences. Your baby might try the foods that you put on their plate, but they’ll quickly form an opinion and decide which they like and which they don’t.
Most 9-month-old babies are probably partially weaned off breast milk. Many parents choose to continue to nurse their babies once they’ve started to eat solid foods. The process of stopping breastfeeding usually starts when a baby is approximately 6 months old. As they get older, you can introduce new foods to their diet.
From 9 to 12 months old, your baby needs approximately 750–900 calories every day. Between 400 and 500 of those calories should come from breast milk or formula.
The remaining calories will come from food. Don’t introduce cow milk until your baby is at least a year old. Before that, their digestive systems aren’t prepared to digest cow milk properly.
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Here are some of the best baby foods for 9-month-olds:
- Non-citrus fruits — Fruits are a great way to provide a sweet snack for your baby without any added sugar. For now, stay away from citrus and stick to fruits like apples, pears, mango, papaya, bananas, and peaches.
- Oatmeal — Oats are packed with fiber and minerals, which can do wonders for your baby’s digestion.
- Bread — As long as your baby doesn’t have any food allergies, you can give them bread. Try to give them whole grain bread, since it’s more nutritious than white bread.
- Vegetables — Your 9-month-old baby can eat vegetables prepared many different ways. From pureed carrots or roasted cauliflower to fresh leafy greens, offer your baby different vegetables to see what they like best.
- Tofu — Tofu is full of protein, healthy fats, iron, and zinc. Lots of babies like it since it has such a mild flavor.
- Egg yolks — Egg whites are potentially allergenic, so most health care providers recommend waiting until your baby is a year old to introduce them. However, at 9 months old, your baby can try egg yolks. Make sure that you cook the yolks thoroughly.
- Lean meats — Even though your baby gets protein and iron from breastmilk or formula, you can start adding other sources of protein into their diet.
If your family eats meat, lean red meat, chicken breasts, and fish are great options. Remember to cook any meat thoroughly and cut it into small pieces so that your baby can eat it easily. - Cheese and yogurt — Your baby shouldn’t have cow milk yet, but they can start eating сheese and yogurt. These are great foods for 9-month-olds, since they’re full of calcium, and most babies love them. Stick to soft, pasteurized cheeses such as cottage cheese and natural yogurt without artificial flavorings.
- Nut butters — Health care providers used to advise avoiding nuts during infancy because they were believed to be allergenic. However, experts now agree that nuts are safe for babies older than 6 months old, as long as they haven’t shown signs of allergies to other foods. Nut butters are packed with protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.
- Beans — Beans and lentils provide lots of protein, iron, and minerals. You can puree them or mix them with rice to create a balanced meal for your baby.
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9-month-old baby’s food menu
When offering 9-month-old babies food (especially finger food), size is important. Pieces should be large enough to pick up, but small enough that your baby won’t choke. Try to aim for cubes about a third of an inch in size. This is just a little bit bigger than a standard pea.
Here are some ideas for a healthy, balanced menu for your 9-month-old baby:
Breakfast:
- Cheese sandwich
- Oats with yogurt and fruit
- Egg yolk scramble with bread
Lunch (non-vegetarian options):
- Meat and vegetables
- Creamy chicken soup
- Pasta with meat or chicken
- Beans and rice
Dinner:
- Tofu and vegetables
- Mashed potatoes and cheese
- Macaroni and cheese
Snacks:
- Yogurt parfait
- Peanut butter and fruits
Remember that your baby still needs formula or breast milk.
If you’re trying to get your baby used to an eating schedule, store your breastmilk and feed it to your baby when they wake up, right before bed, or between meals.
Quick ideas for 9-month-old babies
- Sandwiches — Sandwiches are easily customizable to your baby’s taste. You can try all kinds of ingredients such as cottage cheese, chicken, avocado, vegetables, peanut butter, and fruits.
- Pasta — Your baby can eat pasta now, so you can try creating one of your favorite pasta dishes for your baby.
- Fruit smoothies — Mix some yogurt with your baby’s favorite fruits and vegetables for a quick, easy, and delicious snack! But make sure the yogurt is low on sugar and artificial sweeteners.
9-month-old baby’s food advice
Try to avoid fried foods, sugary drinks, and processed foods, which should be offered very sparingly due to their low nutritional value. Scientific studies have shown that babies can become accustomed to unhealthy foods like french fries, salty snacks, and sugary sweets from a very young age.
As you introduce your baby to new foods, remember to be patient and provide lots of options. Once your baby discovers there’s a whole world of delicious new foods waiting for them, they’ll love exploring all the flavors and textures that are out there!
Baby menu at 9 months
6-12 months
Article
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Although breast milk or formula remains the mainstay of infant nutrition at this age, a 9-month-old baby's menu becomes more varied with new complementary foods. The correct diet of the child is the basis of his harmonious development, good health and good mood. But how to organize a diet, what can be given at this age and how much should a child eat at one meal?
8 min. for reading Feb.
17, 2022
The correct diet for a nine-month-old baby includes 5 meals: a day the baby receives liquid food twice and thick food three times. This is due to the fact that mashed potatoes and cereals take longer to digest than milk, so they give the baby a longer energy supply. Feeding is usually carried out at intervals of 4 hours. If the baby asks to eat 2-3 hours after liquid food, offer her a baby snack, fruit or vegetable (in small pieces or in the form of a puree).
A 9-month-old baby's daily diet includes many healthy foods and drinks that provide essential nutrients such as vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, fats and minerals. In addition to milk and infant formula, the following foods can be given to a child:
- Fruits and vegetables in the form of puree (apple, pear, cauliflower, etc.)
- Fruit juices and compotes without sugar.
- Meat in various forms.
- Fish.
- Kashi from various cereals.
- Chicken or quail egg yolk.
- Children's fresh cottage cheese.
- Children's low-fat kefir.
- Children's cookies, croutons, bread.
Read also: The baby refuses new products
According to WHO recommendations, by the 9th month, all of the above products should already be on the menu. If something from the food is still unfamiliar to your child, it is recommended to gradually add it to the diet.
Start with smaller portions and see how your child reacts to the new food. If there is no allergic reaction to the product, you can increase the volume and add it to new dishes. New complementary foods are recommended to be introduced at intervals of 5-7 days. An indicative table for one day will help to create an optimal diet for health. It also shows how much formula or milk the baby should eat per day.
* infant formula.
**Dairy-free porridge should be diluted with breast milk or infant formula given to the baby. Milk porridge is diluted with water.
| I feeding 6 hours | Breast milk or formula for infants with cow's milk protein intolerance | 200 ml |
| II feeding 10 hours | Dairy-free porridge* | 180 g |
| Vegetable oil < | about 1 tsp | |
| Fruit puree (apple, pear) | 70 g | |
| III feeding 14 hours | Vegetable puree or pureed soup | 180 g |
| Vegetable oil | about 1 tsp. | |
| Meat puree (rabbit, turkey) | 50 g | |
| Fruit juice | 70 g | |
| IV feeding 18 hours | Fruit puree | 50 g |
| Vegetable puree or dairy-free porridge | 180 g | |
| Vegetable oil | about 1 tsp. | |
| Meat puree | 50 g | |
| V feeding 22 hours | Breast milk or formula for infants with cow's milk protein intolerance | 200 ml |
*dairy-free porridge should be diluted with breast milk or it is safe for children with allergies to cow's milk proteins.
** you can eat porridge or vegetables, so you can eat grass - porridge with vegetables.
1st day
| First breakfast | Breast milk or formula |
| Second breakfast | Buckwheat porridge with pumpkin, juice |
| Lunch | Pumpkin steam cutlets, veal puree |
| Snack | Rusks or baby biscuits, yoghurt |
| Dinner | Cauliflower puree |
| Second dinner | Breast milk or formula |
2nd day
| First breakfast | Breast milk or formula |
| Second breakfast | Oatmeal, berry juice |
| Lunch | Steamed fish, rice, fruit compote |
| Snack | Vegetable puree |
| Dinner | Vegetable puree |
| Second dinner | Breast milk or formula |
3rd day
| First breakfast | Breast milk or formula |
| Second breakfast | Semolina porridge, quail egg yolk |
| Lunch | Steamed zucchini, boiled veal, apple compote |
| Snack | Pumpkin and apple puree |
| Dinner | Curd casserole with carrots |
| Second dinner | Breast milk or formula |
Fourth day
| First breakfast | Breast milk or formula |
| Second breakfast | Rice porridge, fruit puree |
| Lunch | Mashed potatoes or turkey meatball soup |
| Snack | Carrot Apple Juice |
| Dinner | Kefir |
| Second dinner | Breast milk or formula |
5th day
| First breakfast | Breast milk or formula |
| Second breakfast | Oatmeal and apple puree |
| Lunch | Cream soup with chicken and vegetables |
| Snack | Carrot juice |
| Dinner | Cauliflower puree, crackers or bread |
| Second dinner | Breast milk or formula |
6.
Sixth day | First breakfast | Breast milk or formula |
| Second breakfast | Rice porridge, half yolk (chicken egg) |
| Lunch | Vegetable soup with chicken breast, juice |
| Snack | Baked apple |
| Dinner | Spinach mashed potatoes |
| Second dinner | Breast milk or formula |
Seventh day
| First breakfast | Breast milk or formula |
| Second breakfast | Millet porridge, croutons |
| Lunch | Steamed chicken cutlets, vegetable puree |
| Snack | Apple juice |
| Dinner | Curd with fruits |
| Second dinner | Breast milk or formula |
Parents need to gradually accustom the child to eating solid foods, because now he is moving to a new level of development: more teeth appear, so the baby can now chew food.
If this is not done in a timely manner, a baby may refuse solid food in a year. Changing the consistency of dishes favorably affects the development of the digestive system.
No need to grind fish and potatoes in a blender - just put the food on a plate and mash well with a fork. Meat can be offered in the form of meatballs to develop chewing skills. It can be turkey, rabbit, veal, beef, chicken. The norm of meat for one meal is 60-70 g.
It is quite normal if at first large pieces in a dish cause discontent in a child or even a gag reflex - he will soon get used to it. Sometimes it happens the other way around - the baby willingly tries the pieces, but refuses pureed food. Treat your baby with apple slices, bread, crackers or baby snacks. But the meat is still better to grind thoroughly.
At this age, consumption of mother's milk or adapted formula decreases. There are only two feedings per day - in the morning and in the evening. Everything else is "adult" food.
Ideally, the baby should sleep through the night and get up at 06:00-07:00. If the little one wakes up at night, it is already possible to gradually wean him from feeding at night (provided that he is gaining weight normally). You can consult with your pediatrician about this.
Please note that uneaten food (already cooked) must not be stored and reheated. It is also not recommended to add sugar and salt to the dish.
If you give your child ready-made baby puree, we recommend that you do not feed him immediately from a jar, but pour the right amount onto a plate. In this case, the rest can be stored in the refrigerator for another 24 hours.
Find out more: Baby Portion
Pay attention to the quality of food you cook: appearance, smell and expiration date. It is better to use seasonal vegetables and fruits, and shop in trusted places.
Wash food thoroughly under running water before cooking. You can also use special children's products for washing fruits and vegetables.
All products must be brought to full readiness, and then thoroughly crushed to the desired consistency, so that the baby can comfortably chew small pieces. After eating, wash the dishes with a special detergent.
How to properly feed a 9-month-old baby if he refuses food and does not eat the foods you suggest?
Poor appetite is one of the indicators of a baby's health. The problem may concern the digestive tract, glucose levels, central nervous system. The feeling of hunger appears when the level of sugar in the blood decreases. But for this you need to take breaks between meals. Also, the smell of food affects the appetite - it causes the release of gastric juice.
How to regain your appetite:
- observe the diet;
- develop a delicious menu for a baby at 9 months;
- Serve dishes beautifully and set the table;
- ventilate the room before eating;
- let your baby use cutlery.
See also: The baby does not eat well, how to feed?
In order for the baby to eat willingly, he must be in a good mood.
Try to avoid stressful and nervous situations, feed him in a calm, comfortable atmosphere.
If the baby refuses to eat or eats very slowly, do not rush or force him to eat. Also, do not force the little one to eat foods that he refuses. Otherwise, in the future, he will have a negative attitude towards the feeding process, refuse to eat any food at all. He can even feel sick and vomit only with one kind of food.
Important
Games and cartoons during meals do not really improve appetite. On the contrary, in this way you only teach the baby to eat without noticing the dishes.
With the help of our tips, you can create a menu for a child at 9 months for every day, which will meet the requirements of a healthy diet and preferences of the baby
1. What should not be given to a child at 9 months?
It is not recommended to give cow's milk until the age of one. It contains too much calcium, which overloads the kidneys, and protein, which is poorly digested.
Also be careful with foods that can cause allergies or contain a lot of sugar
2. Should oil be included in a baby's diet?
A 9-month-old baby's menu should include animal and vegetable oil, as it contains many vitamins, proteins and fatty acids necessary for the proper development of the baby. Among the useful products of plant origin, it is worth noting olive, corn, sesame or linseed oil.
3. Can a 9-month-old baby be given fish?
Low-fat white fish can be a healthy addition to your baby's menu. It is recommended to give fish 1-2 times a week instead of a meat dinner - flounder, cod, hake or pike perch are suitable. If the baby responds well to the product, try making fish cakes or meatballs.
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menu for a week, diet for a 9 month old baby with artificial and breastfeeding
Published: 06/20/2020
Reading time: 5 min.
Number of reads: 241146
Author of the article: Ponomareva Yulia Vladimirovna
Pediatrician, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Allergist-Immunologist
Your baby is 9 months old, and it's time to adjust his nutrition again. The activity of digestive enzymes is already high, teeth erupt in the crumbs, and the volume of the stomach becomes larger, which determines the possibility of increasing the amount of food per feeding and further expanding the diet. What can a child eat at 9months?" - this question very often worries the parents of a grown baby. By this age, the baby's nutrition already includes all the main food groups, and parents should try to diversify the child's menu, expanding the range of his taste sensations. In addition, a varied diet naturally provides a wide range of nutrients. Let's focus on the main food groups that should be on the menu of a 9-month-old baby.
Contents: 9-month-old baby is not enough, so mother's milk should now be no more than a third of the diet.
It is best to leave breastfeeding (HF) before bed at night, as well as immediately after waking up in the morning. If the baby is formula-fed, an adapted formula for babies over 6 months of age can be offered at these meals.
See also: Complementary foods and dishesmonths in an amount of at least 200 grams per day. It is a source of minerals, vegetable fibers and organic acids. The assortment of vegetables is very wide, which allows them to be evenly distributed throughout the week. In addition to potatoes, zucchini, cabbage, carrots - traditional vegetable complementary foods for children in the second half of life, pumpkin, beets, spinach and tomatoes can be used in the nutrition of a 9-month-old baby. At this age, if the baby is not worried about excessive bloating, the diet can be diversified with legumes. Start with mashed green peas as a side dish with a meat dish or as an addition to a vegetable soup for dinner.
Fruit and berry complementary foods
Fruits and berries have low nutritional value, but, despite this, they are actively used in the daily diet of a 9-month-old child.
Fruits are rich in natural sugars and have an attractive aroma that enhances the palatability of many dishes and is liked by kids. In addition, such food is a source of valuable minerals, organic acids and fiber, which determines its biological significance. It is optimal to include a fruit and berry component 3-4 times a day, it can be a fruit dessert for an afternoon snack, an additional component in the composition of porridge or a curd dish. Every day, a baby can consume up to 90 grams of fruit. By 9 months, it is already permissible for a child to give garden and wild berries, bananas, plums and apricots. Expand the fruit menu consistently and take your time to introduce foods with high allergenic potential, such as citrus fruits, melons, strawberries and exotic fruits.
Grain-based complementary foods
Grain-based foods continue to be the most important source of nutrition and energy for a 9-month-old baby. By this age, the assortment of cereals is increasing, on the basis of which you can cook porridge for your baby.
In addition to traditional buckwheat, rice, corn, oat and wheat groats, you can expand the diet with multi-cereal porridge, which may also include rye, barley and millet. When choosing a method for preparing porridge, preference should be given to industrial products. In addition to guaranteed environmental and microbiological safety, the enriched composition provides a daily supply of vitamins and minerals. AT 9months, the child can already eat bread and special baby biscuits without prior dissolution. It is preferable to use wheat bread, no more than 10 grams per day. It is better to dry it before use for easier digestion. Children's cookies are not only a delicacy and a source of energy for the baby, the multi-cereal composition and enrichment with a vitamin and mineral premix favorably distinguishes this healthy food product from traditional bakery products.
Meat food
By the age of 9 months, the baby is already well acquainted with meat foods, and he already has favorite combinations with vegetable and cereal products.
What changes await him during this period? The development of the maxillofacial apparatus makes it possible to move from puree-like grinding of meat to various options for meatballs and steam cutlets. In the daily menu, meat complementary foods should be at least 60 grams. In addition to beef and veal, turkey, chicken and rabbit, the baby can be offered dishes based on pork, lamb and horse meat. Meat lure is a traditional lunchtime meal. This feeding accounts for up to 40% of the energy needs of the baby, which is satisfied by a rational combination of vegetables, meat and grains.
Fish
At 9 months, a new food product appears in the baby's diet - fish. In addition to easily digestible protein, it is a valuable source of iodine, fluorine, phosphorus, iron, zinc and magnesium, as well as a number of vitamins. In the diet of young children, ocean fish is primarily used. This variety is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega-3, which are extremely important for the functional maturation of the central nervous system and the formation of the retina.
However, fish protein is a powerful allergen, so this type of complementary food should be introduced with caution. Start with a teaspoon of fish puree at lunchtime and keep a close eye on changes in your baby's health. In the next two days, do not give the child any new foods so that there is no doubt about the tolerance of the product. Within a month, the amount of fish puree can be gradually increased to 30 grams, but introduced into the menu no more than 1-2 times a week.
Sour-milk products
Specialized unadapted sour-milk drinks (kefir, yogurt, biolact) can be used in a 9-month-old baby's diet. Unlike whole cow's milk, the protein and lactose in them are partially split, which determines their better digestibility, low allergenicity and a slight burden on the kidneys, provided that they consume no more than 200 ml per day. The most preferred choice among the products of this group are drinks based on probiotic cultures, which have a positive effect on their own intestinal microbiota.
Cottage cheese is a valuable source of calcium and a complete protein in terms of amino acid composition. AT 9months, it is given to a child in an amount of not more than 50 grams per day in combination with a fruit, vegetable or cereal filler.
Fats
Butter is added to prepared meals in the amount of 5 grams per day, improving the taste of prepared complementary foods, as well as increasing their nutritional and energy value. Vegetable oils are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, so they should also be present in the baby's daily menu at 5 grams per day as an additive to meat, vegetable or fish dishes.
Drinks
Babies meet their physiological fluid needs through mother's milk or adapted formula. But at 9 months, the consumption of mother's milk is noticeably reduced, so it is necessary that the baby receive other drinks. If your child is thirsty, encourage him to drink baby water. The balanced mineral composition and the absence of sugars make it the best option for satisfying fluid needs.
