Good food for 7 months baby
The Best First Foods for Babies 6 to 9 Months – Happiest Baby
By Happiest Baby Staff
On This Page
- Best Baby Foods at 6 Months
- Best Baby Foods at 7 Months
- Best Baby Foods at 8 Months
- Best Baby Foods at 9 Months
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 MonthsAt 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.
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!
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.
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
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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
Have questions about a Happiest Baby product? Our consultants would be happy to help! Connect with us at [email protected].
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.
What It Is and How to Do It – Happiest Baby
By Happiest Baby Staff
After months of a steady breastmilk and/or formula diet, there will come a time when your little one is ready to graduate to real food (hooray!). But with this big milestone comes the big question: What do you feed your baby now?
Though purees have long been a baby-food staple, since 2008 Baby-Led Weaning (or BLW for short) has exploded in popularity thanks largely to a book called Baby-Led Weaning by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett. The BLW approach gives babies a leading role in what they eat. Instead of you spoon-feeding pureed foods to your child, your tot will eat soft, finger-sized pieces of whole food. Basically, you provide the gastronomic opportunities…then stand back while your baby explores what’s on their plate.
When parents introduce babies to solid foods at around age 6 months, they give their kiddos a non-pureed—but baby-friendly—version of whatever the grown-ups are eating. The key is that the food has to be big enough for the baby to grip it—and for it not to be a choking risk—and soft enough for them to bite it. From here, little ones can learn to pick up food with their hands and experience its smells, tastes, and textures.
The idea is that kids who learn to appreciate foods at the very beginning of learning to eat solids will eventually grow up to be good eaters with an appreciation for a wide variety of food types. There is some anecdotal evidence that kids who learn to eat solids through the BLW method will be less likely to become picky later.
What are the benefits of baby-led weaning?
Some possible benefits of baby-led weaning include:
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Bonding: Babies who eat at the table with their family will not only learn about foods and eating, but they will also learn table manners and spend quality time with their loved ones over food.
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Fine motor skills: In BLW, babies use their hands to eat. This means that they will have to work on hand-to-eye and hand-to-mouth coordination, as well as gripping and picking up with fingertips.
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Self-regulation: Babies who eat with their families and who feed themselves get a chance to recognize the feeling of being full. They have more control over how and when to stop eating, which is an important and often overlooked aspect of teaching kids to eat solids.
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Positive food habits: Babies who are given whole foods with a variety of colors, flavors, and textures, might have more open palates in the future.
When can you start baby-led weaning?
Babies are usually developmentally ready to start solid foods around 6 months of age. Typically, first foods include pureed veggies and fruits or infant cereals. But with baby-led weaning, babies tend to start eating single-ingredient whole foods (think: melon slices, avocado spears, or roast sweet potato wedges) and then move on to mixed foods (a version of whatever’s on the family’s dinner table).
Signs that your baby is ready to eat solid foods include:
- Your baby can sit up unassisted.
- Your baby can hold their head up unaided.
- Your baby shows interest in eating.
- Your baby opens their mouth to eat.
What are the best foods for baby-led weaning?
With minimal preparation, just about any food can be given to a baby who is using the BLW method. That said, there are some safety tips to keep in mind.
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Babies have not yet mastered picking up small objects with their fingers. Make sure you cut food up into big enough piece that they can grab it with their whole hand.
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Do not offer choking hazards, such as grapes, hot dog pieces, nuts, popcorn, etc.
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Make sure that anything you serve your child is soft. Most vegetables can be steamed to soften them.
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Meats should be poached or boiled to a safe temperature and then shredded.
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Do not add salt, sugars, or artificial sweeteners to your child's food.
They need to get to know natural flavors and textures.
Is baby-led weaning risky?
Parents’ biggest hesitation with BLW is that a baby will choke—which is understandable! However, babies come hard-wired to learn how to eat. It is typical and expected that babies may gag, make choking sounds, or cough from time to time when encountering new foods. The important thing is to stay calm and not show fear because your child will learn to become afraid of the natural gagging reflex.
The reality is that while kids will probably gag and spit up, they are not likely to choke. A study in the United Kingdom found that out of 155 babies fed by BLW or by spoon, parents reported that 93.5% never had a choking experience. Research also shows the risk of choking is the same for both babies fed BLW style and by spoon. That said, it's wise for all parents to take a CPR class to learn the signs of choking and the life-saving steps to intervene.
How to start baby led weaning:
Since food plays such a rich part in family culture, introducing your baby to solid foods can feel like a significant and exciting milestone for the whole family.
Here are some tips to help your little one succeed:
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Patience: It is so important to be patient and understand that your baby won't love every dish you serve. Additionally, it helps to keep your reactions to how they eat as neutral as possible. Don't get upset if they refuse to eat—and equally, don't praise when they eat everything on their plate. Babies need to learn how to sense fullness and hunger as well as listen to their developing tastes.
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Variety: It's okay to let your baby play with their food. And they will definitely play! Give them baby spoons and forks, small bowls, and cups, and let them experiment. Give them variety with their food choices as well. Some kids will find softer purees to be a helpful bridge, while others will want smashed beans or veggies. Be patient and experiment.
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Make eating a family event: Get the whole family involved and have your baby take a seat at the table.
Talk to them, share stories, and give them lots of opportunities to try different flavors and textures.
Fans of baby-led weaning tend to be very enthusiastic, but when it comes to feeding your family, don’t feel like you have to take an all-or-nothing approach. You might find that a mix of purees and baby-led-weaning-style foods is best for your bub. There are plenty of ways to nourish your child and teach healthy eating habits outside of baby-led-weaning, too. The important part is that you’re introducing lots of flavors and textures and nutrient-dense foods.
This article has been reviewed by Gabrielle McPherson, MS, RDN, LDN.
View more posts tagged, feeding
Have questions about a Happiest Baby product? Our consultants would be happy to help! Connect with us at [email protected].
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.
Diet for a child aged 7 months
When compiling a diet for a seven-month-old baby, distribute the products so that you get a certain prototype of the menu of an already grown-up child with breakfast and lunch.
At this age, the yolk of a boiled chicken egg, a valuable source of fat, vitamin B12, A, phosphorus and selenium, is introduced into the child's diet. Chopped yolk can be added to porridge or vegetable puree.
At the age of 7 months, you can already give your baby a cracker (in the form of dried bread) and baby biscuits. nine0003
The volume of fruit puree and juice is increased to 70 g.
It is still better to give preference to commercially produced complementary foods, given their high degree of safety and variety. If the baby does not perceive a new product the first time, it can be mixed with an already familiar product.
Approximate diet for a child aged 7 months.
| I feeding 6 hours | Breast milk or VHI* | 200 ml |
| II feeding 10 hours | Dairy-free or milk porridge ** Butter Boiled egg yolk Supplementation with breast milk or VHI | 150 g |
| III feeding 14 hours | Vegetable puree Vegetable oil Meat puree Fruit juice | 170 g approx. 1 tsp. 30 g 70 ml |
| IV feeding 18 hours | Fruit puree Baby biscuits Breast milk supplement or VHI | 70 g |
| V feeding 22 hours | Breast milk or VHI | 200 ml |
* - infant formula
** - dairy-free porridge should be diluted with breast milk or infant formula that the child receives.
Milk porridge is diluted with water. nine0003
Approximate diet of a 7-month-old child with cow's milk protein allergy:
| I feeding 6 hours | Breast milk or formula for infants with intolerance to cow's milk proteins | 200 ml |
| II feeding 10 hours | Dairy-free porridge* Vegetable oil Fruit puree (apple, pear) | 130 g approx. 1 tsp. 70 g |
| III feeding 14 hours | Vegetable puree Vegetable oil Meat puree (rabbit, turkey) | 170 g approx. 1 tsp. 30 g |
| IV feeding 18 hours | Vegetables or dairy-free porridge** Vegetable oil Meat puree | 180 g approx.  1 tsp. 20 g |
| V feeding 22 hours | Breast milk or medicated formula for infants with cow's milk protein intolerance | 200 ml |
* - dairy-free porridge should be diluted with breast milk or formula for children with intolerance to cow's milk proteins.
** - you can either alternate porridge or vegetables, or offer a mixed dish - porridge with vegetables.
Baby menu at 7 months: what is possible and what is not yet
- Anastasia Ivanovna, what are the nutritional features of children at 7 months?
- The menu for a baby at seven months is different from the menu for a newborn and a baby at one year old. This difference exists due to the fact that a number of body systems, including the gastrointestinal tract and oral cavity, have not yet been formed in a newborn, he is only learning to suck. From four to six months, the diet begins to include complementary foods - food that is different from breast milk or infant formula.
In the year of the child, in ideal conditions, they are transferred to a common table. nine0003
Some pediatricians recommend introducing complementary foods from five to six months, sometimes even from four. But the enzymatic system of the baby's body has not yet been formed, so pedagogical complementary foods are possible at four or five months, and pediatric complementary foods by six months.
— How to combine breastfeeding or bottle feeding with complementary foods?
— Pediatricians and nutritionists recommend separating these meals and giving the main dairy food and complementary foods in separate meals so that the child understands what he is eating. nine0003
If complementary foods started at 4-5 months
— What rules of baby food should parents know?
— The functions of the gastrointestinal tract are formed in such a way that the body needs to adapt to the incoming products. With proper complementary foods, it is important to monitor the child's condition in the food diary and, if necessary, consult a doctor.
Basic feeding recommendations for seven-month-old babies
- One new product is given in small doses at the beginning of the day every four days to monitor for allergies, constipation, peeling and other reactions. nine0186
- One new food can be given per feeding.
- Water is best offered between feedings and not given with complementary foods.
- Do not force-feed: if the child refuses a certain dish, it can be offered at another time and in a different form.
- The child is not given unfamiliar food when he is not in a very good mood, teething, or has just been vaccinated.
- How to identify food allergies and find the allergen? nine0161
- Observant mothers will see or hear the problem. The baby will have something on the body, constipation or indigestion will begin. A restless child will cry. To track the allergen, it is advisable to keep a food diary and keep your finger on the pulse. If there is a connection with the pediatrician, ask questions and, taking into account the vaccination calendar, the physiology of the development of your child, offer him certain products so as not to once again provoke an immune response.
What foods can be given at 7 months
Read also
- Why it is necessary to introduce meat complementary foods into the baby's diet and with what products it can be combined.
- What purees and cereals can be given at 7 months?
- If this is the first complementary food for a baby, then monocomponent purees, dairy-free and milk porridges with one cereal in the composition are good: they are easier to digest and it is easier to track the reaction of the body using them.
— In what order can complementary foods be given? nine0161
— If your baby is overweight by the age of seven months, it is better to feed him vegetable puree. If everything is in order with weight, then preference can be given to cereals. All new products are introduced gradually: they begin to feed in the amount of 5-10 g, gradually increasing the volume to 50 g. By seven months, a portion of porridge at one time can reach up to 200 g.
The third option for complementary foods, if parents want, can be fruits. It is in this sequence, because fruits are sweet, and the child does not always eat unleavened vegetables or cereals after them. nine0003
Each product will also have its own processing specifics:
- vegetables and fruits are given in the form of puree;
- purchased cereals are prepared according to the instructions;
- homemade porridges are boiled in water, then milk or mixture is added if desired;
- cottage cheese is properly stored in the refrigerator, tracking the expiration date;
- dairy, vegetable broths are brought to a single consistency (puree) so that the child develops the correct perception of the product. nine0186
— How many times to feed a baby at 7 months and how much food to give?
- You need to focus on five feedings per day. If your baby cannot tolerate the interval between meals, it is worth supplementing with breast or formula after the introduction of complementary foods.
How to calculate complementary foods
A baby at seven months should weigh about eight kilograms. 1/8 of the child's weight is the daily amount of food, that is, approximately a kilogram of food, taking into account all feedings, or 200 grams per meal. nine0003
Sample menu for a 7-month-old baby (Russian Federation)
— At what age can semi-solid and solid foods be introduced into a child's diet?
- By 6 months, most babies are ready for a new food: the baby realizes that something is hard in his mouth. By the age of seven months, the skill of palmar grip is formed: the child is able to hold solid food in his hand, and he can be given biscuits and crackers to grind. Allergists and pediatricians consider 6-10 months as the optimal period to begin the introduction of semi-solid and solid foods.
