What food can i make for my 6 month old baby

6-Month Baby Food Ideas Every Mom Needs to Know

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Mealtime is such a fun part of the day for you and Baby. We've got all the details on what to feed your 6-month-old, plus plenty of tips.

It’s so exciting when your baby becomes curious about food. She grabs at your plate and silverware—making it nearly impossible for you to eat your own meal! Typically, this behavior begins around the six-month mark. And at this point, it’s time for you to start experimenting with solid foods.

Interested in baby-led weaning? Here’s what to expect.

When should I start feeding my baby solid foods?

Before you begin solid foods, ensure that your baby can hold his head up and sit upright in a high chair. Always supervise your baby during mealtimes.

In addition to breast milk and formula, you can begin offering your baby many different foods as you start sharing mealtime together.

Find more info on when you should start with solid food here.

What should my 6-month-old eat?

Some of the first foods offered to babies are brown rice cereal and oatmeal. These bland options allow your baby to practice using a spoon and discover how her tongue works.

Start by introducing dry cereal or grain puffs during mealtime, and let your baby feed herself.

Once your baby is comfortable with cereal, offer:

Cheese
Beans
Muffins
Pureed or strained fruits (banana, pears, applesauce, peaches, avocado)
Pureed or strained vegetables (well-cooked carrots, squash, sweet potato)
Pureed protein (chicken, pork, beef, tofu or fish)
Small amounts of unsweetened yogurt (Keep in mind your baby should not have cow’s milk until he is at least one year old. )
Scrambled eggs (Here’s why eggs are a good option!)
Pasta

Learn more about the foods you should (and shouldn’t!) start your baby on.

How much should my baby be eating?

Babies around six months of age will eat approximately 6-12 ounces of pureed baby food per day. (Here’s how to make baby food at home). But the exact amount depends on your child.

Bonus: 6-month baby food meal plan

No, meal planning isn’t just for adults. We’ve laid out a super simple meal plan for you to follow with your baby.

You’ll want to continue offering your baby breast milk or formula as needed, then start to add in solid foods at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Breakfast: Rice cereal or oatmeal
Lunch: Pureed fruits and/or veggies
Dinner: Pureed meats and veggies

Psst! You should avoid these foods when breastfeeding.

Baby Meal Plan: 6 to 9 Month Old

What should you know about feeding your 6- to 9-month-old?

Learn about how to introduce solid foods to your baby
Know that what foods you introduce now help influence baby’s preferences in the future
Explore menus that help you understand the transition from purees to soft solids

Starting solid foods is an exciting time for you and your baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend introducing solid foods around 6 months of age. ¹^,²

Check out our signs of readiness article and speak with your baby’s pediatrician to help determine when your little one is ready to start solids.

While starting solids, you will continue to provide most of the essential nutrition and hydration your baby needs from breast milk or formula, while also exposing your baby to a new world of diverse flavors and nutrients.

In fact, this is one of the most influential periods in your baby’s taste development.³^,⁴ Your baby will most readily try and accept all kinds of foods at this age so it’s important to offer a variety of different flavors from meal to meal.

There are two meal plans below

One for starting solids with purees, and one for when your little one starts to advance textures. Both have snack and recipe ideas to help you get started. They also have plenty of flavor variety to help maximize your baby’s taste
development.

Read more: Learning to Love Healthy Foods

Pro tips for 6- to 9-month-old baby meal plans

Eating solids at this age is mostly about letting your baby explore new flavors and textures. Breast milk or formula will remain your baby’s primary nutrition source during their first year, so continue to give breast milk and/or formula just as you were before starting solids. Your little one will begin to reduce how much formula or breastmilk they take as they get closer to 1 year.⁵^,⁶⁷

For breastfed babies, introduction of solids at 6 months helps your little one get enough of certain nutrients. For example, at 6 months stored iron begins to diminish. Since breast milk is not a good source of iron, including some iron-rich foods, such as fortified cereals and pureed meats, will help your little one get enough. ⁸

For more information, chat with baby’s health care provider for their recommendations.

For more information on the nutrient needs of your older baby, check out: Nutrient Needs and Feeding Tips for 6 to 12 Month Olds

How much should I feed my baby?

At around 6 months old, you can start by offering 1 to 2 tablespoons of food once or twice per day. Once your little one gets the hang of eating and shows more interest, slowly begin offering foods 2 to 3 times per day and ¼ to ½ cup at a time.⁹^,¹⁰

Remember to listen to your baby’s hunger and fullness cues throughout their feeding journey, rather than go by specific portions. Your little may take more or less each day; by responding to their feeding cues you’ll be providing them with just what they need.¹¹

It’s important to advance texture once your baby is comfortable. Start with thin, pureed foods, thickening them a bit as baby gets used to eating. Next, move to lumpy, mashed foods; followed by finely chopped, soft foods.¹²

Read more: Introducing Solids: First Foods & Textures

Introduce one single-ingredient new food at a time

Allow for 3 to 5 days before introducing another new food to make sure your baby is not allergic or intolerant to these foods. ⁹^,¹²

Foods most often associated with allergies are eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts and seeds, wheat, fish, shellfish, and cow’s milk (drinking cow’s milk is not recommended before 12 months, but milk can be used in small amounts in baked or cooked foods, and baby can also eat yogurt and cheese as long as there is no allergy or intolerance).¹³

Read more: Introducing Major Food Allergens to your Infant

What should baby eat by 9 months?

By 9 months of age, your baby should be eating foods from all food groups, and should have been introduced to lumpy purees. ¹⁵ Some little ones may be able to handle small, soft pieces of finger foods by this age as well.

Pay attention to your baby’s cues, have fun, and let your baby set the pace while offering your baby healthy foods that contain important nutrients to set the standard for healthy eating patterns.

Baby doesn’t like a food? Try, try again!

Your baby may grimace, wrinkle their nose, or make other faces when they try new foods and textures. Know that this is completely normal and doesn’t mean your little one dislikes the food or is being picky.

Babies may need to taste a food up to 10 or more times before they start to accept it, so just keep offering (though not forcing) that food.¹⁴

Remember, starting solids is mostly about introducing a variety of flavors and textures – and keeping it fun and stress-free!

If you have questions about introducing solids or advancing textures, reach out to our team of registered dietitian nutritionists for free! They are here to help on our free live chat from Monday through Friday, from 8am–6pm ET. Chat now!

Around 6-month old meal plan: First foods and purees

Breakfast

Option 1: Whole Ancient Grain Baby Cereal
Option 2: Mashed avocado
Option 3: Avocado and Pea Puree
Option 4: Apple and acorn squash mash (pureed apples and squash mixed)
Option 5: Pureed peaches or soft cooked pears

Lunch

Option 1: Root Vegetable Puree
Option 2: Unsweetened whole milk yogurt
Option 3: Avocado and Pea Puree
Option 4: Pureed apples
Option 5: Quinoa cereal

Dinner

Option 1: Mashed “Banacado” (banana and avocado mashed together)
Option 2: Baby Muesli with Peach Yogurt
Option 3: Tropical medley (mashed papaya and mango)
Option 4: Garden veggie and fruit combo (mix mashed/pureed apples, spinach and peas)
Option 5: Beet and Cantaloupe Puree

7-9 months-old-menu: Advancing Textures

Breakfast

Option 1: Unsweetened yogurt with mashed peaches
Option 2: Oatmeal cereal
Option 3: Whole grain waffle strips
Option 4: Orange Sunny Soup
Option 5: Soft scrambled egg

Lunch

Option 1: Soft cooked whole grain pasta with olive oil and parmesan cheese
Option 2: Slivers of turkey with peas
Option 3: Unsweetened applesauce and shredded or cubed cheese
Option 4: Chickpea and Carrot Spread
Option 5: Cottage Cheese with Cinnamon and Diced Strawberries

Dinner

Option 1: Soft cooked slivers of chicken, with steamed carrots
Option 2: Ginger Carrot & Sweet Potato Mash + Lean Beef
Option 3: Small chunks of low mercury fish, like cod
Option 4: Soft steamed chunks of broccoli or green beans
Option 5: Lumpy, mashed kidney or black beans

Let's Chat!

We know parenting often means sleepless nights, stressful days, and countless questions and confusion, and we want to support you in your feeding journey and beyond.

Our Happy Baby Experts are a team of lactation consultants and registered dietitian nutritionists certified in infant and maternal nutrition – and they’re all moms, too, which means they’ve been there and seen that. They’re here to help on our free, live chat platform Monday - Friday 8am-6pm (ET). Chat Now!

Read more about the experts that help write our content!

For more on this topic, check out the following articles and recipes:

Starting Solids: Purees versus Baby Led Weaning

Starting Solids: Baby Led Weaning

The Division of Responsibility: Helping Avoid Picky Eating

Feeding Tips for Healthy Weight Gain in Babies and Toddlers

Our meal plans offer recipe and meal suggestions for your child. They are not designed to replace your doctor’s recommendations, nor do they take into account special nutritional needs, including allergies and intolerances. The meal plans suggest serving sizes that may or may not be appropriate for your child. Please consult your doctor to determine what is best for your child.

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Photo of Pexels

Article content:

Kashi
Omelet
Curd breakfast. Cheesecakes
Puddings
Soufflé
Fritters

1. Kashi

Photo by Pexels

Every second child grimaces as soon as he hears this word. But it is in the power of mom to turn such a breakfast into a real culinary masterpiece - so that not only a crumb, but even dad works hard with a spoon.

Why is porridge useful?

Oatmeal. Universal dietary breakfast rich in vitamins, beneficial acids, microelements, vegetable proteins. Oats are an ideal antioxidant, an assistant in the digestive tract, a source of biotin (a vitamin, the lack of which leads to weakness, drowsiness, decreased appetite, etc.).
Buckwheat. A real storehouse of vitamins. The core is a natural and tasty mini-pharmacy that rids the body of bad cholesterol, has a positive effect on the functioning of the heart, and has an antitoxic effect. The list of virtues of buckwheat is huge.
Barley. At first glance, not the most appetizing, but extremely healthy porridge. Barley porridge contains a lot of vitamins, protein and starch, trace elements, lysine (an antiviral amino acid).
Rice. This porridge is good for the intellect, rich in fiber, a supply of vitamin B and protein.
Millet. Porridge for the heart. This breakfast is rich in minerals, vitamin PP, amino acids, trace elements.
Corn. Breakfast for the digestive tract. Contains vitamins (PP, C, B), carotene, lysine and tryptophan, fiber, silicon. Porridge reduces fermentation in the intestines, removes toxins, and is low in calories.

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It is too early for a 1-3 year old baby to eat barley porridge (it is difficult to digest), semolina is also not recommended, but other cereals will be very useful.

How to make porridge tasty for a child?

Add a piece of butter (butter) while cooking.
Pour a little milk into the porridge (when done) and bring to a boil.
Add fruits (dried fruits), nuts, jam or preserves, vegetables.
Add baked apple or grated cheese.
Add fruit puree, crushed or whole berries.
Add fruit juice for color.
Add whipped mass of boiled vegetables (pumpkin, carrot, cauliflower).

Be imaginative. Porridge for breakfast can become a "canvas" on a plate - with the help of fruits, candied fruit or jam, "draw" culinary landscapes, unknown animals or fantastic characters for the child. Not a single child will refuse such porridge.

2. Omelet

Pixabay Photo

Omelets are usually protested less often than porridges, but even such a breakfast requires decoration and mother's imagination. Omelet is useful for the content (in eggs and milk) of vitamins B, E, A, D, fats and proteins, useful elements.

Tips:

Egg consumption should be moderate to avoid allergies.
Quail eggs are ideal (the risk of allergies is reduced to a minimum, there are no strict restrictions). Instead of 1 chicken - 3-4 quail.
Eggs should first be rinsed with water.
Cooking options: bake in a frying pan with a lid (after 2 years), bake in the oven or steam (from 1 year).
To make the omelette tasty and attract the attention of the baby, add vegetables (carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini or potatoes), greens to the dish. From above, we “draw” funny pugs with the help of products, plant tomato ladybugs, etc.

What can I use to make an omelette for a child?

Omelet with cheese and courgettes. Zucchini are pre-fried, after which they are poured into the future omelette (eggs and milk, 2:1). Grated cheese can be sprinkled after the omelet has risen.
With herbs and tomatoes. Beat 3 quail eggs with milk, add chopped herbs and tomatoes, a piece of butter, microwave for a couple of minutes.
With broccoli and carrots (from 1.5 years old).
With potatoes and grated cheese (from 1 year old).
With vegetables (from 1.5 years old). Zucchini, greens, carrots, sweet peppers.
With carrots and cauliflower (from 1.5 years old).
With spinach (from 2 years).
With fish. Pour the boiled fish with the future omelette and bake in the oven or microwave.

3. Curd breakfast. Cheesecakes

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After 6 months, cottage cheese for crumbs is an obligatory part of the menu. Cottage cheese is phosphorus and calcium, it is a mass of vitamins, it is an opportunity to use the product in a variety of variations. For example: cottage cheese with sour cream, berries or fruits, dumplings or dumplings with cottage cheese, cheesecakes, curd mass with various ingredients, cottage cheese cookies, casserole and much more.

And here we will talk about the most favorite curd dish among kids - cheesecakes. They are prepared quite simply, and can be served with almost any "sauce" - sour cream, jam, condensed milk, berries, fruits, etc. (according to age).

How to make cheesecakes?

Mix egg and sugar (1.5-2 tbsp).
Add flour (1.5-2 tbsp), stir.
Add 250 g cottage cheese, stir.
Blind from the mass of cakes and, rolling them in flour, fry on both sides over low heat.

Helpful hints:

Berries, fruits or candied fruits, honey, cinnamon, vanilla sugar, etc. can be added to cheese cake mass.
Cottage cheese for children should be used only natural.
Before serving, syrniki should be beautifully decorated - for example, in the form of mini-suns with jam rays or in the form of dandelions. And you can pour over jam and decorate with berries.
Choose a soft cottage cheese for babies.
Do not overcook cheesecakes - cook on low heat, lightly browning. Then blot with a tissue to remove excess oil.
Do not give fried foods to babies under 1.5-2 years old.
For babies 1-3 years old, you can grind cottage cheese (50-60 g) into a paste and add porridge, fruit puree or ground berries to it.

4. Puddings

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This dish is suitable for babies from one year old and older. Such a breakfast will be not only healthy, but also tasty and beautiful. That is, any little picky will like it. The benefits and advantages of pudding are easy digestibility, delicate texture, improved appetite and metabolism, a lot of useful elements for health.

Pudding options:

With cottage cheese and semolina.
With vegetables.
With meat or fish.
With berries.
With rice or chocolate.

How to cook pudding for a baby?

Pour milk (400 ml) into a saucepan, add 2 tbsp sugar, add vanilla sugar, cook until sugar dissolves.
Dissolve 2 tablespoons of starch in 100 ml of milk, add beaten yolk, carefully pour into the pan to the already prepared mixture. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring.
Pour the mixture into chilled molds, refrigerate covered with foil (2 hours).

Decorate with berries, coconut, nuts, apples or cranberries, etc.

5. Soufflé

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A great breakfast option for a baby from 11 months and older. A diet dish that is an airy culinary delight with various ingredients based on beaten egg whites.

Read also: Children's menu for the holiday - recipes for children's holiday dishes.

Soufflé is prepared…

With cottage cheese.
Mashed potatoes.
From fish, poultry or meat.
From vegetables.
With milk.
Fruit.

Classic soufflé (from 1 year old).

Bring water with milk (0.5 cup/1.5 cup) to a boil, pour semolina (1 cup) in a stream, stirring to avoid lumps.
After 10 minutes, remove from heat, add 2 yolks, sugar (2 l.) and butter (2 l.), beat, immediately add pre-whipped whites, mix.
Pour the mixture into a mold (butter beforehand) and steam (until done).
For decoration - nuts, fruits, berries, etc.

Beef soufflé.

Boil meat (300 g) in salted water.
Soak wheat crumb (about 100 g).
Grind the soaked crumb, boiled meat, 10 g of butter and 2 yolks in a blender.
Gently fold the chilled and beaten egg whites into the minced meat.
Mix carefully, pour into a greased dish, bake until tender.
Garnish with herbs, sour cream, etc.

The same principle can be used to cook soufflé from liver, fish fillet, poultry (if there is no allergy), etc. As a garnish and decoration - peas, carrots, zucchini, gravy.