Learning to eat solid foods is a big task for an infant. Your
baby has learned hunger can be satisfied with breast milk or infant formula. Now he has to learn
that hunger can also be satisfied with solid foods. By nine months, your baby will probably enjoy
three main meals a day with morning and afternoon snacks. His nutrition now comes more from solid
food and less from breast milk or formula.
Continue to offer new foods. But include a
variety of foods at every meal. Most of the foods you prepare for your family are fine for your
nine-monthold. Chop food into small pieces. If your baby develops a rash, diarrhea or signs of
upset stomach after eating a new food, stop serving it. Avoid cow’s milk, honey, salt, hot spices
and added sugar.
Don’t worry about your baby not getting enough to eat. You don’t
need to coax and urge, “One more bite for daddy.” If you offer a variety of healthful foods,
your baby will eat what he needs. Just don’t fill him up with cookies, sweet drinks or
juices.
If your baby is hungry for a snack, try these foods:
- Pieces of banana
- Thin slices of whole wheat bread and butter
- Plain yogurt mixed with mashed
fruit - Small, dry cereal pieces
- Cubes of soft cheese
Satisfy
thirst with water. Save juice for treats.
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You may have addressed when to start solids with another article, but if a baby starts to have some soft mashed solids around six months of age, eating solids isn’t really an issue at nine months. At nine months many babies are good a moving their tongues from side to side which allows them to shift small softer pieces of food between gums to help soften and chew it. I was surprised you left vegetables off your list and good sources of protein. Any well cooked vegetable like sweet or white potato, carrot, broccoli, etc. work well. Ripe avocado and soft ripe pears are also easily handled foods for this age. Research shows that what breastfed babies need after six months are more sources of minerals. Meats are good sources for zinc and iron. And for vegetarians, beans, whole wheat, brown rice, dairy and more.