About this topic
At 9 to 12 months, your baby is still learning about new tastes and how food feels in the mouth. Your baby is learning to drink from a cup and is beginning to feed himself. You may notice your baby: ‚
- Tries to use a spoon
- Starts to eat with the thumb and first finger
- Is interested in eating at the same time of day
- Moves food and toys from one hand to the other
- Moves jaw in a chewing motion and no longer pushes food out of mouth
- Has more teeth
- Reaches for food
- Drinks from a cup with help or by holding it alone. Spills may happen, but it is OK.
General
Here are some pointers on what and how to feed your 9 to 12 month old baby: ‚
- Formula or breast milk will still be your babys main food source. Solid foods will also give your baby the minerals, vitamins, and nutrients not found in formula or breast milk.
- By 9 months, you should be feeding your baby cereals and pureed fruits and veggies in addition to formula or breast milk.
- By 10 months, your baby should be familiar with finger foods. These are things like toasted breads, small pieces of fruit or soft-cooked veggies, soft cheese cubes, and teething crackers.
- At 12 months, you can give your baby whole milk instead of baby formula.
- By 12 months old, help your baby give up drinking from a bottle. Let your baby drink milk from a sippy cup.
- Feed your child using a spoon. Your baby needs to learn how to eat from a spoon. You may want to give your baby one spoon and you use another. Sit your baby at the dinner table with you to eat.
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Who should not use this diet?
Do not give finger foods to babies younger than 9 months ‚
What foods are good to eat?
There are three steps when choosing foods to give your baby. ‚
- First foods should be pureed with only one ingredient. Do not add salt, spices, or sugar. The puree should be more liquid. Start with a fruit or soft veggies. Do not use grapes or seedy fruits. Your baby is likely beyond this stage.
- Second foods should be pureed or mashed with two ingredients. Fruit and veggie mixtures are ideal. Do not add salt, spices, or sugar. The texture should be thicker than the first foods. Now is a good time to start giving food combinations to your baby. Make sure your baby has had each ingredient in the food by itself first. Some examples are:
- Fruit + fruit: apple + banana
- Fruit + veggie: peach + carrots
- Vegetable + veggie: potato + zucchini
- Third foods are a mix of different food types. Meat and veggies with grain is a good mixture. By this time, you may also give your baby small pieces of finger foods. Some finger foods that you can give your baby are:
- Plain crackers
- Well-cooked and cut-up potatoes
- Soft fruits
- Small pieces of unsalted, well-cooked meat
You can give your baby 100% fruit juice with vitamin C. ‚
What foods should be limited or avoided?
Some foods may be more likely to cause an allergic reaction than others. Talk to your doctor if you have a history of food allergy in your family. Do not give these to your child until they are over 1 year of age: ‚
- Cows milk and other dairy products
- Honey
Do not feed these foods to your baby. They can cause your baby to choke. ‚
- Uncut or large pieces of food
- Raw veggies
- Raisins
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Gum
- Hard candy
- Hot dog slices
- Marshmallows
- Nuts
- Peanut butter
- Popcorn
- Whole beans or grapes
Will there be any other care needed?
- Always stay with your baby when eating in case your baby starts to choke.
- Dont force your baby to eat.
- Let your baby feed himself.
- Let food cool before giving it to your baby.
- Give breast milk or formula even when your baby can eat solid foods.
- Watch for signs of fullness. Your baby may:
- Keep mouth closed
- Lean back in the chair
- Turn head away from food
- Start playing with the spoon or food
- When feeding your child baby food from a jar:
- Store opened baby food in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.
- Throw away baby foods 2 to 3 days after opening.
- Serve the baby food in a bowl. The unused portion in the jar will be fresh later.
What problems could happen?
- Choking
- Allergies
- Loose or hard stools
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of food allergy. These include rash, swollen lips, throwing up, loose stools, coughing, and problems breathing.
- Signs of choking. These include bluish color of the lips, breathing troubles, and pale skin. Call for emergency help.
Helpful tips
- Reward your baby with praise, kisses, and love after your baby tries to eat.
- Do not feed your baby mashed or pureed food through the bottle.
- Clean your babys teeth by using a clean wet washcloth after every meal.
Where can I learn more?
Caring for Kids ‚
http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/feeding_your_baby_in_the_first_year ‚
KidsHealth ‚
http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/feeding/feed812m.html ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚