As your baby grows beyond nine months, you start thinking about what type of new food you should give them. You also need to ensure they get sufficient proteins and nutrients to keep growing in a healthy manner. Worry no more, as here we are with some fun, healthy, yet easy solutions to yourquestion on what to feed a 9- to 12-month-old baby.
Best Food Options For A 9- To 12-Month-Old Baby
Interestingly, babies require the same variety of nutrients as adults, though their serving sizes are way smaller.
Including those fruits and nutrients in a diet may seem very tough, but they’re extremely vital as far as nutrition is concerned. A good point to remember when wondering what to feed a 9- to 12-month-old baby is to “eat the rainbow”. Include different colors in your baby’s weekly diet, like orange (cantaloupe, sweet potatoes), green (peas, spinach, zucchini, green beans, asparagus), red (red peppers, cooked tomatoes), and yellow (bananas, squash).
Parents usually believe that a cup of juice will fulfill all the nutritional requirements of their kids. However, it isn’t true, as there is often added sugar and zero fiber in such drinks. Moreover, if such juice is used to replace breast milk or formula milk, your child may miss out on several proteins they need. So, you must consult with a pediatrician for an adequate amount of juice to serve to your baby.
Breads and grains are the most important parts of all the best food options for babies; they like to have cooked noodles, rice, cereal, and soft breads. It is also easy to serve enough dairy to the babies as 9- to 12-month-old babies already consume 16 to 24 ounces of milk daily. Meanwhile, you should consider serving them some extra proteins in the form of chicken, eggs, fish, and beans.
Getting Started
When starting off with what to feed a 9- to 12-month-old baby, consider using homemade baby food which your child already loves. For example, if you want to increase the protein intake of a child, you may consider stirring in peas, fish, egg, or legumes (sources of protein) into mashed potatoes or cooked pasta. You just have to know which food your child already likes and what amount of protein they need. This way, your baby will be eating their favorite food while also getting all the important nutrients.
Remember to keep a tab on allergies a child might develop due to the newly introduced food. You should not start more than one new food at a time so that you can specifically know which type of food is actually causing allergies.
At this age, babies usually eat when they are hungry and do not have food hang-ups. Picky eating won’t be something you come acorss yet. So, force-feeding your 9- to 12-month-old is never be a good idea; thiis may cause adverse effects like overeating or eating disorders while growing up.
Creative Ideas For What To Feed A 9- To 12-Month-Old Baby
Prepackaged finger food for babies is easily available in the market, but you have to be extra careful while buying them to avoid the extra sugar and preservatives. Moreover, you can use a steamer to steam fresh veggies and fruits and peel off the skin. After steaming for a few minutes, the veggie or the fruit becomes completely edible for the babies.
As soon as your baby starts liking this food, you can go on to make pasta with broccoli and beans. You just have to run this through a food processor. You can follow the same process with mashed potatoes, lasagna, and cooked chicken.
Importantly, you have to understand that everything you serve your baby has to be as soft as a ripe banana. You can move on to more advanced meals once the baby gets older than a year. However, you must consult a pediatrician before opting for any of these.
Discussed below are the best food options you can serve your child when they are 9 to 12 months old –
The Best Food Options For Breakfast:
Oatmeal: Beginning the day with unsweetened oats, made with breast milk, water, formula milk or juice is a great option. To make it healthier, you can add banana slices, or jarred or home-steamed pears or apples.
Pancakes or waffles: Using a whole-grain mix is also a great option. To make it healthier, you can add a bit of wheat germ. To make it even more interesting, you can add pureed fruit. However, you should never add sugary and non-nutritious syrup.
Eggs: Scramble it well along with a tablespoon of cottage cheese. Add mashed tofu or softened veggies to make it even more filling. It is one of the best food options for kids.
The Best Food Options For Lunch:
Yogurt: Serve unsweetened yogurt to your baby. To add flavor, you can add home-steamed fresh fruit. For making it tastier, you can include some wheat germ combined with various fruits.
Sandwich: Use a very little amount of peanut butter (as it may lead to choking), and spread it thinly. Use the softest bread and also cut off the crusts. You can also add cooked egg yolks, cream cheese, avocado, and hummus as ingredients.
Soup: Use noodles and soft veggies and broil them with broth. Wait for it to get lukewarm to be edible for your baby. You can also add mashed beans, shredded cheese, and well-shredded meats.
The Best Food Options For Dinner:
Baked potato: Peel off the potato skin and mash it in butter, soft veggies, and cheese. You can also consider putting it through a mini food processor with vegetables, broth, butter, and cheese. You can make it more interesting by mixing a variety of sweet and white potatoes, or mash beans, tofu, and meats.
Pasta/rice/couscous: Put these in a mini food processor with a sauce and mix it well. To add variety, adding cooked veggies or well-shredded meats can be a healthy and tasty idea.
Lasagna: Take the ingredients like spinach, sauce, cheese, and meat, and put them in a food processor. To improve the taste, you can add different cheeses, meats, and vegetables to the filling.
The Family Dinner: It may sound a little weird, but it is absolutely fine if it doesn’t contain any allergens or choking hazards. You just have to take the baby’s food and run it through a food processor to mash it well before serving. Also ensure you avoid giving the baby food that is heavy on spices.
Conclusion
The above-discussed food options for a 9- to 12-month-old baby can help you in cultivating good eating habits in your child. This will keep them fit and healthy even when they grow older. Ensure you speak with your pediatrician first before starting with any experimental diet, to be sure about its safety. You can also keep track of your child’s nutrition and vaccinations with the ImmunifyMe app. In the event that things go wrong, there are several pediatrician specialists who can help you out, so you can rest assured.
FAQs On What To Feed A 9-To 12-Month-Old Baby?
Can I Give My 9-Month-Old 12 Month Baby Food?
Yes, you can start to induce food in a 9 to 12-month-old baby. Ensure that you give your baby the proper nutrients they need to grow well by introducing veggies and sources of protein. Keep in mind that whatever you give them needs to be as soft and mashed as a ripe banana.
How Much Solid Food Should A 9 Month Old Eat?
Your nine-month-old needs to eat about half a cup of fruits and vegetables twice a day. But they’re still small with soft gums, so ensure that whatever you feed them is mashed as much as a ripe banana. Run food through a food processor to ensure they can eat it easily.
What Should A Baby At 12 Months Be Eating?
A 12-month-old baby needs to have 3 proper meals a day. Additionally, they may also need two to three healthy snacks to keep them full. You can give them veggie and fruit bowls, scrambled eggs, sandwiches cut up into bite-sized pieces and pancakes.
How Many Times A Day Should A 9 Month Old Baby Eat?
A 9-month-old needs to be eating around half a cup of food, around three to four times a day. They should also be given around 1 to 2 healthy snacks in between.
