Baby food schedule 9 months

What and When Can Babies Eat at 9 Months?

What food is healthy for a nine-month-old?

A nine-month-old baby is growing rapidly, and complex brain development is taking place. A well-balanced, nutritional diet that fills their belly is critical at this time. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a nine-month-old should be eating a wide variety of foods. If babies are eating cereal, it should be fortified. This will provide the nutrients that they need.

It’s great to include a rainbow of foods in a nine-month-old’s diet. Their food should be colorful, fresh, and tantalizing. Encourage them to try fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and meats. Wait until they have turned one year old before introducing honey, as it may contain the bacteria that can cause botulism. Along the same lines, unpasteurized drinks or foods can contain E. coli and cause severe intestinal problems.

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What solid foods can a baby eat?

Food for 9-month-olds can be tricky. Many babies at this age are ready to try eating food with their hands. Finger food should be small and soft enough to pick up easily and chew without risk of choking.

At this age, babies’ chewing abilities haven’t yet fully matured. They may not use their teeth yet, instead using their tongue to mash up their food. Some safe options for nine-month-old babies include:

• Soft fruits (e.g., bananas and peaches)
• Bread (without the crust)
• Dry cereal
• Avocado
• Peas
• Green beans and cooked beans
• Tofu
• Meat and fish
• Sweet potato
• Pasta

When offering nine-month-old babies food (especially finger food), size is important. Pieces should be large enough to pick up but small enough that the baby won’t choke. Try to aim for cubes about a third of an inch in size. This is just a little bit bigger than a standard pea.

How much should a 9-month-old eat?

A nine-month-old feeding schedule is not much different than when they were first born. They are still on an on-demand schedule. This basically means that parents should look for signs indicating when the baby is hungry and when they’re full. They might eat a different combination of solid foods, breast milk, and formula every day, depending on their mood.

How much formula is good for a nine-month-old?

Babies at nine months old still require breast milk and/or formula every day as part of their regular diet. Breast milk and formula contain high levels of nutrients that are necessary for proper growth. Cow milk can be introduced when babies get a bit older.

Babies should eat at least five to six times per day to meet their nutritional requirements. As they begin to eat more solid foods, the amount of formula or breast milk needed will likely decrease in frequency and amount.

Sample menu for a nine-month-old baby

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests the following menu and feeding schedule for 9-month-old babies.

Breakfast

¼–½ cup cereal or mashed egg

¼–½ cup fruit, diced (if the child is self-feeding)

4–6 ounces formula or breast milk

Snack​

4–6 ounces breast milk, formula, or water

¼ cup diced cheese or cooked vegetables

Lunch

¼–½ cup yogurt, cottage cheese, or meat

¼–½ cup yellow or orange vegetables

4–6 ounces formula or breast milk

Snack

One teething biscuit or cracker

¼ cup yogurt or diced fruit

Water

Dinner

¼ cup diced poultry, meat, or tofu

¼–½ cup green vegetables

¼ cup noodles, pasta, rice, or potatoes

¼ cup fruit

4–6 ounces formula or breast milk

Before bedtime

6–8 ounces formula, breast milk, or water

A nine-month-old baby’s nutritional needs aren’t much different from the nutrients that adults need too. Over the course of a day, offer a 9-month-old foods of different colors. Here are some colorful examples:

• Green — green beans, peas, spinach, zucchini, and asparagus
• Orange — cantaloupe and sweet potatoes
• Yellow — peppers, squash, and bananas
• Red, blue, and purple — beans, cooked tomatoes, red peppers, and smashed berries

These different foods can also be a great diet for new parents to follow when breastfeeding and trying to get back in shape after delivery. This is an exciting time for parents and babies. It’s fun to watch babies explore new things, including textures and tastes. 

9- and 10-month-old feeding schedules

Wondering how to fit all those meals, snacks, and bottles or nursing sessions into your baby's day? Your 9-or 10-month-old still needs plenty of breast milk or formula, and they're also getting more adventurous with their solid foods. If you started with purees, you can begin transitioning toward finger foods. If you're baby-led weaning, continue expanding their palate by offering new flavors and textures. Here's how to set up a feeding schedule that works for your baby and your family.

By now your 9- or 10-month-old has settled into a steady routine of sleeping, playing, and eating. But it can be confusing at times to know how to organize their feeding schedule. Your baby is old enough to eat more solids and explore new finger foods, but young enough that they still need plenty of formula or breast milk.

Between the bottles and nursing and the solid food meals, it can feel like you're constantly feeding your baby. As you're sorting out your baby's feeding schedule, it can be a big help to see what other parents are doing. Below, you'll find several sample schedules modeled on those of real BabyCenter parents and reviewed by a pediatrician on our Medical Advisory Board.

As you're creating a schedule for your baby, keep in mind that at 9 and 10 months most babies need solid foods three times a day, plus a healthy snack, and about 24 to 32 ounces of breast milk or formula in a 24-hour period.

Breastfed babies will likely nurse three or four times per day. Formula-fed babies may drink 7- to 8-ounce bottles three or four times per day. (Get specific tips on how to tell whether your baby is getting enough breast milk or formula.)

By now, your baby will likely be eating a variety of foods and taking an active role at mealtimes by self-feeding and drinking from a sippy, straw, or open cup. That means your mealtime options are expanding, since you can offer your baby more new and exciting foods to try.

You can make life simpler now and feed your baby what you're eating – just make sure it's age appropriate. Don't give your baby foods that could be choking hazards, foods with a lot of salt or added sugar, honey, or anything that's raw or unpasteurized. And if you haven't yet, be sure to introduce high-allergy foods to your baby, too.

If you're baby-led weaning, your baby has already been feeding themself finger foods. Keep giving your baby a variety of foods and expand their palate by offering new textures and flavors.

In addition to breast milk or formula, your baby may be ready to eat as much as half a cup per day of fruits, veggies, proteins, and carbohydrates. (If you're not sure how much solid food your baby needs, check out our visual guide.)

Sample 9-month-old schedule

6:30 a.m.: Wake up and drink a 7- to 8-ounce bottle of formula.

8 a.m.: Playtime.

9 a.m.: Breakfast – small pieces of cheese, ham, fresh fruit, veggies, and O-shaped cereal or eggs.

9:30 a.m.: Playtime.

10 a.m.: 7- to 8-ounce bottle, then a nap.

12 p.m.: Lunch – small pieces of cheese, meat, fresh veggies, fruit, noodles, soup, cut up veggie burger, ground meat, and so on.

12:45 p.m.: Playtime.

1:30 p.m.: Snack – Greek yogurt with fruit, pieces of cheese, and whole grain crackers with nut butter.

3 p.m.: Naptime and another 7- or 8-ounce bottle.

6 p.m.: Dinner – same as lunch.

6:30 p.m.: Playtime.

7:30 p.m.: Bedtime routine and another 7- or 8-ounce bottle of formula, then bed.

Sample 10-month-old schedule

8:30 a.m.: Wake up and nurse for 10 to 15 minutes.

8:45 a.m.: Playtime.

9:30 a.m.: Breakfast – scrambled eggs, strips of French toast, and yogurt.

10 a.m.: Naptime.

12 p.m.: Lunch – baked sweet potato fries, shredded chicken, hummus, and mashed avocado – followed by a short nursing session.

1 p.m.: Playtime.

2 p.m.: Snack – O-shaped cereal, yogurt, whole grain crackers, piece of whole wheat toast with nut butter, fruit.

3:30 p.m.: Nurse for 10 to 15 minutes, then naptime.

5 p.m.: Dinner – steamed broccoli, leftover chicken from lunch, baked apple slices, and spiral pasta.

6 p.m.: Playtime.

7 p.m.: Nurse for 10 to 15 minutes, then bedtime routine and bed.

Meal ideas for 9- and 10-month-olds

As your 9- or 10-month-old starts eating regular, small meals and even a snack or two throughout the day, you might be wondering how to keep their menu interesting and their diet full of nutritious foods.

Some yummy (and age-appropriate) foods to try serving your baby at 9 and 10 months include small bits of tofu and cheese, soft spiral pasta, shreds of chicken and turkey, soft beans, and cubes of roasted peaches or squash.

Aim for a protein, carbohydrate, fruit and veggie serving at each meal to help you put together a simple breakfast, lunch, or dinner for your baby. Here are some options to get you started.

Breakfast:

• Pieces of scrambled egg
• O-shaped cereal
• Mashed or pureed pears and squash
• Oatmeal with mashed banana
• Roasted sweet potato
• Greek yogurt with fruit

Lunch:

• Steamed peas
• Pieces of whole-grain toast
• Applesauce
• Smashed pinto beans
• Strips of ripe avocado
• Whole grain crackers
• Steamed carrots
• Pasta
• Chicken noodle soup

Dinner:

• Ground beef, chicken, or turkey
• Roasted sweet potatoes
• Pieces of whole grain bread with nut butter
• Tofu
• Soft spiral pasta
• Yogurt with peach puree

Snacks:

• Pieces of fruit
• Cereal
• Smashed avocado
• Yogurt
• Homemade muffin
• Whole grain crackers with hummus

Learn more:

• Your 9-month-old's growth and development
• Your 10-month-old's growth and development
• Recipes for babies 6 to 12 months old

Diet for a child aged 9-12 months

By 9 months the main complementary foods have already been introduced, so the expansion of the child's diet continues. It is important to know that at this age the consistency of the products should change from homogenized to finely and coarsely ground.
A meat dish for an older child can be offered in the form of meatballs, which diversifies the child's diet and stimulates the formation of chewing skills. Canned meat industrial production for children over 8 months. - coarsely chopped, spices and spices (white pepper, celery, parsley, dill, onion, basil, thyme) can be added to them.

The amount of fish puree increases to 60 g per day by 12 months. Fish is given 2 times a week boiled without broth (instead of meat).

At this age, children's pasta can be offered to the child.

The number of children's cookies and crackers is increased up to 10-15 g per day (2-3 cookies).

By the year it is useful to add finely chopped fresh garden greens (dill, parsley) to various dishes, which significantly enriches the diet with vitamins and minerals.

Sample diet for a 12 month old child:

breakfast 8 hours	Dairy-free or milk porridge* Butter Boiled egg yolk Fruit puree	150-200 g approx. 1 tsp. 1/2 pcs 50 g
lunch 12 noon	Vegetable puree Vegetable oil Meat puree (meatballs) or fish Bread/rust Compote	180 g about 1/2 tsp. 50 g 10 g 50 ml
afternoon snack 4 pm	Breast milk (kefir or yoghurt)** Cottage cheese Fruit puree Baby biscuits	100 g 50 g 50-70 g 2 pcs
dinner 20 hours	Vegetables or porridge** Meat puree Vegetable oil Fruit juice	180 g 20 g 1/2 tsp. 50 ml
before bedtime 11 pm	Breast milk (DMS)***	200 ml

* - dairy-free porridge should be diluted with breast milk or infant formula that the child receives. Milk porridge is diluted with water.
** - daily volume of kefir or yogurt can be up to 200 ml,
*** - baby milk formula

Approximate diet of a 12-month-old child with an allergy to cow's milk proteins:

breakfast 8 hours	Dairy-free porridge* Vegetable oil Fruit puree	150-200 g approx. 1 tsp. 50 g
lunch 12 noon	Vegetable puree Vegetable oil Meat puree/meatball Bread/crust Compote	180 g approx. 1/2 tsp. 50-70 g 10 g 50 ml
afternoon snack 4 pm	Breast milk or medicated formula for infants with cow's milk protein intolerance Fruit puree Rusk	150-180 ml 50 g 10 g
dinner 20 hours	Vegetables or dairy-free porridge** Vegetable oil Meat puree Fruit juice	180 g approx. 1/2 tsp. 30-40 g 50 ml
at bedtime 11 pm	Breast milk or formula for infants with intolerance to cow's milk proteins	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.

The materials were prepared by the staff of the Laboratory of Healthy and Sick Child Nutrition of the National Research Center for Children's Health of the Ministry of Health of Russia and are based on the recommendations given in the National Program for Optimizing Feeding of Infants in the First Year of Life in the Russian Federation, approved at the XV Congress of Russian Pediatricians (02.2009g.)

menu for a week, diet for a 9 month old baby with artificial and breastfeeding

Published: 06/20/2020

Reading time: 5 min.

Number of reads: 215304

Author of the article: Ponomareva Yulia Vladimirovna

Pediatrician, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Allergist-Immunologist

Your baby is 9 months old, and it's time to adjust his nutrition again. The activity of digestive enzymes is already high, teeth erupt in the crumbs, and the volume of the stomach becomes larger, which determines the possibility of increasing the amount of food per feeding and further expanding the diet. What can a child eat at 9months?" - this question very often worries the parents of a grown baby. By this age, the baby's nutrition already includes all the main food groups, and parents should try to diversify the child's menu, expanding the range of his taste sensations. In addition, a varied diet naturally provides a wide range of nutrients. Let's focus on the main food groups that should be on the menu of a 9-month-old baby.

Contents: 9-month-old baby is not enough, so mother's milk should now be no more than a third of the diet. It is best to leave breastfeeding (HF) before bed at night, as well as immediately after waking up in the morning. If the baby is formula-fed, an adapted formula for babies over 6 months of age can be offered at these meals.