What To Feed 9 Months Old Baby? 10 Great Food Ideas

Are you confused about what to feed your 9-month old baby? Wondering what not to feed your baby? Is your baby old enough to be exposed to solid food? Don’t stress out. Just relax because we have some answers to share with you about food ideas for 9 month old baby.

Introducing or exposing the solid food is a great challenge for a mother in the first developmental stage of baby’s life. The baby solid foods are very much important for the babies as it helps in their growth and development. The intake of solid food helps the baby develop their brain and their body.

In this article, we will guide you with brief information about what to feed 9 months old baby and the meal ideas for 9 month old baby.

Proper Diet For 9 Months Old Baby:

The ninth month is a very crucial and exciting month for the baby as they learn to crawl, play independently, and even start communicating a little bit. Proper diet or food ideas for 9 months old baby is very important as it helps to keep the body and brain healthy for accomplishing new skills.

Certain fruits and healthy vegetables like blueberries, mangoes, etc., are rich in antioxidants which help in boosting the immune system.

Healthy solid foods are rich in vitamins, nutrients, and minerals which are essential for the baby’s development and growth.

The solid food helps in maintaining bone health and improvement of muscle functioning as some healthy foods are rich in calcium.

How Many Times A Day Should A 9 Month Old Baby Eat:

• As you’re creating a new schedule for your 9-month-old baby, keep in mind that most of the babies need solid foods three times a day, with addition about 24 to 32 ounces of breast milk or formula within the 24-hour period.
• Do not start offering new food daily to the baby. Just wait for two or three days to spot allergic reactions like diarrhea, vomiting or rash in your baby.
• Do not ignore the food when the baby rejects to take it for the first time. Try it for 8 to 10 times because there are chances that your baby accepts it after several days.
• Do not start directly with rice cereal as it is unlikely to trigger any of the allergic reactions.
• Do not offer veggies first. Instead of that, start feeding with fruit.

Food Idea for 9th Months Old Baby/Fruit Chart/ Meal Plan For 9th Month Old Baby:

Week 1:

Or You Can Try Something Else:

Food To Avoid:

There are a few foods that should be avoided for a 9-month-old baby. These include:

1. Honey:

Honey should be avoided for a 9-month-old baby’s food chart. It has a bacterium that can cause an infection known as infant botulism. Honey especially affects the baby’s growth and development of teeth.

2. Some Type Of Fish:

There are some types of fishes which should be avoided in the 9-month-old baby food lists. Fishes such as swordfish or marlin and shark take a back seat for a 9-month baby as it contains a high level of mercury.

3. Egg:

Before giving an egg to babies, do check whether the babies pose any kind of allergic reaction to it or not. Always make sure that the egg is well cooked, both the white and yellow portion of the egg.

Also Read: Sign and Symptoms of Egg Allergy

4. Whole Nuts:

Try to avoid giving whole nuts to the baby aged under five as it causes choking.

5. Salt:

Studies have proved that the baby should have less than 1 gm of salt a day. So, try to avoid adding salt to the baby food as the kidney can’t tolerate it.

6. Sugar:

Sugar rich foods are bad for a 9-month baby. It is harmful to the baby’s teeth as it can lead to a cavity. Give fruits with natural sugars but not ice creams, sugary custards, biscuits or sweets.

How Much Should a 9-Month Old Baby Eat?

As per the American Academy of Pediatrics, (R) full it recommends to wait for at least 6 months to start adding in solid foods, but in some cases, the mothers start as soon as 4 months as long as certain developmental stages have been reached out.

As you’re creating a new schedule for your 9-month-old baby food chart, just keep in mind that most of the babies need solid foods three times a day, with addition about 24 to 32 ounces of breast milk or formula within the 24-hour period.

Homemade Baby Food Recipe

1. Apricot and Banana Food with Cinnamon:

Anything with cinnamon works great for babies. It is really yummy and delicious. You can feed your baby at breakfast with this homemade baby food recipe.

All You Need:

1. 2 ripe bananas
2. 2 ripe apricots
3. 1 small pinch of cinnamon

How To Do:

1. First Peel bananas and cut the apricots into quarters, and remove the pit.
2. Using a food mill and fill it with bananas.
3. Scoop milled bananas into a medium bowl
4. Repeat the same with the apricots too.
5. Add a pinch of cinnamon to the bowl and stir all the ingredients together.
6. Then, take out into the freezer container and store it for 1-2 hr.

2. Pea Puree:

Peas contain a lot of essential nutrients required for the baby’s growth.

They look small in size but have an amazing source of nutrition, packing vitamins A and C, iron, protein, and calcium. This can be used as the first baby food to your baby.

All You Need:

1. 2-3 cups of Frozen Peas
2. 1/2 cups of breast milk

How To Do:

1. Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add peas, cover, and steam until tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Place peas and breast milk in a blender and puree it until into a creamy substance.
3. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve in order to remove any lumps.
4. Spread pea mixture into an ice cube tray, and cover it with plastic wrap and freeze until solid, 2 to 3 hours.
5. Transfer frozen cubes to a resealable plastic bag and store in the freezer.
6. To serve, heat cubes in the microwave for about 30 seconds until warm but not hot.

3. Baked Sweet Potato Puree:

Instead of potato, you can give sweet potato to your baby as it is healthier and nutritious. It is loaded with vitamins, antioxidants (R), and a lot of fibers in it.

All You Need:

1. 2 medium sweet potatoes

How To Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F / 200 C / 180 C Fan. Scrub the potatoes and prick with a fork.
2. Place it baking tray and roast for about 40-45 minutes until it gets wrinkled and tender.
3. Remove it from the oven, and cut the potatoes in half, scoop out the flesh and make a puree of it in a food processor until it is smooth.
4. You can add a little milk to thin out the consistency.
5. For a quick method, you can microwave the Sweet Potato – Scrub the sweet potato and prick with a fork. Cook in a microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes until soft.  Cut the sweet potato in half and scoop out the flesh, mix with a little breast or formula milk or cooled boiled water to make a smooth consistency.

4. White Fish, Carrot, and Leek Puree:

Fish is something that provides a healthy amount of omega 3 to that baby. It helps to boost the development of the baby’s central nervous system. This recipe contains carrots that are loaded with antioxidants.

All You Need:

1. 1 6-ounce fish fillet
2. 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3. 1 leek, white and green parts only, chopped
4. 1/2 cup water (reserved), breast milk or formula

How To Do:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring some water to a boil over medium heat. Then place the fish, carrots, and leek into a steamer basket and steam for 15 minutes, covered. Let cool slightly.
2. Transfer all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, adding 1/4 cup of liquid at a time, until you have reached your desired consistency.

5. Butternut Squash and Pear Puree:

This works great for babies as it doesn’t cause any allergies. The combination of butternut and pears is amazing. Babies simply love it.

All You Need:

1. 1 medium butternut squash
2. 1 ripe, juicy pear

How To Do:

1. Peel the butternut squash, cut in half, remove the seeds and chop into pieces.
2. Steam for about 12 minutes.
3. Peel, core and chop the pear; add to the steamer and continue to cook for 5 minutes or until the squash is tender.
4. Puree in a blender.

6. Avocado and Banana Baby Food:

The combination of this recipe makes this dish one of the best homemade baby food. It is rich in fats, fibers, potassium, and vitamin c.

All You Need:

1. 2 ripe avocado
2. 2 ripe banana

How To Do:

1. Cut avocados in half, remove the pith and scoop out with a spoon.
2. Peel bananas too.
3. Place all ingredients in a blender/food processor and blend till smooth.
4. Remove all the lumps.

7. Banana Puree:

Bananas are rich in potassium and iron. This is too good for a baby and it can be given to the baby as the first solid food. Bananas are also known as one of nature’s own antacids and are very gentle on the stomach.

All You Need:

1. 1-2 small banana

How To Do:

1. Peel a small banana and mash with a fork.
2. During the first stages of weaning, add a little milk
3. Serve with breast milk or formula if serving as First Foods Breakfast.

8. Avocado Puree:

Avocado is one that babies love a lot. Anything with avocado is too yummy and delicious. It has good fats in it. It helps boost the baby’s brain and physical development.

All You Need:

1. 1 full avocado

How To Do:

1. Blend the avocado in a food processor.
2. Mix with breast milk, formula or water to reach desired consistency
3. And then serve it to the child.

Hope this article has provided a good amount of information about the 9 month old baby food lists. We are hoping your confusion has been cleared and it has provided with better clarity on the foods you should feed your 9 months old baby.