Feeding Your Baby - 9 to 12 months • Back to Feeding Your Baby • Family Foods • Messy Meals • Sample Menu - 9 to 12 months • Snack Sense Family Foods Now is the time to change slowly from mashed baby foods to regular family foods. Your baby is ready to begin chewing foods if he/she has a few teeth or even none at all. You don’t need to wait for your baby to have teeth before offering small pieces of foods or foods with a “chunky” texture. Babies can chew soft foods with their gums. If you wait too long before offering regular foods, you will find it hard to get your baby to try them. Offering new foods is not something you do all at once. Meals that have a small amount of one regular food and plenty of mashed baby foods are a good way to start. Most foods from Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating are fine for your baby. Try to provide a wide variety of foods from each food group. Continue to serve your baby plain foods, without added sugar, fat or salt. Always watch your child when he/she eats. To the top Messy Meals Make mealtimes fun. Let your child feed him/herself and play with the food. “Practice makes perfect” but it also makes a mess, so be prepared! A sheet of plastic under the high chair will make clean up easier. Keep an eye on your baby as he/she eats, but don’t help with all of the feeding. Your baby will learn by watching you eat, so set a good example. Relax and enjoy your meals. Think of it as a fun family time. To the top Sample Menu - 9 to 12 Months Feeding Kind of Food Breakfast • Breastmilk or Iron-fortified formula 6-8 oz. • 4-8 tbsp. infant cereal • 2-3 tbsp. fruit Lunch • Breastmilk or Iron-fortified formula 6-8 oz. • 1-3 tbsp. meat or meat alternatives • 3-4 tbsp. vegetables • 3-4 tbsp. fruit Later Afternoon • Breastmilk or Iron-fortified formula 6-8 oz. Supper • Breastmilk or Iron-fortified formula 6-8 oz. • 2-3 tbsp. meat or meat alternatives • 3-5 tbsp. vegetables • 2-3 tbsp. fruit Evening • Breastmilk or Iron-fortified formula 6-8 oz. This feeding is optional.  It may depend on the amount and  variety of other foods your baby is eating throughout the rest of the day. Adapted from “Sample Menu Ideas for Babies on Solid Foods”, A Guide to Infant Feeding from Birth to 24 months, KFL&A Health Unit, 1995. oz.=ounces  tbsp.=tablespoon  infant cereal=pablum Here are some of the foods you might want to try: MILK PRODUCTS VEGETABLES & FRUIT Yogurt Cheese bits or grated cheese Cottage cheese Ricotta cheese Fresh or frozen vegetables Fresh or canned fruits in their own juice Potatoes or sweet potatoes MEAT & ALTERNATIVES GRAIN PRODUCTS Tofu Split pea or any lentil soup Poultry, beef or pork Fish, such as canned tuna and salmon. Remove bones. (Note: avoid shellfish until after 2 years of age) Pasta (any kind, any shape) Grains (rice and barley) Cooked oatmeal (add some stewed fruit) Bagels Pancakes, French toast or muffins Crackers & breadsticks (look for low salt, whole grain varieties) Bread or toast (try a variety of breads) To the top Snack Sense If the time between meals seems too long for your child, offer foods from the four food groups as snacks. “Finger foods” such as cooked vegetable sticks, peeled fruit pieces, cheese sticks, and dry toast are good for teaching both chewing and independence. CAUTION: Foods which may cause choking in children under 3 years of age include nuts (alone or in foods), hot dogs, seeds, pieces of raw fruit and vegetables, small candies, popcorn, or whole grapes. Have your child sit down for snacks to reduce the risk of choking. Cut food into very small pieces for your child to eat. Pieces should be no bigger than the size of a cheerio until 20-22 months of age. Click here for more on decreasing the risk of choking. Offer water, milk, or diluted fruit juice with a snack from a “sippy cup” between meals. Caution: Children with unlimited access to a sippy cup with milk or juice or other fluids high in sugar have an increased risk of tooth decay. A child should not be sipping milk or juice from a sippy cup constantly all day. Keep it to meals and snacks. Babies can chew soft foods with their gums. To the top