What comes next?

It’s really quite simple to find lots of accurate information on what foods to introduce to babies between 6 and 7 months, as first foods. Less readily available, is information about what comes next, but before “toddler food”.

The next stage: 

Here are a few suggestions of things to try next (8 or 9 months):

***Please always check with your Doctor, and go over your family history of allergies with him or her, before introducing foods such as fish, berries, egg, and nut products.***

• A wider range of starchy foods – toast fingers, couscous, tiny pastas, oats, barley and lentils.
• Water from a sippy cup, throughout the day (best started when solids are). I recommend against any type of juice until at least age 1, (if not 2 or 3 years!).
• Nut butters for babies who don’t have a family history of allergic diseases. Use unsalted smooth versions, or make your own. Spread them thinly on toast or crackers. As with all food being introduced for the first time, watch VERY carefully for allergic reactions.
• Full fat dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese. Although you should wait until at least a year to begin to introduce cow’s (or goat’s or sheep’s) milk as a drink, it can be used in cooking or in your baby’s breakfast cereal. Yogurt is great as a “binder” for things like tiny alphabet pastas or chicken that has been sent through the food processor and finely chopped. Mix plain whole fat yogurt with food processed chicken and barley for a balanced supper!
• Meats and proteins such as egg yolk should be cooked and pureed or chopped into small soft bits. Tofu does not need to be cooked. Watch carefully for egg allergies. A good way to introduce yolk is to cook it up with some breakfast cereal that you know is safe. That way – if there is ANY sort of reaction, you know where from.
• Berries – while it used to be recommended to wait until closer to a year for nut butters and berries, research has now shown that waiting doesn’t lessen the likelihood of an allergic reaction, nor does it strengthen tolerance. This is a food with allergens though, so again, watch carefully when introducing! Strawberries are at the top of the list of berries to have a reaction to, so we recommend waiting until 10 – 12 months for those.

Gradually make the food a thicker consistency. Try offering mashed or minced food, including some lumps.

Eat well!