Your baby's nutritional needs from 7 to 9 months
Food becomes an increasingly important source of nutrition as your baby’s adventure of discovery progresses. Find out what they need and how you can ensure they get it.
As weaning progresses, food becomes an increasingly important part
of your baby's diet. Your baby is getting more active and needs
more energy. At the same time, the balance of nutrients your baby
requires changes.
During the first year of life, babies need a higher fat diet
than adults to support their rapid growth and development.
Your baby's nutritional requirements from 7 to 9 months
- Your baby should still be having breast milk or a minimum of
500-600ml of follow-on formula milk.
- Include some starchy foods, such as potatoes, pasta, rice,
bread or baby cereal, with each meal.
- Give your baby one or two servings of the following:
soft-cooked meat, for example stewed or braised, fish, hard-boiled
egg, tofu or pulses such as beans or lentils every day. Red meat
such as beef, lamb and pork, is an excellent source of iron which your baby
needs, as the store of iron with which they were born will have
been used up now.
- Include a serving of fruit or vegetables at two or more meals
every day. In particular, try to include fruit and vegetables that
are high in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, kiwi fruit, tomatoes,
peppers and strawberries. Vitamin C helps your baby absorb
iron from non-animal
sources.
- If you are breast feeding a baby of six months and over, you
should also give them baby vitamin drops. Speak to your health
visitor for more information.