How to feed your baby after 6 months

How much should I feed my baby?

Follow your baby's cues for how much to feed. Start by offering a teaspoon or two. Don't rush. Some babies need to try a food many times before accepting it. If she's not hungry, she'll turn her head and close her mouth. If she's hungry, she'll get excited and open up.

Never trick or coax her to eat more by playing games or offering sweetened foods. Babies who are allowed to follow their own hunger cues are much less likely to overeat later in life.

Try foods with different tastes and textures to help your baby learn how to handle foods in her mouth.

Your baby's development	How often to feed	Type of food
Sits with support	2-3 times a day*	Puréed, mashed food and semi-solid foods
Sits on own	2-3 times a day*	Family foods, small amounts of soft mashed foods without lumps
Crawls	3-4 times a day*	Family foods, ground or soft mashed foods with tiny soft lumps; crunchy foods that dissolve, such as whole grain crackers
Walks	3 meals and 2 snacks a day*	Coarsely chopped foods; foods with more texture; toddler foods; bite-sized pieces of food; finger foods
* Plus breast milk, formula, or whole cow's milk, depending on your child's age

Water and juice

Babies who are exclusively breastfed don't need extra water. When your baby begins to eat other foods, you can start to offer water occasionally.

• Babies and children don't need to drink juice. Too much juice, especially apple juice, can cause diarrhea and can fill up small stomachs, decreasing your baby's appetite for nutritious foods. Too much juice can also cause early childhood tooth decay.
• If you do offer juice, be sure it is only 100% fruit juice. Always offer it in a cup, and as part of a meal or snack. Offer water to babies and young children between meals and snacks if they are thirsty. Limit juice to 125 to 175 mL (4 to 6 oz.) per day.

Are there any foods my baby shouldn't eat?

• Babies shouldn't be offered sugary drinks or foods, such as candies, soda/pop or energy drinks.
• Don't give honey to babies under 1 year old, as there is a risk of infant botulism (food poisoning).
• There is no reason to delay the introduction of common food allergens (such as eggs, fish or nuts). If you have concerns, please speak to your health care provider.

Is there anything else I should know about feeding my baby?

• Always wash your hands before breastfeeding and your baby's hands before he eats.
• Wipe your baby's gums with a soft, damp cloth twice a day for good oral health.

How can I prevent choking?

Young children don't know how to chew food into tiny pieces. And they haven't learned how to bring a piece of food back up when it gets caught going down. Foods most likely to cause choking are small, round or cylindrical in shape, like hot dogs, whole grapes, carrot slices, seeds and hard candy.

To protect your baby:

• Always supervise your children while they are eating.
• Make sure your child is sitting down to eat.
• Grate raw vegetables such as carrots to make them easier to chew.
• Cook hard fruits and vegetables to soften them.
• Slice round foods such as hot dogs or grapes lengthwise.
• Remove pits from fruits.
• Chop or scrape stringy meat and add broth to moisten it.
• Spread sticky foods like fruit butters thinly on a cracker or toast rather than bread.
• Don't feed your baby whole nuts, popcorn, gummy candies, hard candy, or fish with bones.

Developmental milestones related to feeding

Age	Physical milestones	Social milestones
Birth to 4 months	opens mouth wide when nipple touches lips sucks and swallows	recognizes source of milk by about 10 weeks
4 to 6 months	sucking strength increases brings fingers to mouth	socializes during feeding
6 to 9 months	drinks from a cup held by an adult eats soft food from a spoon begins rotary chewing (in a circular motion) enjoys holding food and finger-feeding	loves to be included at the table for meals begins to show likes and dislikes for certain foods
9 to 12 months	tries to use a spoon starts to finger feed with a more advanced grasp feeds at regular times	is aware of what others do imitates others
12 to 18 months	grasps and releases food with fingers holds spoon but use is awkward turns spoon in mouth uses a cup but may dribble	wants food that others are eating loves performing understands simple questions and requests
18 to 24 months	appetite decreases likes eating with hands likes trying different textures	is easily distracted prefers certain foods ritual becomes important