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FEEDING THE SEVEN- TO NINE-MONTH-OLD
Babies' food preferences and feeding skills go through stages, just like
other developmental skills, and other areas of development influence how babies
attack their food. First came the introducing solids stage where parents' main goal is to get baby through the
transition from liquids to solids and from sucking to mouthing and chewing. In
this stage, baby gets used to mouthing and swallowing different tastes and
textures. Most beginning eaters only dabble in solid foods, taking only a
couple spoonfuls of a few, select solids. An important principle of feeding is
both the food and the method of feeding should match. From seven to nine months,
babies develop several developmental skills that make mealtimes more
interesting:
- They begin to pick up objects with the thumb and forefinger.
- They develop
a fascination with tiny objects, such as morsels of food.
- They want to "do
it myself."
You can capitalize on a baby's developing fine motor abilities and growing
curiosity by adding new tastes and textures to baby's diet that give him an
outlet for these skills. By nine months, it's time for finger foods.
- cooked carrots
- rice cakes
- O-shaped cereals
- pasta/spaghetti
pieces
- mashed potatoes
- teething biscuits
- tofu
- noodles
- peas and
beans
- egg yolk
- more cereals: rice, barley, wheat, oatmeal
- cubes of
cheese, 1/2-inch
- cubes of cooked fruit (fruit cocktail size)
A baby's growing ability to put things in her mouth also means parents need
to be more cautious. The ability to pick up and mouth tiny objects means that
parents need to be more vigilant about foods that can cause choking. As a
precaution, emphasize melt-in-the-mouth finger foods, such as rice cakes, pasta,
bagels, and cooked carrots. Stay away from crunchy, raw fruits and vegetables.
Raw carrots, nuts, and seeds can wait until your child is at least three-years-
old.
(See: Feeding At A Glance: Birth to 24 Months)
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