Revised: Monday April 11 2011
Baby's First Foods
6 to 9 Months
Your baby needs iron for good health. You can provide her with iron by:
Tips for Feeding Your Baby
How do I start feeding my baby?
Up until now, your baby has only been drinking breast milk. He has to learn how to use his tongue to push food to the back of his mouth and swallow. This is a skill that can take some time. You can help by starting your baby off with foods that are watery like breast milk.
Start your baby on foods that are watery.
Next, move to lumpy foods.
Then, move to mashed foods.
Your baby needs to try different textures (thicknesses) to learn to chew. Babies who stay on watery foods too long may not want to eat thicker or harder foods.
Can I make my own baby food?
Yes. Making your own baby food is a healthy and cheaper way to feed your baby.
Iron Rich Foods: What kinds of meat and alternatives should I feed my baby?
- Keep meat, chicken, fish, and other meats moist so they are easy to swallow
- Add extra water or broth to meats and cooked beans
- You can also offer your baby silken (soft) tofu
- Give your baby fish such as white fish, salmon and light canned tuna.
- Swordfish, shark, fresh or frozen tuna steak, canned white tuna, marlin, and orange roughy often high in mercury. Do not give your baby these fish more than once a month.
- Do not give your baby deli meats such as ham, or hot dogs, because they are high in fat, salt and nitrites.
After your baby has started eating iron-rich foods, she needs other foods like vegetables and fruits.
When buying an infant cereal, read the label carefully. Choose a cereal that:
- Is iron-fortified
- Single grain (e.g. rice, oats or barley)
- Does not have extra sugar or fruit
- Does not contain infant formula
What types of infant cereal should I feed my baby?
- Start with an iron-fortified, single grain infant cereal
- Gradually try other single grain cereals, such as oats, barley, and wheat.
- Use mixed grain cereals only after your baby has tried each of the single grain cereals.
- Read the labels to make sure there is no infant formula in the cereal.
- Do not give adult cereals.
- Always feed cereal from a spoon. Never add cereal to a bottle.
Never offer solid foods mixed with liquids (breast milk) in a bottle because this can cause choking.
How do I mix infant cereal?
- Mix the dry cereal with breast milk.
- Follow the instructions on the package of cereal.
- At first make the cereal liquidy (milky).
- Add less breast milk to make the cereal thicker.
Start with mild tasting fruits and vegetables, like:
- Squash
- Peas
- Sweet potatoes
- Green or yellow beans
- Apples
- Peaches
- Pears
- Apricots
- Plums
- Bananas
- Avocados
What kind of vegetables and fruits should I give my baby?
- Try one new cooked vegetable or fruit at a time.
- Start with mild tasting foods.
- Wash and peel fresh vegetables and fruit before using.
- Cook all fruits and vegetables except bananas, papayas, avocados, mangos, and melon which you can mash
- As your baby gets older he can have soft pieces of food.
If you decide to use baby food in cans or jars:
- Use canned fruit in juice (not in syrup)
- “Fruit desserts” are high in sugar so avoid buying them.
- Store-bought jars that have both vegetable and meat in them have less nutrients.
- Give your baby extra meat or alternatives to make sure your baby gets the nutrients he needs.
Tap water is
routinely tested to make sure it is clean, safe and free of any pollutants.
What about juice and other drinks?
- Your baby gets enough to drink from breast milk.
- He does not need juice.
- You can give your baby tap water from a cup if he seems
thirsty.
- Do not give distilled, carbonated, or mineral water.
If you decide to give juice, wait until your baby is eating fruit and other foods and remember:
- Give your baby 100% pure fruit juices without added sugar.
- You do not need to buy special baby juice but check that the juice is pasteurized.
- You do not need to add water to juice, but limit juice to 1/2 cup (125 ml) of fruit juice per day.
- Serve juice in a cup.
- Do not give your baby fruit drinks, fruit punch, soft drinks, sports drinks, or herbal teas.
For more information:
Region of Peel — Public Health
905-799-7700
Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Caledon residents call free of charge at 905-584-2216
To speak with a Public Health Nurse
Baby's First Foods 
