How are my baby's eating skills developing?
Somewhere between seven and nine months, your baby will start to develop the skills necessary to eat finger foods. She'll probably start trying to pick up objects with her thumb and forefinger. This is called the pincer grasp. She'll also continue to put everything she can into her mouth. This is another sign that she's ready to try new foods.Most babies reach for food on other people's plates at around seven or eight months of age. Your baby is just trying to mimic the way you eat. She may also grab the spoon you are using to feed her. This can make feeding her a little more tricky. Try giving her a spoon to hold while you feed her with another.
She'll start to imitate chewing patterns as well, moving her jaw from side to side. She still doesn't have enough teeth to actually chew yet, but it's important she gets used to swallowing lumpier foods.
Which foods can I offer my baby?
Offer her foods like mashed rice with curd, dal, or any seasonal vegetable and softish finger foods as well as smooth purées.This is also the time to start offering her finger foods such as:
- sticks of well-cooked carrot
- bite sized pieces of soft fleshy fruits such as musk melon, water melon, sapotas (cheeku), ripe papaya, pear, mango or banana
- unsalted breadsticks
- boiled potato wedges
- small pieces of paneer
- boiled macaroni with a bit of butter or cheese
- toast
- small pieces of cucumber
- peeled chunks of apple
This will help your baby get used to feeding herself. It is best not to give your baby sweets, biscuits and rusks. They don't offer many nutrients and your baby may get into the habit of expecting sweet snacks.
You baby may now enjoy foods that are more filling and have stronger flavours. You can introduce her to:
- soft well cooked pasta shapes
- bite sized steamed vegetables -such as peas, beans, sweet potato, cauliflower
- breads (avoid granary or multigrain breads for now because the hard pieces may increase the risk of choking)
- bite sized pieces of paranthas and chapatis
- besan cheela,moong dal cheela
- cheese and whole wheat sandwich
- small cubes or pieces of cheese
- rice cakes or mini idlis
- lentils and other cooked pulses (avoid heavy and hard-to-digest chana dal, chana and rajma)
- dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach (paalak) and fenugreek (methi)
- unsalted nut butters (unless you have a family history of allergies)
- soft, cooked lean meat such as chicken or fish (carefully de-boned)
- chicken nuggets
- puffed rice (murmure or pohri)
- teething biscuits made of whole wheat flour
- breadsticks made of millet (jowar)
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