As your child has grown and changed over the past 8 months, his diet has changed as well. He's gone from exclusively eating breast milk and formula to pureed foods and juices. He's in for some more changes as he approaches 9 months, especially when it comes to his diet.
Development at 9 Months
At 9 months, your baby is ready to explore the limits of her physical ability. She should be able to sit up unsupported, and she may be able to crawl and pull herself up to stand, according to KidsGrowth.com. All this mobility expends a lot of energy, so your little one should have a healthy appetite.
Breast Milk/Formula
Traditional feedings, such as formula or breast milk, are still your baby's primary sources of nutrition. If your baby is breastfed, he should continue to have as much as he wants. If he's formula-fed, he should be getting three or four bottles a day, with about 7 or 8 oz. in each bottle, advises the website BabyCenter. In either case, he's getting less nutrition in the form of traditional feedings than he's been getting in recent months. Now that he's having more table food, he doesn't need as much liquid.
Table Foods
By 9 months, your baby should be getting started on table foods. The same foods you eat can be fed to your baby, as long as they're small and soft enough for her to chew and don't contain any exotic seasonings. Be careful not to give your baby too many different types of food too soon; if she has an allergic reaction, you won't be able to tell which food caused the reaction, notes the "Parents" Magazine website.
Self-Feeding
In conjunction with table foods comes your baby's ability to feed himself. Self-feeding will not only help your baby to work on his hand-eye coordination, but he'll also learn how to pick up objects with his thumb and index finger. Once he masters this skill, he'll be able to pick up pretty much anything, so keep an eye out to make sure he doesn't put anything dangerous into his mouth, suggests AskDrSears.com, a website created by pediatrician Bill Sears.
The Coming Months
Your baby has come a long way in her first 9 months, and there's plenty more to come. By the time she's a year old, she'll be off formula and breast milk entirely, and her table foods will become her primary source of nutrition, says KidsHealth from Nemours. Switching over to milk may help her in transitioning into a sippy cup, and her new reliance on table foods can help her to embrace a more regular eating schedule.
Member Comments