Feeding Baby: 7-8 months

Second post in the series:

Once a wide variety of purees have been mastered, start to make the foods lumpier.  Research has indicated that feeding only pureed foods after 9 months will lead to a pickier eater.  Switch to coarsely mashed food, leave lumps in the blended food already feeding, and add broccoli, blueberries, mango, pineapple, spinach, cauliflower, and cucumber.

Once baby has mastered the coarser food, start soft/cooked table foods cut into tiny pieces (banana, squash, carrots, peas, potatoes, green beans, soft-cooked pasta, soft-cooked chopped veggies, soft diced fruit, mashed potato, beans/lentils).  Also add yogurt, wheat cereal, and cooked/mixed grains.

Work up to offering solids three times per day.

Don’t give dairy or corn under 9 months.

Give baby her own spoon.  Dip it in her food and let her try to get it into her mouth.  It will be messy, but this is how she learns!  To make sure she gets food, alternate bites between feeding with your spoon and letting her take a bit with her spoon.