9 Months Baby Nutrition

As your baby approaches 9 months old, their nutritional needs will continue to change and evolve. It’s important to provide a well-balanced and varied diet to support their growth and development. Learn about the best foods to introduce at this age, as well as helpful tips for introducing new flavors and textures. Get expert advice on how to ensure your 9 month old is getting the nutrients they need to thrive.

9 Months Baby Nutrition

Your baby is 9 months old! What new foods are being added to your baby’s diet this month? How do meal frequencies change?

Let’s take a look together.

The 9th month is an important month for us. Slow cooker meals can now be used in your baby’s feeding. In this month, your baby gets rid of mixed purees and easily transitions to a diet of combining individual vegetables with meat. Babies of mothers who prefer the “BLW method” have already switched to feeding in this way.

During these months, your baby can roll food in his mouth with the movement of his tongue to either side.

Number of Meals and Feeding Frequencies in 9 Months Old Baby Nutrition

You’re wondering, aren’t you? Let’s examine it together.

For the first year, your baby needs about 103-105 calories per day.

Still the most important nutrient for your baby is breast milk, formula if he can’t get breast milk. During these months, you can leave the lumpy purees completely and soften the fruits and vegetables and put them in front of you. Although he only uses it as a game material in the beginning, if you are patient, he will slowly start to eat it.

The baby should definitely sit at the table with the family and eat at the table as a member of the family.

Protein requirement; It is very important for the construction of new tissues, height and weight gain, growth and development, and maturation of body functions in your baby.The protein requirement of a 6-9 month old baby is 

1.4 grams with breast milk and 2.7 grams with supplementary food.During these months, red meat is added to your baby’s menu. Red meat is a good source of protein.

A 9-month-old baby should be fed 3-4 meals a day. Depending on your baby’s development, one or 2 snacks can be added in addition.

If the energy density or nutrient content is low, more frequent meals can be given if she is not breastfed. You can consult the doctor who monitors your baby’s development.

Note! The stomach capacity of a 9-month-old baby is 210-250 ml.

What Can a 9 Month Old Baby Eat?

In addition to those 6th, 7th, and 8th months, your baby can start eating the following foods as well.

Meats

Red meat is a very important source of iron, and the iron in red meat is very easy to absorb.

At 9 months, you can start giving your baby very tender meats. Your baby can consume meat in small pieces.

Meat and bone broths can be added to soups.

Home cooking

By lightly crushing the meals, your baby can consume all home-cooked meals without salt or spices.

After the ninth month, the baby should sit at the family table and be given the opportunity to eat by himself. Your baby will like it when you give spoons and forks to his hands.

You can also apply the philosophy of “Let go but follow” during these months.

Your baby does not need additional salt until one year old . Let’s take care to make the dishes without salt, tomato paste and spices.

You may be interested in reading our “Forbidden Foods for Babies Before 1 Year Age” article.

Up to 6 months, babies get the salt they need from breast milk. The amount of salt in the foods they eat will be sufficient for babies who start complementary feeding to solid foods past the 6th month.

Apart from that, salt added to food harms your baby.

Sometimes mothers can have such a perception. The food is tasteless, without salt. My baby doesn’t like the taste. However, no matter how unsalted it tastes, your baby accepts that food as it is because he does not know the salty form of that food.

The same is true for simple sugar. 

Studies have shown that children who consume artificial sugar do not like the sugar of natural fruit.

You should give your baby foods that contain natural sugar, such as fruit, instead of foods containing artificial, simple sugar.

Try to cook meals with olive oil. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and contains oleic acid. This fatty acid is very important for vascular health. Olive oil is a powerful antioxidant and protects against cancer. In addition, olive oil is good for constipation, which is common during the transition to solid food.

Let’s not exaggerate the amount of olive oil when using it because it is healthy.

Grape molasses

Molasses is one of the most nutritious foods for babies. Molasses is an iron store and is of great importance for the production of red blood cells .

Molasses is a very valuable food in terms of minerals such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

Its blood-forming properties and energy source make molasses even cooler.

Iron deficiency causes anemia.

In the 9th month, instead of sugar, which is an empty energy source, you can start with blood-forming molasses, but it should be noted here that you should add a small amount of molasses to the baby or into recipes, as it is a sugary food.

I have a recommendation for you about molasses.

The Importance of Vitamins and Minerals in Infant Nutrition

Vitamin A

Vitamin A baby required for

• Growth and development
• Muscle protein and RNA synthesis
• immune system

Vitamin A Sources

• Liver, fish, milk, egg yolk, spinach, carrots, tomatoes and green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D your baby required for

• Bone development
• Use of calcium and phosphorus in your body

Vitamin D Sources:

The best source of vitamin D is the sun.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C for your baby is important for

• Collagen tissue construction,
• Active use of iron,
• immune elements,
• Use of Calcium, Folic acid, B1, B2, Vit A, Vit E
• cholesterol metabolism

Vitamin C Sources:

Rosehips, green and red peppers, citrus fruits, tomatoes and potatoes.

9 Months Baby Nutrition Chart

When you wake up:  breast milk

Breakfast:  Egg yolk + curd cheese + 1 teaspoon of molasses

Snack: Breast milk

Lunch: Vegetable soup + rye bread

Snack: Breast milk

Snack: Yogurt + apple

Dinner: A small portion of meat

Snack: Breast milk

Overnight: Breast milk

Attention!  This list may vary for each baby. There may be babies who suckle excessively, as well as babies who prefer to be fed in a variety of ways. This is just an example of which meals you can add additional food to during the transition to solid food. For babies who cannot get breastmilk, you can replace it with a formula.