SELECT STAGE
9–12 Months
YOUR BABY NEEDS
Signs your baby is hungry
FINGER-FEEDING
TRIES TO USE A SPOON
BEGINS TO USE A SIPPY CUP
FEED AT REGULAR TIMES
Food, quantity and consistency
Liquid
  • Breast milk
  • Infant formula, cow’s milk based
  • 3.25% fat Cow’s milk

LIQUID INTAKE

300 – 620 ml/day (3–4 servings/day)

Solid
  • Yogurt
  • Pancakes or soft French toast
  • Pasta or rice
  • Cottage cheese
  • Hard cooked egg
  • Cooked vegetables
  • Cooked or ripe fruit
  • Family foods (casseroles)

SOLID FOOD INTAKE

3 meals and 2 snacks

Consistency
  • Bite sized pieces
  • Increased texture
  • Mashed
  • Coarsely chopped
  • Finger foods
Key nutrients
DHA

DHA is an Omega-3 fat prominent in your baby's brain and important for their normal brain and eye development. By your baby's 2nd birthday, most of their brain growth will have already occurred.

TIP

If using an infant formula, use a formula supplemented with docosahexaenoic acid(DHA). Once on solids, fatty fish is another excellent way to ensure your baby’s diet is rich in DHA

DHA RECOMMENDATION:

6–12 months: 70mg/day of DHA

Iron

Iron is essential for your baby’s physical and mental growth, and as they grow they need more to avoid iron deficiency anemia. Once your baby is on solids, make sure you provide iron rich foods.

TIP

Iron from animal products, especially meat, is absorbed more easily than from other sources. Vitamin C also helps absorption of iron from plant sources (non-heme-iron).

IRON RECOMMENDATION:

7–12 months: 11 mg/day

Calcium

Your baby needs calcium for healthy development, especially of their bones and teeth.

TIP

The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends not introducing pasteurized whole cow’s milk (3.25%) until at least 9-12 months of age.†

CALCIUM RECOMMENDATION:

7–12 months: 260 mg/day

Introducing solid foods
When and how

At 6 months, you can begin introducing iron rich solid foods one at a time. Wait a least 2 days after each to identify which foods your baby won’t tolerate well. The amount she drinks well naturally decrease as her solid food intake increases.

TIP

For up to 9 to 12 months, your baby will get most of her nutrients from breast milk or formula. As your baby is learning to eat a variety foods with different textures, think of solids as a supplement to her diet.

Keep in mind, cow’s milk can become part of your babies diet, however, it is not nutritionally complete and should not be used to fill nutritional gaps.

Preventing choking

Start with nearly liquid foods, then gradually introduce foods with thicker textures. Always supervise infants when they’re eating.

TIP

Avoid foods like nuts, raw carrots, popcorn, hard, sticky or round candy, raisins, hot dogs and whole grapes.

Foods to avoid
  • All infants: Sugary drinks or foods
  • Infants under 1: Honey (risk of botulism)

TIP

Limit fruit juice as it may take the place of more nutrient-rich foods. Give only if baby is older than 6 months and drinking from a cup. Limit to 125 to 175 ml per day.

Breastfeeding
Signs your baby is getting enough to eat:

Breast milk provides the optional nutrition for your baby.

  • 6-8 wet diapers a day
  • Loose yellowish stool (1st month)
  • Appropriate weight gain

TIP

Lactating women should have at least 200 mg of DHA/day‡. Eat foods rich in DHA, especially fatty fish such as salmon, to support your baby’s normal brain and eye development.§

Vitamin D

All breastfed infants should receive a daily Vitamin D supplement of 400 IU (10 μg) until their diet provides it or they reach one year of age.

TIP

Babies in northern communities or with dark skin should get 800 IU (20 μg) per day from October to April.

* Average level of DHA and ARA in worldwide breast milk is 0.32% and 0.47% (mean ± standard deviation of total fatty acids) based on an analysis of 65 studies of 2,474 women).

† The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends not introducing pasteurized whole cow’s milk (3.25%) until at least 9-12 months of age.

‡ Koletzko B et al. J Perinat. Med. 2008;36:5-14

§ For example, herring, mackerel, pollock, salmon and shrimp. Visit Health Canada’s website for advice on how to limit exposure to mercury from certain types of fish.