9 Month Old Baby Food Chart, Food Menu and Recipes

Food for baby at 9 months

At this age your baby's main source of nutrition is still breastmilk/formula but solid food is now an even bigger part of their daily routine.

A baby should be eating 750 - 900 calories per day, with about 400 - 500 calories still coming from breastmilk/formula.

As your baby is developing a pincer grasp, looking for more autonomy, and maturing their oral-motor development, by now you should have moved from pureed or textured foods to softly cooked bite-sized food or finger food.

If you need more help, check out our guide on how to transition to finger foods.

Baby food chart 9 months

The baby food chart for 9 months provides recommendations for the amounts of foods from different food groups for a 9 month old baby.

This doesn't necessarily mean that all the food groups need to be followed in the exact amount as mentioned. Of course there will be fluctuations in the amounts and sometimes a whole food group will not be included in the daily plan and that is fine.

The baby food chart is based on the FAO/WHO/UNU Energy Requirements for an average 9-month-old who weighs 20.1 lbs (9.1 kg) and was created by Dora Babic-Cikos, Phd, our resident nutritionist.

You can check out her book Wean With Confidence for a full 6-12 Month Meal Plan here (7 months of nutritionist-made meal plans and over 100 recipes).

Foods for 9 month old

You can now start serving bite-sized pieces of very soft food cut the size of a pinky fingernail or smashed (such as peas or chickpeas).

• Fruits - cooked apples, strawberries, bananas, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mango, pineapples, oranges
• Vegetables - cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, swiss chard, kale, parsnips, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, eggplant, butternut squash, potatoes, sweet potato, asparagus, beetroot, avocado
• Protein - beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, pork, fish, eggs, lentils, chickpeas, beans, tofu
• Grains - oats, millet, wholewheat products (bread, tortillas, pittas, pasta, couscous), quinoa, barley, bulgur, rye products (bread, tortillas, pittas), rice (once a week due to high arsenic content)
• Dairy (pasteurized, no added sugar or salt) - cheese, full-fat yogurt, kefir
• Fats - nut butters, seed butters, olive oil, avocado

Foods to avoid

• Cow’s milk – digestive system not yet adapted
• Low-fat milk and dairy products – cause excessive intake of protein and low intake of essential fats
• Honey – can cause botulism
• Salt – kidneys not sufficiently developed
• Fruit juices – high sugar content
• Unpasteurized products – can contain dangerous bacteria
• Smoked & cured meats / processed food – excessive salt intake
• High mercury fish (fresh tuna, halibut, grouper, shark) – excessive intake of mercury
• Chocolate, especially dark – caffeine content

A nine month old baby should not have any cow's or goat's milk (unless used for cooking) but only breastmilk or formula.

If giving bottled breastmilk then roughly 24 ounces or 720 ml of formula spread between 3-5 feedings per day.

If breastfeeding, continue as you were. The baby knows when they are full and when they need more. How much and how long you breastfeed will depend on the routine you and your baby have set up until now. However baby may start feeding less and less because they are getting more calories from solid food, which is fine.

How much formula should a 9 month old drink?

A nine month old baby should have roughly 24 ounces or 720 ml of formula spread between 3-5 feedings per day.

Baby Food Menu for 9 month old

The sample menu below is based on the FAO/WHO/UNU Energy Requirements for an average 9-month-old who weighs 20.1 lbs (9.1 kg).

If your baby is bigger or smaller than this that is ok. Every baby is different and this is just an average.

This is not a personalized plan, so please bear this disclaimer in mind.

Each recipe can be made as a puree, baby-led weaning option or mashed food.

However, at this age, you most likely should be transitioning away from purees. You can learn more about how to do that safely and successfully in the Starting solids - how to transition to finger foods guide.

9 Month Old Meal Plan

Breakfast

• 8 oz breastmilk or formula

Lunch – Avocado Fruit Salad (click here for recipe)

• ½ medium-sized orange
• ¼ cup strawberries (sliced into small pieces)
• ⅛ avocado

Snack

• 8 oz breastmilk or formula

Dinner – Salmon Asparagus Pasta (click here for recipe)

• ½ cup whole-grain pasta (uncooked weight)
• ½ cup asparagus
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 oz salmon

Before bedtime

• 8 oz breastmilk or formula

Printable Meal Planner for 9 month old baby

Download, print and stick to your fridge this easy-to-use meal planner for your baby. Click here to download the PDF Meal Planner for Baby.

Feeding tips

• offer foods one by one to control for allergies
• start offering bite-sized pieces of food to your baby to help them develop pincer grasp (soft food the size of a pinky fingernail)
• offer small servings of food so child does not get overwhelmed
• always be present when baby is eating
• avoid salt and sugar
• no honey before 1 year old
• no cow's milk or goat's milk unless cooking
• don't worry about how much they are eating - breastmilk/formula is still the main source of nutrition and they are exploring new foods
• have a great bib to minimize cleaning
• serve food in a suction bowl so baby can scoop food out themselves
• teach them to drink little sips from an open cup from the beginning
• notice when baby is full because they will start turning their head away, clamp lips, throw food on the floor, spit food out, push food away
• start teaching them simple baby sign language (we focused only on "eat", "milk", and "water" to allow our babies to communicate their basic needs with us)