Help Your Baby Feed Himself

By nine months of age, your baby
can grasp food and get it to his
mouth. He will be more successful
feeding himself if you serve the right
foods in the right sizes.

Serve finger foods as part of the main
meal. For example, you may need to
spoon feed cereal and peaches, but
your baby can manage to feed himself
small pieces of cracker.

Let your baby discover the tastes and textures of finger foods. Watch your
baby carefully as you give him very small pieces of the following finger foods:

• Toasted bread crusts
• Crackers
• Zwieback toast
• Cheese cubes
• Cooked pasta
• Slices of ripe peach or pear
• Rice

Cooked vegetables also make great finger foods. Offer small amounts of
cooked squash, sweet potato, white potato, beans and carrots. Avoid raw
vegetables now. Your baby doesn’t have enough teeth to chew hard food.

Equipment for happy meals

Highchair. If you have one, make sure it’s sturdy. It should have a big
tray as well as a harness or safety belt. Spread newspaper or towels
underneath at mealtime to make cleaning up easier.

• Bibs. Look for rigid plastic bibs with a pocket designed to catch spills.
• Dishes. Use a heavy plastic bowl that won’t slide around on the high
  chair tray table. You can serve most foods at room temperature or a
  little warmer.
• Cups. Serve liquids in a baby cup with two handles and a lid with a
  spout. This kind of cup makes learning to drink easier.

This content has been provided freely by CMC. Click Healthy Start, Grow Smart—Your-Nine-Month-Old for your free download. Click GreatDad Free Ebook to download the entire Health Start, Grow Smart series.

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