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Feeding Your Baby–Six to 12 Months

Feeding time is a special time...

Introduce new foods one at a time to allow your baby to adjust and accept the new experience. Doing so allows you to watch for possible reactions to a new food. If your baby doesn’t want to eat a new food, offer it again later. Your baby may need to try a new food 10 to 16 times before accepting it.

Tips to get started

  • Wash your hands and your baby’s hands before you make food or feed your baby.
  • Start small and offer one to two teaspoons of food once a day.
  • Sit your baby in a high chair and use the safety belt to secure him or her.
  • Sit your baby facing you so he or she doesn’t have to turn to eat from a spoon.
  • Encourage your baby to use a spoon and his or her fingers to eat.
  • Have your baby practice drinking from a cup.
  • Don’t stress. Feeding is messy.
  • Throw out any leftover food your baby didn’t eat.

Your baby will do best when:

  • He or she is calm, wide awake, and not too hungry.
  • You talk quietly and kindly. Your baby wants your attention and is learning something new. Put away mobile devices while you share this time together.
  • You watch for cues that your baby is still hungry or is full. Your baby will turn his or her head away or close his or her mouth when he or she is full. Your baby will fuss if you take food away too soon and he or she is still hungry. Follow your baby’s lead!
  • You let your baby set the pace.

Feeding Your Baby at 6-12 Months

Watch For Food Reactions
Sometimes a baby will react to a new food. It may be just a temporary reaction. However, in a very small number of cases, it could be an allergic reaction. If you have a family history of food allergies, your baby may be at higher risk.

Signs of a food reaction are:

  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Stomach pain
  • Skin rashes, like eczema
  • Coughing
  • Wheezing or other breathing problems

If you see a reaction after your baby eats a new food, stop feeding that food and call your doctor or nurse. If you don’t see a reaction after five days, continue feeding your baby that food and start another new food.

Foods That May Cause a Reaction
  • Foods that contain peanuts or nuts, like peanut butter, candy, baked goods such as peanut butter cookies
  • Fish and other seafood
  • Foods that contain wheat, like toast or bread, noodles, teething biscuits, soft tortillas, zwieback
  • Foods that contain corn, like whole or cream corn, soft tortillas, grits
  • Egg whites
  • Soy products, like soy drinks and tofu
  • Citrus fruits, like oranges
  • Strawberries
Foods That May Cause Choking
Your child could choke on hard or round foods, such as:
  • Raw vegetables, like carrots or celery
  • Fruits with skin or a peel, like apples
  • Chicken bones
  • Nuts
  • Potato, corn or tortilla chips
  • Hard candies
  • Cookies
  • Dried fruits, like raisins

Round foods like grapes or hotdogs should be cut up into small pieces.