The journey with introducing solids can be a fun, but also challenging, adventure. I know along our starting solids journey with my first daughter, I had so many questions. How many meals should she be eating? How do I serve the foods safely? What foods should I even serve? And even though I am a dietitian, I still found myself second guessing everything! So here I've included easy baby-led weaning meal ideas for a 9 month old baby and an example day of what I fed my own 9-month old baby!
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One thing I found really helpful was seeing real-life examples of what other parents were feeding their babies. So I'm sharing a peek into an example day of eating for my 9 month old - baby-led weaning edition! This is meant only as inspiration for you! Every baby’s journey with food looks different, and that’s totally okay.
Table of Contents
- A note about high chairs for baby-led weaning
- Sample Feeding Schedule for a 9-Month-Old (Baby-Led Weaning)
- Considerations for Baby-Led Weaning with a 9-Month-Old
- Baby Led Weaning Sample Meal Plan for 9 month old
- Here are some other meal ideas we love!
- Baby Led Weaning Breakfast Ideas For 9 Month Old
- Baby Led Weaning Lunch Ideas for 9 Month Old
- Baby Led Weaning Dinner Ideas for 9 Month Old
- Food modifications for 9 month baby
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Here we are at 9 months! My little one is a pretty good eater now, but it took us a while to get here. My daughter was not interested in solids until well over 7 months.
Tips if your child is a bit slow to take to solids:
- Even if your child isn't showing signs of readiness to start solids or interest in foods just yet, still bring them to the table and let them watch you eat food! Babies learn from watching us!
- Avoid pressure or force-feeding. If your baby isn’t interested in food, they may be communicating that they’re not ready. Follow their lead and continue offering opportunities without stress.
- Check your baby’s feeding setup.
- Do they have a footrest for stability in their high chair?
- Can they easily reach the food on their tray?
A supportive seating position can make a big difference in their comfort and readiness to explore solids.
A note about high chairs for baby-led weaning
When we first started introducing solids, we used a Graco high chair. It worked well for our first daughter, but when we tried it with our second, she just didn’t seem comfortable. The tray was too high, and the seat was too deep, which made her lean a bit awkwardly. I tried rolling up towels and blankets to make it work, but eventually, we decided it just wasn’t the right fit. So we decided to invest in a more ergonomically friendly option.
I had always loved the Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair (affiliate link for the highchair through Snuggle Bugz), especially after hearing so many great things from friends. However, it does come with a steep price tag. I finally convinced my husband that this chair would earn back its value as it is durable and grows with the child. So we ordered the complete Stokke Tripp Trapp chair (affiliate link), the one that comes with the tray and seat pads and I absolutely LOVE it!
In my opinion, the Stokke Tripp Trapp is one of the best high chairs for baby led weaning.
While the Graco chair is great for the price, it just didn’t offer the comfort and adjustability our second daughter needed. Please note: this chair of course works great for so many kids! This was just our experience. With the Stokke, we could easily adjust the footrest to make sure her feet were supported, and we could adjust the seat height so the tray was just right. Plus, I love that we can push the high chair right up to our dining room table, allowing her to eat with us. There are some other high chairs with similar adjustability for your child, but they also come with pretty high price tags.
You can see in the photos above, she is a bit slumped in the Graco. But in the Stokke Tripp Trapp, she could easily reach foods on her tray, her feet are supported, and her shoulders are over her hips. I also don't trip over the chair legs like I did with the Graco!
Sample Feeding Schedule for a 9-Month-Old (Baby-Led Weaning)
Keep in mind, everyone's schedules will look a little different! But by this age, a baby is having about 2-3 meals a day and breastmilk/formula. There is a wide range in "normal" for baby's milk intake, whether that is through breastfeeding, expressed breastmilk, or formula. So if baby is growing well and peeing and pooping, then they are likely getting what they need!
At around 9 months, baby might be nursing at least six times per day, some maybe even more!
630/7am - Wake up, breastfeed
8/830am - Breakfast with big sis (see below for ideas). Although, this is often more about joining at the table to eat together and providing exposure to foods, then actually eating very much.
~10am - Breastfeed, nap
12/1230pm - Lunch
2/230pm - Breastfeed and nap
4/430pm - Sometimes a snack with big sis or breastmilk
530pm - Dinner
7pm - Nurse and bedtime
Considerations for Baby-Led Weaning with a 9-Month-Old
🥑 Breastmilk or formula remains the primary source of nutrition for babies under 12 months. Continue offering a variety of foods and bringing baby to the table. By 9 months, babies should be showing interest in solid foods and progressing in their textures.
🥑 Exposure and modelling are important pieces right now. Keep introducing different foods and textures to help your baby become familiar with them and build confidence in eating.
🥑 While breastmilk or formula is still the main source of nutrition, iron-rich foods are key at this stage. Babies’ iron stores start to decrease around 6 months, so regularly offering iron-rich foods helps meet their needs. You can check out my iron iron post here for iron-rich food ideas.
Baby Led Weaning Sample Meal Plan for 9 month old
Here’s an example of what I offered my 9-month-old in a day. This doesn’t mean she ate everything—quite a bit ended up on the floor (our dog is loving this stage). And for some foods, she showed interest in having more, so for the dinner below, I added some extra foods.
Breakfast for 9 month old baby
French toast strips with plain yogurt and shredded apple
I used a whole wheat bread and dipped it in an egg and cinnamon mixture. I then cooked it in a frying pan with a little bit of coconut oil. For the yogurt, I like offering a yogurt with a high milk fat percentage, such as this one we love from Tree Island! I then added some shredded apple into the yogurt
Lunch for a 9 month old baby
Salmon cakes with steamed cauliflower and cut up strawberries
I made simple salmon cakes using a can of salmon, bread crumbs, ground flax, an egg and some smoked paprika, then pan fried for 5-7 minutes. The canned salmon and egg provided some iron (a key nutrient we want to make sure we are offering). I served it with a large, very soft cauliflower floret and some cut-up strawberries. The strawberries were served as small, slightly smushed pieces because my daughter's pincer grasp is quite good, but you could also serve as thin full length slices.
Dinner for a 9 month old baby
Ground turkey meatball, yam, and avocado
We were having turkey pesto rice bowls as a family, so I pulled some of the ground turkey out and rolled it into a ball along with some mashed yam. The turkey provided some heme iron (iron that is better absorbed in the body compared to plant-based iron). There were also some finely diced mushrooms in the turkey mixture. I then cut up small pieces of avocado and the mashed some extra yam for my daughter to eat. We have only recently progressed to small pieces as her pincer grasp has continued to improve. Previously, I offered large strips for her to hold onto.
Here are some other meal ideas we love!
Baby Led Weaning Breakfast Ideas For 9 Month Old
1. Simple BLW pancakes served with cut up cherries and smushed blueberries
The cherries are cut into small quartered pieces, and and the blueberries are flattened. The pancake is served as small pieces, as my daughter has a developed pincer grasp, otherwise you can offer strips or larger pieces. Just a note that although I provide a spoon on the plate, my daughter doesn't quite use it successfully, but it is still good practice!
2. Cottage cheese with mashed raspberries and hemp hearts
4. Toast strips with strawberry chia jam and mashed hard boiled egg
5. Oatmeal with hemp hearts, smashed blueberries, and banana
Hemp hearts are a good source of plant-based iron, so I love sprinkling those in. I also mix in some iron-fortified oat cereal into the oatmeal for an added iron boost. The blueberries are smushed down and mixed in, and I add some small, smushed banana pieces on top.
6. Omelette strips with avocado and steamed apple half
My daughter loves these basic egg omelette strips. Served here with mashed avocado, and I like to steam large apple halves.
7. Iron fortified oat cereal with mashed berries and hemp hearts
Similar to the oatmeal above, but this has only the iron fortified oat cereal used. You can also mix up the type of berries you use.
Baby Led Weaning Lunch Ideas for 9 Month Old
1.Avocado toast strips with scrambled eggs, flattened blueberries and mango rolled in unsweetened coconut
I offer the toast with avocado in small bite-sized pieces, and make sure to squish down the blueberries. I like to roll slippery fruits like mango in some unsweetened shredded coconut to help my baby pick up the pieces!
2. Mashed lentil cakes (with grated carrot and bread crumbs and then pan fried), with steamed zucchini
3. Quinoa egg muffins with avocado, and steamed apple
This delicious savoury quinoa egg muffin recipe can be found in my Free SOS Lunch Guide! Served here with avocado strips and steamed apple.
#4. Baby led weaning meatballs with sweet potato fries
#5. Pita strips with hummus and cucumber (thin halves or quarters)
I like to lightly toast the pita and then add some hummus on them, as well as on the side and model dipping. I serve the cucumber as very thin halves or quartered slices.
Baby Led Weaning Dinner Ideas for 9 Month Old
1. Meatballs with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli
2. Shredded chicken with roasted yam fries and roasted cauliflower florets
3. Salmon (soft, flaked, check for bones) with avocado and steamed bell pepper strips
4. Pasta is always a favourite around here. We love adding in lentils to a pasta sauce like this one for an added iron, protein and fibre boost or a combo of ground beef and lentils.
Food modifications for 9 month baby
Here are a few tips for safely modifying foods for a 9 month old baby:
🥑 Foods should still be soft and easily squishable between your thumb and pointer finger. For raw veggies, steam, roast, or cook them until soft to make them safe for baby.
🥑 By 9 months, your baby’s pincer grasp is likely improving. While some foods can still be served in strips for easy holding, you can also start cutting foods into small pieces to help baby practice picking them up with their thumb and forefinger.
🥑 At this stage, babies are getting better at chewing, but they still need foods that are easy to mash with their gums. Avoid hard, crunchy, or sticky foods, and opt for textures that break down easily in the mouth, like ripe fruits, soft-cooked grains, or tender shredded meats.
I hope you've enjoyed this look into our feeding journey at 9 months! And just know, you're doing a great job!!
