7-Month-Old Baby's Food: Solids, Food Chart And Recipes
If your baby has been transitioning from breastmilk to solid foods, a 7-month-baby food chart can be a helpful guide. During the first six months of life, babies drink breast milk or formula milk to get their complete nutrition. However, after six months, their needs can increase, and it is time to introduce solid foods.
Keeping the transformation slow and introducing foods one by one is essential. Try offering easily digestible, cooked, and mashed food first, then move toward blends. Keep the quantity small and be cautious about choking hazards.
This post provides detailed information on what to feed your 7-month baby and what quantities. It also provides a 7 month baby food chart with some interesting recipes.
AAP recommends mothers to continue breastfeeding their baby for at least up to 12 months. Offering nutrient-dense foods like pureed meats, iron-fortified cereals, and cooked vegetables can help support your 7-month-old baby’s growth and development. To ensure a balanced diet, it’s important to introduce various foods from different food groups, such as fruits, vegetables, proteins, and grains. At seven months, continue to breastfeed your baby while giving them some solid foods.
According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), continuing breastfeeding for longer can help reduce the risk of overweight/obesity by 13%, helping combat chronic diseases that obesity can cause over time. Hence, it can be said that breast milk may serve as a source of valuable nutrients even if the baby has started consuming solids. However, as the graph depicts, only 24.9% of babies were fed breast milk exclusively when they were six months.
As the data suggests, there is a decline in the number of babies who receive breast milk. CDC indicates that better practices must be implemented to help mothers reach their breastfeeding goals (21).
Blanca Garcia, RDN, nutrition specialist at MIDSS, says, “At seven months, an infant’s diet should be mostly breastmilk or formula. If solid foods have already started, they should be complementary to the milk. Only a few small spoons thrice a day are fine, but not whole meals that replace the milk altogether.” According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), following portions of food from different food groups may be included in your seven months old baby’s diet (1) (2).
Food group | Portion size (per day) |
---|---|
Breast milk or formula milk | 24 to 32 ounces (oz) |
Grain products | 1 to 2oz |
Fruits | 2 to 4oz; cooked, plain/strained/pureed/mashed |
Vegetables | 2 to 4oz; cooked, plain/strained/pureed/mashed |
Meat and protein-rich foods | 1 to 2oz; Cooked, plain/strained/pureed/mashed |
Traditionally, parents start with single-grain cereals (3) or single vegetable and fruit (blended, mashed or soft cooked). When your baby is around seven to nine months old, you may include a variety of foods from different groups (2) (4).
Garcia recommends, “Give foods that a seven-month-old can easily chew, such as pieces of banana (mostly mashed), mashed beans and strawberries, age-appropriate cookies, whole-grain pasta, whole-wheat bread, and steamed veggies, such as green beans and peas.”
Food group | Food items |
---|---|
Vegetables | Broccoli, cauliflower, peas, spinach, asparagus, parsnips, peppers, carrots, cabbage, avocado, green beans, kale, and pumpkin |
Fruits | Banana, apple, mango, blueberries, kiwi, pears, strawberries, papaya, melon, peach, plums, and oranges. |
Starch-rich foods | Potato, sweet potato, rice, porridge, oatmeal, oats, maize, millet, quinoa, cornmeal, and bread |
Protein-rich foods | Meat (chicken, lamb, fish without bones), eggs, pulses, lentils, beans, and tofu |
Dairy | Pasteurized full-fat yogurt without honey, sugar, and artificial sweeteners) Do not serve milk |
Boil and mash hard fruits like apples before serving it to the baby. You may blend fruits and vegetable purees with formula or breast milk. When choosing meat, you can also consider serving meat broth.
All foods should be soft to prevent the risk of choking. Make sure the baby eats slowly and in small portions.
Feeding the baby upright or placing them in a high chair during mealtime can help prevent choking (23).
Babies aged seven months and older should consume a well-balanced diet containing various foods from different food groups. However, there are some foods that your baby must avoid to prevent potential digestive issues and other health problems (1) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9):
Besides these, you should avoid feeding your baby foods with added salt, sugar, and saturated fat as they can negatively affect a baby’s overall health and development.
You can try these simple nutrient-rich homemade recipes to introduce your child to different flavors and textures of food (10).
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You may use this sample food chart for your seven months old baby as a reference (11) (12) (13).
Meal name | Sample meal |
---|---|
Breakfast (morning) | Solid food: ● Iron-fortified infant cereal Liquid: ● Breast milk or formula milk |
Snack (late morning) | Solid food: ● Pureed or mashed fruits such as banana, kiwi, strawberries, cooked apple, cooked pear with full-fat plain yogurt (unsweetened). Liquid: · Breast milk or formula milk |
Lunch | Solid food: ● Cooked and finely chopped chicken, ● Cooked and mashed vegetables such as pumpkin, sweet potato, spinach, squash, etc. with cooked and mashed rice. Liquid: ● Breast milk or formula milk |
Snack (evening) | Solid food: ● Cooked and mashed pear ● Cooked and finely chopped carrots or mashed chickpeas. ● Plain yogurt ● Whole-grain cracker Liquid: ● Breast milk or formula milk |
Dinner | Solid food: ● Cooked and finely chopped green beans or other cooked vegetables. Liquid: ● Breast milk or formula milk |
Start with one or two tablespoons of food and see if your baby shows signs of being hungry or full. Remember, their bellies are small! You can alternate between solid food and liquids, depending on your baby’s hunger cues.
Try including a variety of colorful foods and textures in the baby’s diet. You can also slowly start introducing finger foods by the end of seven months to develop a habit of self-feeding (11).
Refrain from feeding cereal in the bottle as it may lead to choking. However, the doctor may advise it for babies with reflux (3).
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), complementary foods (food items apart from breast milk) can be given to babies (six to eight months old) up to two to three times per day (14). In addition, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you should give your baby something to drink or eat every two to three hours, that is, about five to six times a day (15).
These are a few points you should consider when feeding your little one (1) (5).
Jennifer House, MSc, a registered dietitian, author, and owner of First Step Nutrition in Calgary, Alberta, says, “Milk choices for a seven-month old include breastmilk or formula only. They can have cow’s milk in foods such as a smoothie or cereal, but not as their main milk source, as it doesn’t contain enough fat and calories.”
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the following points could indicate that the baby is ready for solid food (3).
The baby may take ten or even more tries to get used to new textures, flavors, tastes, and foods (4).
1. What are some common food allergies that a 7-month-old baby may have?
The common food allergens for babies include eggs, wheat, soy, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish (16).
2. How much water should a 7-month-old baby be drinking each day?
A 7-month-old can get enough water from solid foods and breast milk. However, they can have four ounces or 120 ml of extra water on regular days and up to eight ounces or 240 ml of extra water in hot summers (17).
3. Can I mix breastmilk or formula with solid foods to make them more appealing to a seven-month-old baby?
Yes, this has been proven effective in introducing babies to new food and helping them adapt to the taste and texture. For example, you may add breastmilk or formula to iron-fortified infant cereals for a thinner consistency in the initial period of a solid food diet (18).
4. What are some strategies for dealing with a picky seven-month-old eater?
To deal with this problem, you should gradually introduce new foods to the child, and since their tastes keep changing, you may reintroduce the food that your child did not like initially. Furthermore, try to make the food presentation appealing and provide a wide variety of foods for the child (19).
According to UNICEF, delaying the introduction of solid foods may affect a baby’s healthy weight gain (21). So, encourage your baby to eat solids as soon as they show signs of readiness. A 7-month-baby’s diet chart must include various healthy foods, such as grains, pulses, meat, fish, poultry, fruits, and vegetables. With continued breastfeeding or formula feeding, babies can consume these foods in well-cooked puree or mash form.
They can also consume age-appropriate finger foods if they show signs of readiness. Feed them nutritious foods and drinks every two to three hours to support their proper growth and development. If the baby eats lesser than usual on some days, refrain from force-feeding. Remember, the main source of nourishment even for a seven-month-old is breast milk or formula. They can have solids but in small quantities, as they need time to adjust to weaning food’s taste, texture, and digestibility.
When beginning to feed a seven-month-old baby, introduce them to solid foods or provide them with infant formula. At the same time, consult your child’s doctor before starting them on solid foods to ensure they are developmentally ready and get personalized advice on which foods to introduce and how to do so safely. The following infographic contains a list of food items that you can try giving your seven-month-old baby.
Learn how to make a delicious and nutritious chicken and vegetable baby food recipe for your 7-month-old! Follow the easy steps in this video to make a meal your baby will love.