At this age, you can introduce slightly more textured soft foods/soft lumps. Also offer some soft finger foods.
Your baby is ready for mashed foods, finger foods and new flavours if they:
- can sit without support
- probably have some teeth
- lean towards food or spoon
- learn to keep thick purées in mouth
- are learning to chew and bite
- are interested in finger foods
- can pick up and bring food to the mouth.
Spoon foods
Examples of appropriate spoon foods are:
- age-appropriate infant cereals
- continue to purée meats and fish
- mashed rather than puréed vegetables and fruits (eg, stewed apple, mashed banana, mashed pumpkin, kūmara)
- mashed beans and lentils
- yoghurts, custards and soft cheeses such as cottage cheese
- mashed cooked eggs
- mashed tofu and tempeh.
Finger foods
You should cut these to a size that can be easily held and eaten by baby. Examples of appropriate finger foods are:
- very soft pieces of vegetables and fruit (eg, slightly overcooked pumpkin, potato, kūmara, ripe banana, avocado)
- toast fingers
- thin slices of cheese.
Find out more from the Ministry
The Ministry works to ensure that nutrition recommendations for New Zealand health practitioners and consumers have a sound evidence base.
Visit the Nutrition section in Our work to find out more, or read the Healthy Eating Guidelines for New Zealand Babies and Toddlers (0–2 years old).
