At 7 months, depending on when your baby was introduced to solids, you can begin to introduce more flavors and textures in his meals.
There are no absolutes that signal readiness for changes in texture in your baby’s food—it’s simply trial and error. If your baby responds well to a slight modification in the texture or flavor of the food, keep going and continue to diversify. If there is refusal, you can step back and proceed more slowly, delaying the introduction of new flavors and textures, and interspersing them more gradually. Following the 4-day feeding rule for introducing new foods, slowly increase the thickness of the pureed food that you are preparing.
This should be a very gentle process, keeping in mind that your baby’s tummy is still fragile and growing accustomed to receiving and digesting solids. By the 8th month, your baby will generally be able to eat more foods that maintain their own shape (rice begins to look like rice), rather than being completely pureed into a mash. Carefully monitor your baby’s reaction to the new flavors and textures and match his progress according to his unique rhythm. As always, consult your pediatrician if you have any questions or concerns.
The more variety in flavors, colors, and textures that you can provide in each meal, the more exciting the entire eating experience becomes for your baby. Instead of mashing and pureeing everything together, set up small bowls of different and brightly colored purees and alternate the spoonfuls of food by giving one spoonful of, say, tofu, then another spoonful of pureed squash. It will be stimulating for your baby to taste, smell, and see variation in the food that he is eating.
Experts differ on what you can feed your baby at various stages, and cultures vary in their guidelines for food and milk consumption. In Japan for example, we don’t have strict rules on what to feed when: tomatoes are given to babies at 7 months, while in the United States, not until 12 months. In writing this book, I took a very conservative approach by listing what is considered acceptable for babies in the United States, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. But I tried many other foods beyond this list, and my son loved eating them. This is not an exhaustive list, and you should always discuss with your pediatrician what your child can eat at this stage; they, too, have their own recommendations. Everyone agrees that the obvious foods to avoid are fruits with strong flavors, like strawberries and oranges, and vegetables that could cause gassiness, like broccoli and cauliflower.
Feeding Guide: 7 Months
•Breast milk/Formula: 3 to 5 feedings per day (30 to 32 ounces per day)
•Cereal: 3 to 5 tablespoons mixed with formula/breast milk per day
•Fruits: 2 to 3 tablespoons, 2 times per day
•Vegetables: 2 to 3 tablespoons, 2 times per day
•Meats/Protein: 1 to 2 tablespoons, 2 times per day
•Juice: 2 to 4 ounces per day
•Snacks: toast, crackers, etc.
Foods You Can Introduce at 7 Months:
Brown rice
Tofu
Carrots*
Apples
Pears
Peas
Green beans
Oatmeal
Butternut squash
Potatoes
Peaches
Dried fruits
Asparagus
White fish
Chicken
Turkey
Lamb
Cereals, like millet, amaranth, and quinoa
Legumes, like lentils and split peas
Yogurt†
Cottage cheese
Egg yolk, cooked
porridgeAt 7 months, you can begin to slowly decrease the water used to cook the rice in order to increase the texture of the porridge. Carefully observe your baby as you introduce this textured porridge and take cues from her reaction. If she refuses the thicker consistency, keep the porridge runny (per recipe in chapter 1) and wait a few more days or even a week before trying again. There is no rush. Texture should be increased little by little, and according to the level of acceptance, which differs from one baby to another.
½ cup rice, ideally Japanese rice or any kind of short grain rice, as they are higher in starch and cook to a smoother porridge-soup consistency
2½ cups water
1Wash the rice thoroughly in cold water until the water runs clear.
2Put the rice and water in a small pot and bring to a boil; lower the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. If a film develops on top, remove it using a spoon.
3When the rice has been cooked until it has a soupy texture, remove from heat and let cool.
4Mash with a spoon for more texture than the porridge served to your 4- to 6-month-old.
5Serve at room temperature.
A similar approach to the rice porridge should be taken for the udon porridge. Pay close attention to your baby’s reaction and take cues from her. Try to slowly increase texture by not pureeing the noodles, but by mashing them instead.
½ cup udon rice noodles, chopped
2½ cups water
1In a large pot, combine 2½ cups of water and the noodles and boil for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the noodles are very soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.
2Drain the noodles through the strainer; reserve some of the cooking liquid.
3Mash the udon noodles slightly rather than pureeing them as done in the 4 to 6 month period.
4Let cool and serve at room temperature.
grains and legumesLentils are a light legume, surprisingly high in Omega-3 fatty acids, as well as iron, fiber, protein, and vitamins A, B1, and K. They are easier to prepare than other legumes because you don’t have to soak them overnight. Lentils can serve as a foundation of your child’s meals, just like textured rice porridge. And similarly, the idea is to keep reducing the amount of water as your baby grows in order to provide more and more texture. At this stage, the lentils are pretty neutral in flavor, just like the other porridges, but as your baby gets older, you can integrate other elements that will add flavor, such as onions, celery, olive oil, and pancetta.
1 cup lentils
1 carrot
1Rinse the lentils and discard any discolored pieces. Drain.
2Wash, peel, and dice the carrot into small pieces.
3Bring 4 cups of water, lentils, and carrots to a boil in a large pot; cover and simmer until the lentils are very tender, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
4Mash them with a spoon or puree in the food processor.
5Serve warm, cold, or room temperature, along with a vegetable or a fruit compote or puree.
Brown rice is more difficult for babies to digest because of its bran, which contains the nutrients and fiber that white rice does not have. It is important to puree brown rice well before serving.
¼ cup brown rice
1Bring rice and 4 cups of water to a boil, and boil uncovered for 1 minute.
2Cover the pot and reduce the heat. Cook the rice on low heat for 40 minutes.
3Remove from the heat and drain. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
4Transfer rice to a blender and puree until smooth.
Oatmeal is a powerful grain that contains high amounts of fiber, folates, vitamins, and minerals.
¼ cup whole oats
1In a food processor, grind the oats to a fine powder.
2Bring the oats and 3 cups of water to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the oats are soft, approximately 20 minutes on low.
3Remove from heat and let cool. This puree can be mixed with fruit purees, breast milk, or water.
Tofu is a great source of protein—it is considered a source of complete protein, the kind that is found in red meats—and has a neutral flavor that can be infused with many other flavors to create savory dishes, as well as sweet. Most supermarkets carry tofu in their refrigerated section near the dairy or in the international food section.
1 cup of soft tofu
1Remove the tofu from its packaging and rinse it under cold running water. On a cutting board, cut it into small pieces.
2Place a quarter of the tofu in a small pot, adding water to cover it completely. Store the remaining tofu in an airtight container filled with water and refrigerate for later use (keep for up to 2 days after opening).
3Bring the pot of water with tofu to a boil and let simmer for 2 minutes.
4Remove from heat and allow the tofu to cool, discarding the water.
5Put tofu in a small bowl and mash it with a spoon.
6Serve tofu by itself during the 4-day waiting period when introducing new foods. Later, you can add a teaspoon of fruit puree or egg yolk.
fruits and vegetablesMangos are packed with vitamin C, and its sweet flavor and wonderful bright color make it a great dish for babies.
1 fresh or ½ cup frozen mango
1If you are using fresh mango, note that its pit is shaped like an oblong disk, making it sometimes difficult to remove the flesh. The easiest way is to cut the fruit in two pieces, slicing on either side of the pit, leaving the skin on. Turn each piece skin side down and scrape out the flesh using a spoon or by cutting it lengthwise and crosswise into squares, then removing the peel.
2Put the flesh into a steamer and cook for 3 minutes.
3Puree until completely smooth (mango can contain fiber-like ligaments), and then serve.
4When the baby is a few months older, mango can be served raw, cut into small pieces.
Zucchini is packed with vitamins C, A, and Bs, Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, magnesium, calcium, iron, and protein. Eliminate all of the seeds, and puree the vegetable very well to a very smooth consistency.
1 fresh zucchini
1Wash the zucchini.
2Cut the vegetable lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and cut into small pieces.
3Steam until the flesh is tender when touched with a knife, approximately 5 to 10 minutes.
4Puree in a blender until completely smooth.
Spinach is a superfood with vitamins K, A, C, and Bs, as well as high levels of folate, magnesium, manganese, iron, fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, protein, and copper. The brighter green the leaves, the more nutritious they are, so choose the most vibrant spinach you can find.
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1Wash spinach leaves. Remove and discard any white stems.
2Steam the leaves until they have wilted and soft and mushy, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the leaves and drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
3Puree leaves in a blender until smooth, adding the cooking liquid or breast milk to thin the puree as necessary.
Pears can sometimes cause gassiness in babies, so monitor your baby’s reaction and make sure that he is responding well to the fruit. When buying pears, you should choose those that are not too overripe.
2 ripe organic pears
1Peel the pears, and then cut into small pieces.
2Steam until the flesh is tender when pierced with a knife, approximately 4 minutes.
3Put the pieces with some of its cooking liquid into a blender and puree until smooth.
Avocado is yet another superfood containing unusual amounts of carotenoids like beta-carotene, and fatty acids, like oleic acid, which is found in olives and olive oil. It also contains vitamins K, C, and Bs, fiber, potassium, folate, and copper. The most nutritious part of the avocado is the dark green flesh closest to the skin, so the vegetable should be peeled with your hands rather than cut in order to retain the maximum amount of the green portion. Just start peeling from the top and work your way down. It is a dry and brittle skin and comes off rather easily when it is ripe.
1 fresh ripe avocado
1Peel the avocado with your hands and cut it in half, or cut the avocado in half with a knife, and then remove the skin.
2Remove the pit in the middle and mash the flesh with a fork until smooth and “whipped.”
Plums come in an array of colors and shapes and are packed with vitamin C and A, fiber, and potassium.
4 to 6 small ripe plums
1Peel the plums with a knife, and then cut them into small pieces, discarding the pit.
2Steam until tender when pierced with a knife, approximately 3 minutes.
3Puree in a blender or a food processor until smooth.
Apricots are full of beta-carotene and fiber, as well as vitamin C. The beautiful orange color is a wonderful visual for your baby. When buying apricots, choose those that are not too overripe because that texture can be too mushy for a nice puree.
4 to 6 small ripe apricots
1Peel the apricots, either by the monder technique—dunking them into boiling water for 3 to 4 seconds, then immediately dunking them into ice water to loosen the skins—or by simply cutting the peel off with a knife. (This latter method can be quite difficult when the apricots are too ripe and often makes waste by cutting too deep into the flesh.)
2Cut the apricots into small pieces, discarding the pits. Steam until tender when pierced with a knife, approximately 3 minutes. Put into a blender or a food processor and puree until smooth.
Asparagus is a delicate vegetable and more perishable than other vegetables. To obtain the most nutrients, it is better to consume it as fresh as possible. Make sure the asparagus you buy is not wrinkled or shriveled because that indicates it has been sitting on the shelf too long. Asparagus is packed with vitamin K, folate, vitamins C, A, and Bs, as well as protein, potassium, iron, zinc, and magnesium. When steamed or boiled and pureed, it has a bit of a slippery texture that is fun for your baby to explore.
Bunch of asparagus
1Cut off the white ends of the asparagus stalks and discard. Gently peel the outer layer of the stalk with a peeler, only up to the beginning of the tip. Then cut the stalks into small pieces.
2Put pieces in a steamer or boil them in a pot of water with a pinch of salt. Cook until tender when pierced with a knife, approximately 5 minutes.
3Drain, reserving the cooking liquid in a separate bowl.
4Puree with a small amount of the cooking liquid until completely smooth.
5Serve 3 tablespoons of the pureed asparagus in a bowl; store the rest in the refrigerator or freezer for later use. Pureed asparagus can be served with a teaspoon of boxed cereal to give a thicker consistency.
Carrots contain powerful antioxidants, like beta-carotene, as well as phytonutrients, which prevent oxidatine damage (damaging of cells by free radicals) to our body. It also contains vitamins A, K, C, and Bs, fiber, and potassium. I think carrots taste best steamed, so I would recommend that over boiling.
3 fresh organic carrots
1Cut the tips off both ends of the carrot. Then peel the outer layer with a peeler.
2Cut the carrots into small pieces and put in a steamer or in a pot of boiling water. Cook carrots until completely soft, approximately 7 to 10 minutes.
3Puree in a blender or food processor until completely smooth.
4Pureed carrots can be served with a teaspoon of boxed cereal or a tablespoon of tofu.
Green beans contain high amounts of antioxidants, as well as vitamins K, C, and A, manganese, fiber, folate, and iron. They taste best when in season and, while it is a bit labor intensive to pick off the ends and the fiber that runs along the bean, it’s worth the effort. Green beans have the best flavor when fresh rather than frozen.
1 cup fresh organic green beans
1Wash the green beans in cold water. Cut off the two ends of each bean, allowing the thin stringy section from one side to peel off with one end.
2Cut the beans into small pieces and place in a steamer. Cook until the pieces are soft when pierced, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
3Drain.
4Put the beans into a blender and puree until smooth.
dairy and eggMy pediatrician recommended yogurt and cottage cheese at this age, and my son loved the textures and flavors of both. These foods are a great way to provide extra calcium as your child begins to wean from breast milk.
½ cup yogurt (Greek strained yogurt is good for its neutral flavor)
3 tablespoons of Apple Puree (page 24) or ½ mashed banana
1In a small bowl, combine yogurt with the fruit. Mix thoroughly with a spoon, adding ½ teaspoon of boxed cereal if desired.
2Serve.
Cottage cheese comes in several varieties. I prefer to buy the small curd, full-fat cottage cheese because it has good texture and rich flavor.
3 tablespoons cottage cheese
1Mash the cottage cheese in a small bowl with a spoon and serve plain during the 4-day waiting period. After that, you can serve it with a teaspoon of fruit puree added.
While it is not recommended to give babies at this age whole eggs, the egg yolk is acceptable and contains great nutrients and Omega-3 fatty acids. You can mash it together with the other fruits or vegetables that your baby has already tried and accepted without an allergic reaction.
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1Place 2 eggs, shell on, in a pot and cover with water. Add salt (the salt is to coagulate the white of the egg if the shell cracks during boiling).
2Bring to a boil and cook 5 to 6 minutes.
3Remove the eggs from the pan with a ladle and immerse them in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes.
4Peel one egg (put the other in the fridge for later use), and remove the cooked yolk.
5Put the yolk in a small bowl and mash it with a spoon, adding breast milk or water to modify the powdery consistency of the yolk.
* AAP warns that the following foods have nitrate risks due to the intake of naturally occurring nitrates and should be avoided before the age of 3 months: green beans, squash, beets, turnips, carrots, collard greens, and spinach.
† While milk is not to be introduced to your baby until at least 1 year, yogurt and other dairy products are acceptable because lactose, which is difficult for your baby’s digestive system to handle, is broken down in yogurt or cheese. The culturing of yogurt or cheese removes or limits the milk proteins. Milk can, however, be used in baking after 7 months, www.babycenter.com.