Feeding your 6-month-old baby: what can they eat?

Even as little spoons gradually earn their place, milk remains essential. It is recommended to keep at least 500 ml of breast milk or infant formula per day. If you are breastfeeding, you can of course continue to breastfeed at your own pace and your baby's (1).

For a baby fed with bottles, the switch to follow-on milk can be made when they take at least one full milk-free meal a day (1).
Solid food diversification is therefore not about quickly replacing all bottles or all breastfeeds. It gradually complements this milk-based diet.

Good to know : The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, then the introduction, from 6 months, of varied, appropriate, safe, and nutrient-rich foods, while continuing to breastfeed up to 2 years or longer if you wish.

Also read: What to start with for solid food diversification?

Once complementary feeding has begun, your baby can discover the different food groups: vegetables, fruit, starchy foods, pulses, meat, fish, egg, and suitable dairy products (1, 2). Regarding this last point, one question often arises: at what age can baby be offered cheese?

Vegetables and fruit

Courgette, carrot, green beans, pumpkin, broccoli... You can introduce different vegetables to your 6-month-old baby, always well cooked and prepared in a texture suited to what they already know how to eat. If complementary feeding has just begun, a smooth preparation can be offered. Around 6-8 months, about two months after the start of complementary feeding, textures can gradually become less smooth: foods that are ground, mashed, or finely chopped, depending on your child's abilities (2, 4).

As for fruit, apple, pear, banana, peach, or apricot can also be offered. Choose them ripe or cooked, then adapt their texture again: smooth compote at first, then a gradually thicker or mashed preparation when your baby is ready (2, 4).

Regarding quantities, simply start with a few spoonfuls andlet your baby guide you. If they turn their head away, close their mouth, or are no longer interested in the spoon, there is no need to insist: you can offer them this food again at another meal (1, 2).

Starchy foods and pulses

At 6 months, your baby can discover different starchy foods: potato, rice, semolina, pasta, or bread, always in a form suited to their abilities. Quantities remain modest at first and can gradually increase over the course of meals (1).

Pulses, such as lentils, chickpeas, or dried beans, can also be offered. At this age, they are well cooked and then finely blended, for example in the form of a smooth purée, in order to obtain a texture that is easy to eat (1).

Gluten can also be introduced during this period, in small quantities, then gradually increased. It is not recommended to systematically delay its introduction (1).

Meat, fish, and egg

At 6 months, you can also offer small quantities of meat, fish, or egg. Between 6 and 8 months, the guideline indicated by the French recommendations is 10 g per day, or about 2 teaspoons of blended meat or fish, or 1/4 of a hard-boiled egg (1).

These foods are offered once a day and always well cooked. For fish, it is advisable to vary the species and offer it twice a week (1).

Should fats be added?

Yes, fats have their place in thediet of a 6-month-old baby. They notably contribute to their energy and nutritional intake.

In a homemade preparation, or in a small jar that does not already contain any, you can add a teaspoon of oil. The recommendations advise varying the oils, for example rapeseed, walnut, and olive. A small amount of butter can also be offered from time to time (3).

This is often THE big question for parents: how many grams of purée? How many spoonfuls of fruit compote? How much milk per day?

For vegetables and fruit, there is no single amount that all babies should finish. At the beginning, a few spoonfuls may be enough, then the portions increase with their appetite and ease of eating (2).

Some guidelines can, however, guide you:

• at least 500 ml of breast milk or infant formula per day (1)
• about 10 g of meat, fish or egg per day between 6 and 8 months (1)
• a small amount of added fat every day, for example one teaspoon of oil (3).

What could a typical day look like at 6 months?

There is no single menu that works for all children. Depending on when diversification started and your baby's appetite, a day could, for example, be organized as follows:

• In the morning: a feeding or a bottle of milk.
• At noon: a vegetable purée with a starch, a little meat, fish or well-cooked egg, and a small amount of oil, then milk depending on appetite and meal organization.
• For a snack : milk, possibly accompanied by a little fruit or no-added-sugar compote.
• In the evening: a feeding or a bottle, with possibly a diversified meal if it already fits your child's rhythm.

Also read: what fish for a 6-month-old baby?

What texture to choose at 6 months?

If your baby started with very smooth purées, you can gradually change the texture. Around 6 to 8 months, recommendations suggest offering less smooth preparations: thicker purées, finely mashed or chopped foods, according to the child's abilities (4).

It is not necessary to wait for the arrival of teeth to start this transition. Babies can learn to chew very soft foods with their gums (4).

If you are considering child-led weaning (BLW), your baby must notably know how to sit properly, grab a piece of food and bring it to their mouth. The pieces offered must be adapted, very soft and consumed under the constant supervision of an adult (4).

Also read: BLW: from what age?

When to introduce allergenic foods?

Recommendations have evolved. Once diversification has started, it is not advised to systematically delay the main allergens, such as egg, dairy products or peanuts, including in children with a family history of allergies (1, 5).

Peanuts or nuts are obviously never offered whole: they can be introduced in an age-appropriate form, for example finely ground and mixed into a preparation.

In case of a known allergy, a previous reaction or a particular situation, ask your pediatrician or doctor for advice to support these food discoveries.

At this age, a few precautions remain important:

• no honey before 1 year, due to the risk of infection (3)
• no raw or undercooked meat, fish or egg (1, 3)
• no raw milk or raw milk cheese, with the exception of certain cooked pressed cheeses such as Emmental or Comté (3);
  do not salt your baby's food and limit highly salted foods (3)
• delay highly sweetened products as much as possible and avoid sodas, syrups and fruit juices (2, 3)
• avoid small, hard, round foods, such as a whole peanut, which pose a choking risk (4).

For drinking, water is the only drink needed in addition to milk (1).

How can you tell if your baby is ready to expand their meals?

At 6 months, some babies have already been diversifying their diet for several weeks; others are just starting. It is therefore logical that their meals do not look alike.

Above all, observe your child: does he/she hold their head up well? Are they interested in what you eat? Do they open their mouth when you offer them the spoon? Are they starting to grab food with their hands? These little signs help adapt new foods to their own pace (2).

Are you already wondering at what age a baby eats by themselves? This independence develops gradually, well after 6 months.
At 6 months, your baby is mainly entering a period of discovery. Milk remains a staple, while new flavors and textures gradually complement their meals. Some days, they will taste with enthusiasm; others, much less so. The important thing is to let them take the time to progress at their own pace, without pressure, while continuing to offer them a varied and suitable diet

Sources 

(1) Assurance Maladie — Food diversification 

(2) Manger Bouger / Santé publique France — Between 4 and 6 months: gradually introducing foods 

(3) Manger Bouger / Santé publique France — Your child's food diversification up to 3 years 

(4) Manger Bouger / Santé publique France — From 6-8 months: your baby explores new textures 

(5) Manger Bouger / Santé publique France — Introducing food allergens from 4/6 months 

(6) mpedia / AFPA — When to start food diversification for a prematurely born baby? 

(7) Cerin — Prematurity and food diversification .