Healthy Recipes for Babies from 9 to 12 Months Old: New Textures

Reviewed and approved by the nutritionist Saúl Sánchez Arias.

Written by Saúl Sánchez Arias

Last update: 04 November, 2022

Here’s a list of healthy recipes for babies between the age of 9 to 12 months. Now is the time to give them more solid foods so they can experience new textures and flavors.

During this phase you should vary their diet a bit to provide all the nutrients they need.

You can try healthy recipes for babies from the age of 9 to 12 months as they start to adapt to different flavors and textures.

Keep in mind that all babies are different. Some will accept new foods better than others.

Don’t’ worry, you can achieve a properly balanced diet with your baby little by little. It’s all a matter of time and patience.

New foods to incorporate in your baby’s diet

A practical tip is to create a menu for each day. This way you can give them varied food and the child will be able to adapt to eating them. Their diet should include:

• A daily serving of protein in the form of meat, chicken or fish.
• A serving of legumes that you can combine with rice.
• Fruits, three pieces a day is enough, although it all depends on what the child accepts.

Healthy recipes for babies from the age of 9 to 12 months

During this stage your baby should consume healthy foods that provide the nutrients their body needs to continue growing.

That’s why we’ve decided to share with you these healthy recipes:

1. Rice and chicken

This recipe is ideal for lunch since it contains both proteins and carbohydrates. Together they provide high nutritional value for your baby.

Ingredient

• Spring onion.
• ½ zucchini.
• 1 cup of white rice
• 4 carrots
• ½ chicken breast.
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 4 or 5 glasses of water or chicken broth.

Preparation

• The carrot, spring onion and zucchini should be chopped, put into a casserole dish and fried with a little olive oil.
• Then cut the chicken into small pieces and add to the dish, cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the rice and water and let it cook for 20 minutes.
• You can mash it a little bit, but allow for very small pieces. They’ll help your baby learn about different textures.

1. Soft cream of pumpkin with cheese

This dish will provide your child with high quality protein and amino acids through the cheese. Pumpkin is a rich source of vitamin A, C, folic acid and minerals such as potassium, iron and calcium.

Ingredients

• 1 piece of cheese
• 2 leeks
• Vegetable oil.
• 1 kg of pumpkin
• 75 g of grated Parmesan cheese.
• 600 mL of cooking cream.
• 600 mL of vegetable broth.

Preparation

• Cut the pumpkin into squares, chop the onion and leeks.
• Add them into a pot with chicken broth, a pinch of salt and a dash of oil.
• Cook over medium heat until the vegetables get soft.
• Add the cheese and cream, let them cook for a minute.
• When serving, add a touch of Parmesan cheese.

1. Lentil puree

This is one of the healthiest recipes for babies from the age of 9 to 12 months since they can start eating vegetables during this stage. A dish that has vegetable-based protein is very beneficial for their growth.

Ingredients

• 1 slice of dry bread
• 60 g of cooked lentils.
• ¼ liter of vegetable broth.
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Preparation

Add the lentils in the vegetable broth, then add pieces of bread and mash it up. Finally add the teaspoon of olive oil.

1. Yogurt with fruit

Yogurt is an easy food to digest. It contains the same nutritional values as milk.

Ingredients

• Yogurt.
• 1 apricot.
• 50g of banana.

Preparation

• Chop the banana and apricot.
• Blend them in the blender and add the yogurt and blend until it reaches a creamy consistency.

Important information about feeding a baby from the age of 9 to 12 months

You should give them a small amount of the food the first time you offer it to them to see if it causes an allergic reaction.

Fruits such as plums, tangerines, grapes, pineapples, apricots and red fruits can be incorporated as a snack.

If they reject a certain type of food, don’t worry, give them some time and offer it to them again. It’s a process that takes adaptation.

During this stage you can sit the child at the table to integrate them into family life.

You can also let them pick up the food with their hands if they wish to. This will help them develop the sense of touch. It will also help them get used to the food’s texture.

With these healthy recipes for babies from the age of 9 to 12 months you’ll guarantee a perfect diet for your child.