Breakfast Foods for 9-Month-Old Babies

At 9 months of age, your baby should have developed his important "pincer grasp" notes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The grasp enables him to pick up small pieces of food between his thumb and forefinger and feed himself. This skill allows you to begin serving finger foods to your 9-month-old baby so he can work on self-feeding and start exploring the different types of food he likes and doesn't like. Breakfast foods can be challenging to think up, but if you look beyond rice cereal, there are a variety of choices to try.

Eggs

Eggs are an excellent source of protein, boasting an impressive 7 grams for each egg, according to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. It makes for a great start to the day. While some babies may not find the egg white palatable because of the texture, the yolk is fine to serve to your baby for breakfast when it is fully cooked and not runny. Hard boil the egg, extract the yolk and chop it into chunks that your baby can easily handle. Because egg is a potential allergen, add it into the diet without any other new foods, so if your baby has a reaction, you will be able to note where it came from.

Soft Fruits

Soft fruits are a good way to start the day, since most are high in vitamins and nutrients that support the immune system, promote bone health and are sweet enough for a small baby to enjoy. Sliced and quartered bananas make for a quick breakfast choice. Small, sliced mandarin oranges or canned peaches -- ideally packed in water -- can be sectioned and sliced into smaller pieces for tiny fingers. Grapes are a good choice, but only if they are quartered and peeled, to limit their choking hazard potential.

Breads and Grains

Most 9-month-old babies enjoy a variety of breads and grains, like crackers and cereal pieces. Your baby will probably like toasted bread for breakfast as well. Just toast a slice of bread, spread on some margarine and then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Remember to cut in small squares for little fingers. If you're having a breakfast burrito for your first meal, toast up an extra tortilla with cinnamon sugar and cut into little wedges for your baby to try. Or try making bite-sized whole wheat pancakes.

Baby Food Combinations

At 9-months old, your child has likely tried quite a bit of jarred baby food and knows what she likes and doesn't like. You can use her baby food to entice her to try new breakfast items by mixing them in. Try dumping a jar of peaches in with yogurt, or mixing pears with oatmeal. She'll be more apt to try the new items if they taste like some of her old favorites, so you don't start the morning off with a food-related battle.

Formula or Breastmilk

Your baby should still be getting a big chunk of her vitamins and nutrients from breastmilk and formula, notes KidsHealth.org, so it's important to still offer these after breakfast. Try a few different breakfast foods, and then offer breastmilk or formula in a bottle or sippy cup. Your 9-month-old might be fickle at breakfast, so remember that the finger foods are more for practice and tasting than they are for nutrition at this age.