At the full 8 months, if the child has previously become familiar with vegetables, cereals, vegetable soups and fruit purees as complementary foods, now he can eat cottage cheese, meat, kefir, fresh seasonal berries without large seeds, and fish can gradually be introduced into the menu.

The diet of an 8-month-old baby is already quite varied, but remember that at least 2 feedings per day must be given highly adapted (or partially adapted, casein) formula or breast milk. Lactation in a minimum volume should ideally be maintained for up to 1.5 years.

The basic rule for introducing new food (including ingredients in soups) as complementary foods: no more than one new product every 10 days, starting with 1-2 teaspoons and gradually increasing to 60-100 grams. All complementary foods should be pureed or ground through a sieve.

Baby's menu at full 8 months

What can a baby eat at 8 months, sample menu:

Breakfast options:

• children's cottage cheese from a specialized store, homemade cottage cheese prepared using sourdough, or cottage cheese from a dairy kitchen; plus fresh berries without large seeds (for example, lingonberries) or fruit puree;
• fruit puree + baby cookies + baby cottage cheese;
• porridge + compote or children's tea with cookies.

The volume of breakfast can be 200 grams.

Dinner: vegetable puree soup (150-180 grams) + chopped veal 30 grams (types of meat are already expanding, we’ll talk about this below) + children’s tea or compote. You can add 1/4 chicken yolk of a hard-boiled egg to the soup. Please note: meat (veal or lean beef) should be cooked for at least 2-2.5 hours!

Dinner: should be swapped with breakfast; if you ate cottage cheese for breakfast, then offer porridge (180-200 grams) for dinner; if porridge, then offer cottage cheese (or kefir) + cookies (5-10 grams) for dinner.

+2-3 more feedings: breast milk or formula. Also, at 8 months, the child can eat chopped fruits: pears, bananas, apples. If there are no teeth yet, then they must be ground in a blender into puree. Do not overdo it with the quantity, for the most part, children of this age are still just continuing to try new tastes, the digestive system continues to develop, and enzymes for digestion are maturing.

Do not forget after each feeding and in between to offer the child clean boiled water (be sure to boil and cool to room temperature) from a bottle or sippy cup - let him drink as needed. You should not use a special “children’s” one (or only in boiled form), since it does not meet microbiological quality standards (examination of Roskontrol).

What can be added to complementary foods for an 8 month old baby?

If you have already successfully introduced your baby to vegetables, cereals, fruit purees and a small amount of meat, then at 8 months your child can already eat the following foods:

• add butter to the porridge (when purchasing, carefully monitor the composition, storage temperature in the store refrigerator and expiration date) in the amount of 1/4 teaspoon per 180 ml of porridge;
• try fish broth made from lean fish: cod or pike perch;
• children whose weight does not reach normal levels or children with low hemoglobin are recommended to try beef tongue and liver: they have high nutritional value and mineral content;
• in addition to veal and beef, you can introduce a little chicken, rabbit or turkey into the diet;
• kefir, starting with 20 ml and gradually increasing to 70-100 (in addition to main meals).

Take your time: if up to 6 months the child was completely on highly adapted IV or HF (according to WHO recommendations), it takes a long time to get used to the new taste and cannot eat a large portion of complementary foods - do not worry. All children are individual, perhaps for your baby at 8 months familiarization with veal will be enough, but he is not yet ready for rabbit, turkey and bananas.

How much should a baby eat at 8 months?

There are 3 options for how much a baby should eat at 8 months:

• For a child who is slowly adapting to complementary foods or in a situation where complementary foods were started in the 7th month: feeding 2 times a day with complementary foods, once with porridge, the second with vegetable puree soup + introducing meat. Each is approximately 100-200 grams. The rest of the feedings are formula or breastfeeding as needed. Fruits - without fanaticism, a plus to the main diet, if desired.
• For a child adapting to new food at a normal, unforced pace: 3-4 complementary foods per day plus 3 feedings with breast milk or formula. The volume of complementary foods per day is approximately 450 grams. Vegetables, meat, porridge, cottage cheese, and yolk have been introduced.
• A child at the full 8 months can eat almost all of the above plus fish, if complementary foods were introduced from 6 months at a fast, accelerated pace. Breast milk or formula is consumed 1-2 times a day. This state of affairs is the “norm” only conditionally.

The highest quality and most delicious products are always chosen for a newborn, but not everyone knows how to properly create a baby’s menu in order to include healthy and necessary vitamins and minerals in the diet. Each month of life requires certain food groups, so the baby should be fed in accordance with the recommendations of pediatricians.

For an eight-month-old baby, the preferred regimen will be five meals a day, and dinner should be as filling as possible to eliminate night feeding. An approximate menu for 8 months could be like this:

• 7.00 – breastfeeding;
• 10.00-10.30 – milk porridge (rice, semolina, buckwheat, etc.), chicken yolk, fruit juice or juice;
• 14.00-14.30 – meat broth, vegetable puree, steam cutlet, compote;
• 18.00-18.30 – kefir or yogurt, cottage cheese, fruit puree or half a fruit, cut into small pieces;
• 22.00 – breastfeeding.

In between, you can treat your baby to cookies, crackers, or a piece of fruit, but you should not allow too frequent snacking. If your child constantly asks to eat at the wrong time, perhaps the portion of the main meal you offer is not enough for him. Try increasing the portion, just add food gradually so as not to overload your small stomach.

It’s okay if in a critical situation (for example, the baby is crying, nervous, sick, etc.) the baby begins to ask for breast milk more often than expected. Do not refuse your child, this will help him calm down faster, and will protect you from screams and hysterics. But at the same time, try to minimize the amount breastfeeding if you decide to wean your baby in the near future.

You may say that it is too early to think about this, but in practice you can come across many positions and opinions. Some feed for up to a year, some feed for up to two years, some for more, so for some it’s really too early to think about it, but for others it’s already time. Let's leave this question for now, as this will be discussed in the corresponding article.

For 8 months, it is permissible to use all food groups, so it will not be difficult to diversify your baby’s diet. In addition to two breastfeedings, the baby eats 3-4 times. It is better if each meal is different from each other. In the morning you can offer dairy and sweet products, meat dishes at lunch, and in the evening you can diversify the menu with fermented milk delicacies.

For feeding newborns at 8 months, pediatricians recommend the following dishes:

• vegetable purees are an integral part of the menu for newborns; all kinds of crops can be used for them: potatoes, beets, carrots, cabbage, zucchini. For variety, try mixing different ingredients, this will give a specific taste and unusual color to the dish;
• greens - fresh greens must be present in the menu of an 8-month-old baby; they can be added to soups, crushed into purees, and also chewed in their pure form. Regular consumption of parsley and dill helps digestion, relieves painful colic and saturates the body with vitamins;
• soups – low-fat soups and broths (both vegetable, meat and fish) can be used to feed a newborn. Puree soup has proven itself well; for it, all the ingredients are ground into a homogeneous porridge. If a child protests against regular soup, feed him this dish;
• Milk porridges have been on children's menus for several years, since this product is not only healthy, but also quite tasty. To prepare porridge with milk or water, you can use a variety of cereals. Try to experiment; it is quite possible that wheat groats, which are unattractive to you, will become a real delicacy for your child, or, on the contrary, everyone’s favorite buckwheat may not be to the taste of a little gourmet. Choose dishes in such a way that your baby likes them, since nutrition at 8 months and at any other age should always be enjoyable;
• fermented milk products - now there are a lot of children's curds and yoghurts, but you can make homemade curd masses, kefir or fermented baked milk using electric yogurt makers and pharmacy starters. Both options are suitable for feeding a child of 8 months, the main thing is to carefully monitor the shelf life and storage conditions of finished products, since they spoil very quickly;
• fish is introduced into the diet a little later (from about 10 months), however, in the absence of allergies, low-fat varieties are already quite acceptable. Hake, cod and similar types of fish are not only useful for a growing organism, they have few bones, so they are easier to work with;
• fruits - you can give everything without exception, but in a certain dosage. As for citrus fruits, the best option would be a couple of slices at a time; garden fruits - apples, pears, apricots, plums, peaches - can be given ½ fruit at a time. Berries are very useful - raspberries, strawberries, currants (especially black), lingonberries - they should be thoroughly washed and ground with sugar or a small amount of honey;
• juices and compotes have long become a common dish, since babies can drink them from 4-5 months. It is best, of course, to cook homemade compotes, but store-bought juices for children will also be a good alternative, and they are not particularly inferior in terms of the range of useful substances.

You can make all the proposed dishes yourself by using a blender or mixer to grind the food; in extreme cases, you can use a grater. As for meat, it can already be given to the child in a less crushed form, for example, by tearing a piece into strips. The same rule applies to vegetables, fruits and berries - by eating foods in small pieces, the baby will gradually learn to chew, and chewing movements help eliminate pain from teething.

A child's diet at 8 months should be balanced, try to offer the baby as many different foods as possible; if the baby refuses to eat certain ingredients, do not insist: perhaps his body does not accept certain foods. Try repeating this dish after a while or replace it with similar ingredients.

Proper nutrition is a very important element of development little man. It is this that ensures that the toddler’s body receives all the vitamins and minerals important for its growth. The diet of a child at 8 months consists of 5-6 feedings at regular intervals. At this age, the baby continues to be given breast milk or an adapted infant formula, introduced to new species, and introduced to new foods.

Approximate diet of a child at 8 months

As mentioned above, you need to feed your little toddler according to a set schedule every 4 hours. As a rule, the time is selected individually, but pediatricians recommend adhering to the following schedule:

1. 6.00 – early breakfast. The baby is offered formula or breast milk.
2. 10.00 – breakfast. This is the time for delicious and satisfying porridge. It is recommended to cook cereals with which the child is familiar with milk, diluted in half with water, and a small amount of butter. Also, various fruits may be present in porridges: bananas, pears, apples, etc. If the parents of an 8-month-old toddler have not fully introduced cereals into the diet, then acquaintance with them should be continued. They are initially offered, as before, in the form of dairy-free pureed products without any additives.
3. 14.00 – lunch. In the middle of the day, the baby will be happy to eat vegetable purees and meat. Of course, these dishes can be served as independent dishes, but it is still recommended to prepare puree soup for your baby. This is very easy to do by boiling vegetables and a piece of lean meat (chicken, veal, turkey, rabbit) separately, and then grinding them together with vegetable broth in a blender. In addition, you can add egg yolk and vegetable oil. It is recommended to finish lunch or
4. 18.00 – dinner. The diet of an 8-month-old baby must include fermented milk products and unleavened dough products. One of interesting options dinner consists of cottage cheese with added fruit, ground to a paste, and kefir with cookies. If the baby does not like the sour taste of this drink, then he is offered a cocktail of kefir, juice and fruit mixed in a blender.
5. 22.00 – late dinner. At this time, the toddler is given breast milk or formula.

To present in more detail the diet of a child at 8 months, pediatricians have developed a table that indicates the foods recommended for feeding and their weight.

In conclusion, I would like to note that in addition to these, the baby continues to introduce new products to the menu: cereals, vegetables and fruits with which he is not yet familiar and, with caution, pork. As before, all new food is introduced according to the usual scheme: not all at once, but gradually, starting with half a teaspoon.

A child of 8 months should have five meals a day. Night feedings are no longer part of the daily routine. Another complementary food is now being introduced into the baby’s diet. During the day there are already three of them. When introducing a new complementary food, you must consult your pediatrician. Breast milk should be fed twice: it is necessary to start and end the day with it.

Breast milk in the diet does not exceed 1/3 of the daily food volume.

Differences in the nutrition of children growing up on natural and breastfeeding, To given age gradually disappear. Their menu composition becomes almost identical. From 8 months, the child should get used to chewing and swallowing food that differs in taste and texture. During this period, babies begin to be attracted to small objects, including pieces of food.

What to feed a baby at 8 months

The child's menu is now a combination of a variety of products. However, the introduced product is not always immediately to his taste. The fact that much of the food will initially be smeared on the face instead of going into the mouth should not alarm parents.

Milk products

An important part of the baby’s diet should be fermented milk products, mainly kefir and cottage cheese. This food is perfect for the introduced third complementary foods. Fermented milk products are being introduced into the daily menu gradually. They start feeding it with 1 tsp. and over time, bring its total amount to 150-200 ml per day.

When choosing kefir, you need to look at its shelf life. You should not purchase a product that has had it for more than a week. It is recommended to buy kefir that is good for several days, during which bacteria beneficial to a fragile body will be most active. You can also make a homemade kefir drink based on store-bought milk and kefir. For this, 2 tbsp. yesterday's kefir with a fat content of less than 3% is added to a glass of boiled milk. Without a refrigerator, the resulting mixture should steep for 12 hours in summer and 24 hours in winter. This drink should be fed to the baby, giving him no more than 100 ml per day.

The cottage cheese included in the menu should always be fresh; it is best to prepare it yourself or purchase it from a dairy kitchen. It is not recommended to feed children sweet curds, since sugar at this age is harmful and it depletes natural beneficial features cottage cheese. The daily allowance of cottage cheese for a child over 8 months of age is 40-50 g.

Meat products and fish

The introduction of meat into the diet occurs gradually, starting, as a rule, with 1/2 tsp, mainly in the form of puree. At 8 months, the recommended amount is 40 g. Veal, beef, chicken and turkey meat fit particularly harmoniously into the menu. You need to be careful with chicken and veal. The first is capable of causing allergic reaction, and the second is unsuitable for feeding children with intolerance to cow's milk. Along with meat, you can also use offal: liver, tongue and brains.

At 8 months, a child can already cook meat broth, and also make vegetable soups based on it. During the cooking process, you can add a little salt and oil to the soup. You can use it to soften the pieces. a regular fork. When choosing meat puree in a store, you need to choose a product made from only one type of meat without the presence of spices and unacceptable potato starch. It is necessary to take into account age recommendations and individual intolerance.

From 8 months, fish becomes an irreplaceable source of calcium, iodine and phosphorus. It is best to use fish with easily separated large bones for food. Fish fillets can be either steamed or boiled and then chopped. The main thing is that it is non-greasy. Preference should be given to ocean fish: cod, pollock and salmon.

It is necessary to introduce fish into the diet gradually, and the first feeding with it should start with 0.5 tsp. fish puree combined with vegetable puree. The recommended daily intake of fish is 30 g. Fish is one of the allergens, so children with poor health should be introduced to this product with caution. To a healthy child It is recommended to eat fish products, mainly in the form of purees and steamed cutlets, no more than twice a week. During feeding, they replace meat products.

Bakery products, purees and cereals

From 8 months, the child should be gradually introduced to baked goods. This is necessary because the cereal crops that form their basis are important element for a growing organism. You can offer your baby to chew crackers, bagels and cookies. Considering the discomfort in the oral cavity caused by teething, these products will have double benefits. They will be an excellent addition to dairy products. Crackers can also be softened in meat broth. The inclusion of cakes and buns in the menu is unacceptable.

In addition to meat puree, your child will benefit from vegetable and fruit purees. At 8 months, the daily intake of vegetable puree should be 180 g. This amount can be divided into 2 times. You can add half a chopped boiled egg yolk and 1 or 2 tsp to the puree. vegetable oil. As for fruit puree, its daily intake in the established diet should be no more than 80 g. It should be divided into two or three feedings.

It is also necessary to accustom your baby to porridge. Now they can be cooked using sugar. The use of butter when preparing porridge is permissible, but in an amount not exceeding 5 g. Milk porridges are cooked exclusively with whole milk. It is advisable to prepare a different type of porridge every day. You can also use semi-finished porridges, which just need to be poured with boiling water. The introduction of porridge into the diet, even if its variety is observed, is sometimes made difficult by the baby’s reluctance to eat it. However, over time, it will still fit harmoniously into the diet. You can improve the taste of the product by adding fruit puree to it.

The diet of a baby aged 8 months should look approximately as follows:

06:00 – Breast milk or special formula (200 g).
10:00 – Dairy or dairy-free porridge(180 g) with the addition of 5 g of butter, half the chopped yolk of a boiled chicken egg, fruit juice (30 ml) and fruit puree (20 g).
14:00 – Vegetable puree (180 g), meat puree (50 g), bread or crackers (5 g), vegetable oil (1 or 2 tsp), fruit juice (50 ml). You can reduce the amount of vegetable puree by giving it during the next feeding, and add meat broth (20 ml) to the diet.
18:00 – Kefir or yogurt (100 ml) with cookies (10 g), cottage cheese (40 g), fruit puree (40 g);
22:00 – Breast milk or formula (200 g).

In the intervals between the second and third, as well as the fourth and fifth feedings, the baby can be given fruit juice (40 ml). The given diet is not the only option. You can also find slightly different variations. The main thing is that the mentioned food variety and approximate dosages are observed.

Finally

1. During five feedings a day, the baby should eat at least 1000 g of food. An indicator that the child’s diet has been built in the right way, is the age-appropriate weight gain. In 30 days, the baby should gain 500 g. His height will increase by 1.5 cm.
2. Before purchasing or preparing a new product, if in doubt, it is best to consult a specialist. It’s still not worth experimenting with your child’s health.

Nutrition for infants should be balanced and healthy. After all, a small organism grows and at the same time requires constant enrichment of the diet. At 8 months, babies are already allowed many foods, including meat, fruits, vegetables, kefir, and cottage cheese. Kids on artificial feeding, in addition to the indicated products, they can already feast on fish. It should not be forgotten that introduction to new elements of the diet should be done carefully, starting with minimal portions and gradually increasing the dose. What foods can and should be given to an eight-month-old baby, how to create an approximate diet for a week? More on this later.

Nutrition of a child at 8 months - what new foods should be introduced into the diet

At eight months, the baby continues to be fed breast milk or formula. It is advisable to keep these products in the diet for at least 1 year twice a day - in the morning and at night.

• Vegetables. Infant at this age he already eats many vegetables: zucchini, cauliflower, pumpkin, potatoes, carrots. At 8 months, the baby can safely introduce green peas and beans. First, legumes are served as a puree, then mixed with vegetables, meat, fish, or added to soup. Onions are also introduced into the baby’s diet. It is added to puree soup and served in combination with other vegetables. The maximum amount of vegetables per day for a child of eight months is 180 grams.
• Porridge. Porridge must be present on the child’s menu. It is recommended, in addition to the usual buckwheat, corn, and rice, to introduce your child to oatmeal. You need to prepare a healthy dish using water, with the addition of breast milk or formula. After getting acquainted with a new type of porridge, cereal-based dishes can be diversified by adding fruits and vegetables. The best option are considered to be porridges intended for baby food. All the necessary elements for the normal functioning of the baby’s body have already been added there. The optimal dose per day for the specified age is 180 g.
• Fermented milk products. At this age, the baby already eats kefir, cottage cheese and yogurt. These products do not replace full feeding, but are given as a supplement to food. It is allowed to flavor them with fruits and dried fruits. Fermented milk products should be free of artificial additives and low in fat. More suitable option for feeding the child is kefir and yogurt, prepared independently using a starter or purchased at a dairy kitchen. They will enrich the baby’s intestines with beneficial bacteria and prevent the development of pathogenic microflora. The norm for consuming cottage cheese per day is 50 grams, kefir, yogurt – 200 ml.
• Fruits and dried fruits. Fruits are the main source of vitamins and microelements that will strengthen the baby’s immune functions and resist the development of vitamin deficiency. A child at this age already eats apples and pears, so you can additionally please him with peaches, bananas, cherries, blueberries and currants. If the baby has no problems with stool, then introduce him to prunes, raisins, dried apricots, and melon pulp. You can diversify your consumption of fruits a little by mixing them with yogurt, cookies or cottage cheese. Amount per day – 80 gr.
• Meat. Meat is rich in all the microelements necessary for a growing body - animal protein, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and potassium. The main novelty on the menu for a breastfed baby is meat. Children who were content with milk formulas begin to get acquainted with this product 1 month earlier. The introduction begins with low-fat varieties - rabbit, veal, turkey. Since not all babies at this age can chew food fully, it is better to give the product in the form of puree or pate. When the stage of familiarization with meat has been completed, and no undesirable reactions are observed, you can begin adding the product to vegetable purees, cooking soups in meat broth, and preparing soufflés. Consumption rate per day is 50 grams.
  
• Fish. While the kids are on natural feeding We’ve just started getting acquainted with meat, and the artificial menu already includes fish products. It is better to introduce the baby to white sea fish - hake, cod, pollock. After trying these varieties, after 2-3 weeks you can offer your baby salmon, carp and pike perch. Fish at this age should be given 2 times a week. The product should be served in the form of puree or soufflé. After some time, you can diversify the dish with vegetables. Fish is rich in B vitamins, amino acids, polyunsaturated fats, and minerals. This is very important for a growing organism. The optimal dose is 5-30 g.
• Beverages. The baby’s diet must already include vegetable and fruit juices (80 ml). At this age, it is better to dilute them half with water. Introducing juices should happen only after the baby has tried fruit purees, and if no reactions occur, then you can safely make him happy. Be sure to drink boiled or filtered water. In addition to juices and water, you can include decoctions based on raisins, prunes, and dried apricots in your baby’s diet. It is also allowed to cook compotes from dried fruits (without adding sugar).

What else can be introduced into a baby’s diet?

1. A baby at this age can eat wheat bread (5 grams per day).
2. Gnaw and suck crackers (5 g).
3. You can already add cookies to cottage cheese and fruit puree (5 grams per day).
4. Porridge can be flavored with butter - no more than 4 grams.
5. You can add vegetable oil (maximum 5 ml) to soups and vegetable purees.
6. Chicken yolk is also necessary for babies at this age. The optimal dose at 8 months is half a week.

Features of the daily diet, taking into account the type of feeding

If we talk about the recommendations of the famous doctor Evgeniy Komarovsky, he advises slightly changing the sequence of dishes. The pediatrician recommends giving the baby cottage cheese and fermented milk products for second breakfast, and a hearty porridge for dinner.

Sample menu for each day of the week

At this age, the baby is already content with a variety of dishes. As for the differences in the menu of a bottle-fed baby and a breastfed baby, it is practically no different from the “infant” one. The only thing to add is fish dishes. You can serve them on Tuesday and Saturday for lunch instead of meat.

As usual, every day of the week begins (first breakfast) and ends (meal before bed after dinner) with mother's milk or an adapted milk formula. All other meals are described in more detail in the table.

Tips for creating your own menu

A child’s diet at this age can be very varied. The same foods offered to the baby should not be repeated throughout the day. Be sure to include meat, vegetables, cereals, dairy products and fruits in your baby’s menu every day. This will provide the body with all the nutrients and vitamins.

Here are some tips that will be useful for mothers when planning a menu.

1. For breakfast you can serve not only porridge, cottage cheese, fruit puree, but also meat, fish, and yolk. Drinks allowed include fruit drinks, fruit juices, compotes, and jelly.
2. Lunch must necessarily combine vegetable dishes, meat and fish. After this, you can please your baby with dessert in the form of fruit and berry puree, baked fruits, juices, mousses, soufflés.
3. Your baby should consume maximum protein before lunch.
4. For an afternoon snack, the baby must eat fermented milk products with the addition of fruits, dried fruits, and cookies.
5. Dinner is based on the principle of breakfast.
6. The child must drink after all the food.

To make your task easier, you should take care of drawing up a weekly menu for your baby in advance. You need to plan your diet taking into account all the products recommended at this age and your daily needs.

Video about feeding a baby at 8 months

Features of creating a daily feeding regimen and menu for children with allergies

We don’t think it should be pointed out that a child with allergies should eat only hypoallergenic formulas. Under no circumstances should you give such a baby cow's milk. According to generally accepted standards, complementary foods are introduced to children with allergies 1 month later.

If the child is 8 months old, the following allergenic foods should not be included in the diet:

• chicken eggs;
• whole milk products;
• fish;
• citrus;

You should be careful when introducing crumbs of orange-red vegetables, fruits and berries (carrots, red apples, cherries, etc.) into the menu. The basis of nutrition should be lean meats, fermented milk products prepared at home or purchased at a dairy kitchen, and vegetables. Porridge (gluten-free) should be cooked only with water. Meat is allowed to be introduced only at 9-10 months, and fish - closer to a year. As for fruits, the child should first be introduced to a green apple, and then gradually introduce pears, plums, bananas, and yellow currants into the diet. Eggs are completely eliminated until 1 year of age or replaced with quail eggs.