Since the start of weaning, your child has been eating foods from every food group. At 8 months, they continue to discover new flavours, and are increasingly enjoying stronger-tasting foods. But as we'll see, some foods are still off the menu!
Which vegetables for my 8-month-old baby?
If you haven't already, you can introduce high-fibre vegetables (cauliflower, leek, Brussels sprouts, onion), and let them try varieties they may have struggled to digest until now. But even though all vegetables are fair game, never force your child to eat. You can offer the same food up to 10 times.
In terms of texture, you can alternate between blended and mashed vegetable purées. If Baby enjoys chunkier textures, feel free to roughly mash or blend soft-cooked vegetables. And on days when your schedule is absolutely packed, go for a Popote mash!
And discover all our organic vegetable purées for babies right here.
How much vegetables at 8 months?
We're looking at 150 to 200g of vegetable purée per day, depending on Baby's appetite (spread across 1 or 2 meals, according to their preferences). And as always, round it off with breast milk or follow-on formula.
Which fruits for an 8-month-old baby?
Here too, anything goes! Red fruits, exotic fruits, citrus, apple, banana, pear, apricot… Vary the flavours (sharp, bitter, sweet…) and the fun by introducing Baby to new varieties.
Around 8 months, textures change!
Raw, cooked, mashed, grated or crushed — you can now offer Baby a variety of textures. Mash a banana, for example, and mix it with a little baby fruit compote. You'll see, it's de-licious! If you give your child raw fruit (always in large, soft pieces), remember to remove the skin.
How much fruit for my 8-month-old baby?
We're sticking to 120 to 200g of fruit per day — one or two Popotes a day. Easy, right?
Which starchy foods for my 8-month-old baby?
Just like vegetables and fruit, starchy foods are essential for your 8-month-old. Makes sense: they're what will give them all the energy they need to explore the world around them.
At 8 months, keep introducing new starchy foods. Potato, pasta, rice, semolina, bulgur, maize, quinoa — not forgetting pulses (lentils, white/red beans, chickpeas…), which are also part of the starchy food family, and have the added benefit of being rich in vitamins and minerals.
The Popote tip: when baby is 8 months old, we still mix starchy foods into the purée so the texture doesn't bother them too much.
How much starchy food at 8 months?
Give Baby 40g of pasta, semolina, quinoa (and equivalent starchy foods) per day, and 70g of mashed potato.
Which proteins for my 8-month-old baby?
At 8 months, your child can eat a very wide variety of meat and fish, not forgetting eggs (no more than half a hard-boiled egg per day).
- On the meat side, you can give Baby all types of meat (beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, duck…), although it is recommended to favour white meats, which are much lower in fat. However, offal and processed meats are a firm no — except for plain cooked ham. And whatever the meat, it must be served very well cooked (steamed or pan-fried).
- On the fish side, alternate between white fish and oily fish, but seafood, crustaceans and shellfish are still off limits (and obviously sushi or anything remotely resembling raw fish). Certain fish must also be avoided (shark, swordfish, marlin, lamprey) or limited (monkfish, bonito, skate, sea bream, halibut, tuna) until the age of 3.
How much protein at 8 months?
We're sticking to 10 to 15g of well-cooked meat or fish per day, and half a hard-boiled egg that can be roughly mashed into the purée.
Fats for my 8-month-old baby
We favour oils as much as possible, and occasionally add a knob of (unsalted) butter to Baby's meals, as it is rich in calcium and vitamins.
To make the most of the benefits of each oil, alternate between different types:
- walnut oil or rapeseed oil: rich in Omega 3
- olive oil: rich in antioxidants – sunflower oil: rich in vitamin E
Reminder no.1: don't heat the oil — add it at the end, into the already-warmed purée.
Reminder no.2 : the fat provided by butter or oil is in addition to that already provided by milk (breast or formula).
How much fat at 8 months?
1 teaspoon of oil per day, or a knob of butter from time to time, well mixed into the purée.
Which dairy products for my 8-month-old baby?
While keeping milk (breast or formula) as the foundation, you can give your child a wide variety of dairy products: unsweetened yogurt, petit-suisse, fromage blanc, pasteurised cheese. We still favour full-fat dairy as much as possible, and avoid raw-milk cheeses — except hard cooked-curd cheeses (Emmental, Comté, Abondance, Gruyère IGP, Beaufort…). As a reminder, it is still far too early to give your child cow's milk to drink.
How much dairy at 8 months?
Count one portion of dairy at each meal (a yogurt, or 15g of cheese, or 100g of fromage blanc…). As for milk, that's a minimum of 2 bottles per day, giving at least 500ml of formula. And if you are breastfeeding, it's still on demand.
How do I know if my 8-month-old baby is eating too much or too little?
If your baby is gaining weight and growing along their growth curve, you have nothing to worry about: they are eating enough, with quantities suited to their needs. But don't hesitate to ask your paediatrician for advice if you need reassurance on this point.
