9 Month Old Self-Feeding Food Ideas

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Inspiration for food and meal ideas for 9 month old self-feeding. Once your baby is on to solid food try these 28 self-feeding meal ideas for babies and toddlers.

Are you wondering: What can I give my 9 month old to eat? How many times a day should a 9 month old baby eat? Can my 9 month old eat everything? What are 9 month old self-feeding food ideas?

I’m here to help! I’m sharing how we started solids, my 9 month old’s feeding schedule, and self-feeding food and meal ideas for your 9 month old baby.

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Starting Solids

We started solids using the baby-led-weaning (BLW) approach around 6 months old. Basically, this means that we didn’t start with spoon-fed purees, but we jumped right into table food and followed our baby’s lead.

When your baby first starts solid food its important to choose the right foods and cut foods into the correct size and shape to avoid chocking and to teach your baby to chew or gum. Food should be soft and tender so that it can be mashed by your baby’s gums and most foods should be cut into long thin strips to promote chewing, gumming, and gnawing.

If your baby hasn’t started solid foods yet, you will want to check out my posts for more beginner eaters: Baby-Led Weaning Food Ideas, 8 Month Old Baby Self-Feeding, and Combining Purees and BLW

Favorite Baby & Toddler Self-Feeding Tools

Having the right self-feeding tools and supplies can go a long way to getting your baby eating solids by themselves! Here are some of my favorite 9 month old self feeding tools:

EZPZ First Foods Set: (Use EZPZ25LOVE for 25% off $75+) We love EZPZ products because they come in such cute colors, are made with non-toxic silicone and are super durable! The first foods set is so great for self-feeding!

Ingenuity Baby Seat: Favorite 2-in-1 highchair, great for babies through toddlerhood and can be used at the table or with the high chair tray.

9 Month Old Schedule

Another question you may have is WHEN to feed your baby solid foods.

Milk (breastmilk or formula) should always be the main source of your baby’s nutrition until about 1 year old. However learning through eating solids its also important to your baby’s development. For this reason, we generally offer solids after milk feeds, or at the least separate them to prioritize liquid feedings.

My 9-month-old eats 3 meals a day, one sack, and 3 liquid feedings. I realize its also very common for 9-month-olds to have 4-5 liquid feedings a day so I will also share a sample schedule for that as well.

3 Liquid Feeding Schedule

7:30 am Wake, Bottle or Nursing (1)
8:30 am Breakfast
10:15 am Nap
11:00 am Lunch
1:30 pm Bottle or Nursing (2)
2:00 pm Nap
4:00 pm Snack
5:30 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Bottle or Nursing (3)
8:00 pm Bedtime

4-5 Liquid Feeding Schedule

7:30 am Wake, Bottle or Nursing (1)
8:30 am Breakfast
10:15 am Nap
11:00 am Bottle or Nursing (2)
12:00 pm Lunch
1:30 pm Optional bottle or nursing (3)
2:00 pm Nap
4:00 pm Bottle or Nursing (4)
5:30 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Bottle or Nursing (5)
8:00 pm Bedtime

Self-Feeding Food Ideas

9 Month Old Self-Feeding Main Course

For the main course I like to focus on whole grains or high-protein, healthy fat foods. Here are some ideas for main course options:

Whole grains (waffle, Dave’s Killer Bread)
Eggs
Meat (ground beef, turkey, or chicken, pulled chicken or pork, chicken meatballs, chicken sausage)
Pasta (spaghetti, mac ‘n cheese, ravioli, gnocchi)
Veggie tots, veggie corn dogs, or quesadilla

9 Month Old Self-Feeding Sides

For side dishes I like to focus on nutrient dense sides like fruits, veggies, or healthy fats. Fruits should be soft and veggies should be cooked until tender.

Fruits (banana, berries, peaches, grapes quartered, steamed apples or pears, plums, tomato)
Veggies (broccoli, peas, carrots, bell pepper, cauliflower, sweet potato, squash)
Healthy Fats/Protein (whole milk string cheese, whole milk yogurt, avocado, beans)

Pouches/Baby Food

Whether you start with purees or baby-led weaning, baby food pouches can be a convenient way to give your baby food (especially on-the-go). Here are some of our favorite organic baby food pouches:

Baby with baby food pouches from Serenity Kids

Serenity Kids (Use JESSICA15 for 15% off)– no-sugar-added, organic baby food pouches. We love the unique combination of meat and veggies that make for a well-balanced meal. See my full review on Serenity Kids.
Amara Organic Baby Food (Use PANDP15 for 15% off)– dry food pouches of superfood ingredients that are super convenient and shelf-stable.

Self-Feeding Breakfast Ideas

Whole Wheat Waffle – frozen waffles can be a great option for a quick and easy breakfast and are great first foods for your self-feeding baby. Cut waffles into strips or smaller pieces once your baby has a pincer grasp. I topped with jelly and a side of bananas.

Scrambled Eggs & Hash Browns – eggs scrambled in grass-fed butter for extra healthy fat, served with hashbrowns cooked in avocado oil. Be sure to be limit added salt for young babies.

Raspberry French Toast – to make this I whisk 2 eggs and 1/4 cup of raspberries, then dunk in bread and cook on a greased pan on the stove top. This is very similar to my recipe for Banana French Toast, but using raspberries instead (almost any fruit will work!).

Scrambled Cheesy Eggs – to add a little extra healthy fat and calories, I like to mix in cheese to scrambled eggs. Served with a side of jelly toast bites using Dave’s Killer Bread.

Affordable toddler plates we use: Pillowfort Divided Plates

Muffin & Fruit – this was a store-bought pumpkin muffin, but I often like to make my own using applesauce instead of sugar. Side of diced plum.

Cinnamon Raisin Toast – a pice of cinnamon raisin bread lightly toasted, topped with grass-fed butter for extra healthy fat, and then cut into strips. Side of grapes and whole milk yogurt.

Broccoli & Cheese Eggs – scrambled eggs with broccoli and cheese mixed in. This is a fun way to add in some extra veggies! I also like to cook eggs in grass-fed butter for extra healthy fat. Side of avocado and grapes.

Cereal & Fruit – cereal is another quick and easy idea for self-feeding baby breakfast. I like to serve them dry or soaked in milk. Side of diced plum.

Self-Feeding Lunch Ideas

Avocado Chicken Salad – shredded canned chicken breast mixed with avocado, peas, and carrots. Also great on a sandwich for older toddlers. Side of halved blueberries.

PB&J – peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Dave’s Killer Bread cut into strips or bite-sized pieces. Side of squished blueberries and avocado for extra healthy fat.

Sweet Potato Tots – my toddler and 9 month old love these Green Giant Sweet Potato Tots. They are a fun alternative to french fries and are made with sweet potato and cauliflower. Side of peas and grapes.

Chicken Sausage – left over chicken sausage cut up small with sides of grapes and steamed pears with cinnamon. Left overs are great for lunch, especially if you mix up the side options to provide some more variety.

Our favorite silicone toddler plates & bowls: EZPZ Fun (Use code EZPZ25LOVE for 25% off $75+)

Veggie Corn Dog – my kids love the MorningStar Farms veggie corn dogs. My toddler can eat it whole but I cut into small pieces or strips for my 9-month-old. Side of peas, carrots, and grapes.

Chicken Veggie Meatballs – KidFresh chicken veggie meatballs is one of our favorites for lunch since they have veggies packed inside. Side of string cheese and grapes.

Mac ‘n Cheese – a toddler favorite can also be good option for a self-feeding food for babies under one. I normally mix in some veggies (peas, carrots or broccoli) or grate in some carrots for some extra nutrients. Side of grapes.

Veggie Plus Chicken Nuggets – We love these chicken nuggets with chickpeas and cauliflower baked into the crust – Perdue Chicken Plus Nuggets. Side of veggies and peaches.

Self-Feeding Dinner Ideas

For dinner my 9 month old normally eats a modified version of what we are eating. Here are some ideas for baby-friendly dinners.

Korean Beef with Veggies – ground beef cooked in sweet bulgogi sauce and coconut aminos. Served with cooked carrots and broccoli. The rest of the family had this served over jasmine rice.

Corn Tortilla Quesadilla and Pulled Chicken – corn tortilla cheese quesadilla cut into strips, pulled chicken made in the instant pot, diced tomatoes, and black beans.

Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage and Sweet Potato – a quick and easy family favorite; diced sweet potato, chicken sausage, and broccoli cooked on a sheet pan in the oven until everything is tender.

Spaghetti Squash and Veggies – spaghetti squash cooked in the instant pot with sides of diced veggies (onion, orange bell pepper, and zucchini) and shredded mozzarella cheese.