Articles and Advice: Your Baby 6-12 Months

Meat at about 6 months
As with milk, meat provides protein, along with certain vitamins and minerals, particularly iron and zinc. The body easily absorbs iron from meat. Your baby needs a small amount of meat in her first year.

A well-balanced vegetarian diet may be adequate for a baby but there is a chance of deficiencies, especially if the diet is strict. It’s best to see a dietitian or nutritionist about this.

To help digestion and hydration, give your baby water after meals.

What meat
At first you can give your baby lamb, chicken and turkey. Then at about 7 months, try veal, beef and pork. At that age, you can put liver on the menu once a week. It’s best to serve meat as a thin purée until about 9 months; otherwise she’ll have trouble chewing it.

Spiced meats, raw or smoked sausage, ham and salami must be kept off your baby’s diet. They contain lots of fat, salt, spices, nitrates and other harmful ingredients. Eating sausage can also cause your baby to choke.

From 6 to 7 months is the time to start putting meat on your baby’s menu.

How much
Start by serving your child 3 to 5 ml (½ - 1 teaspoon) of meat at lunchtime for a few days. Then gradually increase the portion from 5 to 15 ml (1 - 3 teaspoons) at a time, taking into account her taste and appetite.

At about 7 months, you can serve her well-cooked game meat. Be sure that the carcass was handled properly on site and that all lead shot was removed, along with any meat which touched it. However, the organs of game animals are not recommended, as they are often contaminated.

Reference:
Doré, Nicole; Le Hénaff, Danielle. From Tiny Tot to Toddler, Practical Guide for Parents from Pregnancy to Age Two. Québec, Institut national de santé publique du Québec, 2008. Pages 411-412.