Our wonderful nutritionist Rebecca was asked the following question, "Hi, I have got a beautiful 9 months baby girl. She is very active, she started moving army style at 7 months and at 8 months she was crawling and pulling herself up. At her last Plunket appointment I realised she had not grown in the last 3 months, she is still 66cm long and 7.8kg. The Plunket nurse suggested to give her solids before the breastmilk. my question is: what kind of food shall I offer to my girl to help her growing faster?"

Rebecca's reply was..."

Your Plunket nurse's advice is spot on as gradually complementary foods should start to displace milk feeds and 9 months is a good age to start introducing foods before milk feeds. The following foods are good sources of protein and iron which are essential for the growth and development of your baby:

• Iron fortified baby cereals
• Cooked and pureed meats (beef, lamb, chicken, pork or fish) or stews and casseroles
• Cottage cheese (on bread, soft crackers or rice crackers)
• Baked beans or spaghetti (add grated cheese for additional protein)
• Milk, rice and custard puddings
• Yoghurt
• As long as there is no family history to peanuts, smooth peanut butter is a valuable source of protein. Spread on bread or crackers
• Commercial infant foods (look for an appropriate stage).

The following foods are valuable sources of carbohydrates and can easily be incorporated with the above mentioned foods:

• Plain rice or mashed potato
• Pureed fruits and vegetables (missing the skin (if tough) and pips and seeds)
• Raw fruits and vegetables (missing the skin (if tough) and pips and seeds)
• Well cooked pasta and noodles mashed with a tomato based sauce
• Plain sweet biscuits, muffins and rusks

Where possible include a source of Vitamin C (citrus fruit, apricots, plums, peaches and/or juices, tomatoes and red peppers) with iron rich foods to enhance iron absorption.

Avoid adding additional fat (oil and butter), sugar (including honey) and salt to infants' foods as these may perpetuate an early (unnecessary) likeness for these flavours."

Hope that helps :-)