Best Baby Snacks For 6-Month-Olds

Whether they are rocking back and forth on hands and knees, responding to their own name, or even sporting their first tooth, there are many milestones to look forward to when your little one crosses that 6-month mark. 

One of the most exciting milestones around this time is starting solids and introducing new foods! As your child starts to eat in earnest, snacks will become a part of their everyday feeding routine and if done right, an essential way for them to get the nutrients they need to grow. Be sure to introduce age-appropriate and nutrient-dense foods so that every bite counts. 

If you’re not sure where to start, here are some of our favorite tips on introducing the best baby snacks for 6-month-olds.

Baby Snacks Starting at 6 Months 

Baby snacks are a great way to complement mealtime and pacify hungry babies, but make sure they are developmentally ready to try these new foods. Though different for each child, general signs of readiness for baby snacks and finger food include an interest in feeding themselves, munching up and down while watching you eat, or sipping from a cup with help.

The AAP and USDA also recommend introducing common allergens, like eggs, shellfish, wheat, and nuts, around 6 months of age. Introducing a variety of diverse foods can help guide the immune system by training it to recognize potentially allergenic foods as safe.

• What to feed: Make sure you are not sacrificing nutrition when it comes to snacking. Some of our favorite healthy baby snacks to compliment mealtime include:
• Puffs and dry cereals
• Cooked or pureed veggies, like sweet potato, carrot, broccoli, or butternut squash
• Scrambled eggs
• Slices of soft fruits, like bananas, peaches, avocados and apples
• Watered-down nut butters
• Thinly sliced or pureed meats, like turkey or chicken
• Pasteurized cheese
• Tofu

Avoid snacks that are too hard, like unsoftened carrot or apple slices. Fruits and vegetables should be soft enough to mash between your fingers. Also avoid raw foods, like eggs that have not been fully cooked. For a more complete list, check out our blog, Foods To Avoid For Babies Under 12 Months.

Snack time is the perfect opportunity to continue the maintenance of early allergen introduction. If your child is eating finger foods, try SpoonfulONE’s Puffs. Puffs are formatted to dissolve quickly in the mouth, making them the perfect baby snack for new eaters. Plus, the new shapes, textures and experience of self-feeding will help them develop new skills, like the pincer grasp, while they have a tasty snack.

• How often: Once you've established your normal mealtime feeding schedule, you can complement your child’s meals with 2-3 snacks spread throughout the day.

When introducing snacks, you will have to experiment with what works best. If they are shaking their head no, turning away, or refusing to open their mouth, don’t try to force it.

Continuing Breastmilk or Formula

Most calories in your little one’s diet at this age will still come from breastmilk or formula. In fact, the AAP recommends continuing breastfeeding as complementary foods and snacks are introduced for 1 year or longer. During this time, formula is also a great option for moms who can’t or don’t want to breastfeed. 

At 6 months, there will be days when your baby is much more interested in trying new and delicious snacks, like applesauce and scrambled eggs, than in having breastmilk or formula, and vice versa. This is all normal as your baby grows in independence, but make sure they are still getting their normal day’s worth of breastmilk or formula.

Making Diet Diversity Easy

More than ever, it’s important to make every bite count. By introducing peanuts, eggs, cow's milk products, tree nuts, wheat, soy, sesame, shellfish, and fish alongside complementary foods, you can reduce your child’s risk of developing an allergy to that food.

With our patented and precise formula, SpoonfulONE is a line of nutritious baby snacks that make early allergen introduction safe, easy and convenient. With just one spoonful a day you can help your baby have gentle daily exposure to 16 food allergens.

As your little one grows, let SpoonfulONE baby snacks help you take the first step in first feedings!