
Starting solids is a crucial stage in a baby’s development. However, many parents struggle with creating appropriate meal plans, especially for picky eaters. AVAKids is here to help!
Important Considerations for Starting Solids at 7 Months
- Breast milk remains the most important source of nutrients for babies under one year old. Don’t stop breastfeeding entirely. Continue to feed your baby 600-800ml of breast milk daily.
- While there are many options for a 7-month-old’s meal plan, limit eggs, meat, and fish to avoid overloading the baby’s liver and kidneys.
- Preserve the natural flavors of foods. Avoid adding seasonings.
- This allows your baby to fully experience the taste of food, develop their palate, and establish healthy eating habits.
- The ideal ratio for cooking porridge is 70ml of water to 10g of rice.
- Incorporate healthy fats (both plant-based and animal-based) into your baby’s meal plan, but avoid overusing them.

7-Month-Old Baby Meal Plan: Don’t stop breastfeeding completely
- Ensure a diverse menu that includes all four main food groups:
+ Carbohydrates for energy and metabolism support.
+ Protein for muscle development and immunity.
+ Fats for vitamin absorption (A, D, K, E) and energy storage.
+ Fiber, vitamins, and minerals for nutrient metabolism and healthy development.
Food Group | Examples |
---|---|
Vegetables | Cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin, spinach, asparagus, cabbage, green beans, avocado, kale, and vegetable soups. |
Fruits | Strawberries, peaches, applesauce, melon, etc. |
Starches | Cornmeal, sweet potato cakes, bread, oatmeal, potatoes, bread porridge, rice, etc. |
Protein | Eggs, chicken soup, pork porridge, mackerel porridge, tofu, chicken and bean porridge, etc. |
Dairy | Full-fat, pasteurized yogurt without honey or artificial sweeteners. |
- Adjust food portions according to your baby’s weight. Don’t overfeed or force your baby to eat too much, which can lead to food aversion.
- According to the WHO, in addition to 700-800ml of breast milk/formula, maintain 2-3 main meals per day. Regularly introduce new foods (following allergy testing guidelines) to stimulate your baby’s appetite.
- After 7 PM, give your baby milk to prevent nighttime hunger and sleep disruptions.
- Occasionally, add soft-boiled or steamed foods to the meal plan to help your baby get used to different textures and practice grasping and self-feeding.
Meal Plan for 7-Month-Old Babies with Slow Weight Gain
1. Puréed Amaranth and Pork Porridge
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of rice flour
- A small amount of amaranth
- 20 grams of lean pork
- Cooking oil for babies under 1 year old
Instructions
- Wash the amaranth, purée it, and then strain the juice.
- Wash the pork and mince it.
- Mix the amaranth juice with the rice flour, add the minced pork, and stir constantly until the porridge is cooked.
- Pour the porridge into the baby’s bowl and add a little cooking oil.
With the remaining pork, you can use it to cook pork porridge for your baby or mince it to cook minced pork porridge for your baby’s meal plan.

Meal plan for 7-month-old babies includes amaranth powder cooked with pork
2. Shrimp and Mustard Greens Porridge
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of rice flour
- 20 grams of shrimp
- 20 grams of mustard greens
- Cooking oil specifically for babies under 1 year old
Instructions
- Wash the shrimp, peel, devein, steam, and then mince.
- Take the leaves of the mustard greens, wash them with water, and drain.
- Purée the greens and strain the juice.
- Mix the mustard green juice with the rice flour, stir constantly, and when the mixture thickens, add the shrimp. Continue stirring until cooked.
- Pour the porridge into the baby’s bowl and add a little cooking oil.
Besides shrimp porridge, you can also use these ingredients to make other shrimp-based baby food dishes like shrimp patties or shrimp cakes, etc., to add to your baby’s menu.
3. Pork and Moringa Porridge
Ingredients
- 20 grams of rice flour
- 20 grams of lean pork
- 20 grams of moringa leaves
- Baby cooking oil
Instructions
- Pick the moringa leaves, wash, and purée them.
- Chop the pork, mince it, and sauté it with a little cooking oil.
- Mix water and rice flour and cook over medium heat.
- After about 1 minute of boiling, add the prepared moringa and pork, stirring constantly until the porridge thickens.
Besides moringa, pork can also be cooked with other vegetable porridges such as white radish porridge, lotus root porridge, or beetroot porridge for babies.
4. Pigeon and Sweet Corn Porridge
Ingredients
- 20 grams of pigeon meat
- 20 grams of rice flour
- Sweet corn
Instructions
- Wash the pigeon meat, boil it until cooked, and then mince it. Sauté it with 10g of minced sweet corn and 1 teaspoon of cooking oil.
- Mix 20 grams of rice flour with the pigeon broth, cook over medium heat, and stir constantly.
- After 5 minutes, add the corn and pigeon meat mixture, continue stirring until the porridge is cooked.
With corn as an ingredient, corn porridge for baby food is also a popular dish that many mothers cook for their babies!
5. Carrot and Chicken Porridge
Ingredients
- 20 grams of chicken meat
- 10 grams of carrots
- 20 grams of rice flour
- Cooking oil specifically for babies under 1 year old
Instructions
- Wash and mince the chicken.
- Chop the carrots, purée them, and strain the juice.
- Sauté the chicken with 1 teaspoon of cooking oil.
- Mix the carrot juice with the rice flour, cook over medium heat, add the prepared chicken, and stir constantly until the porridge is cooked.
With the remaining chicken, you can also use it to cook chicken soup for your baby’s breakfast.

Chicken powder cooked with carrots is a dish that should be included in the 7-month-old baby’s meal plan
6. Amaranth and Pork Porridge
Ingredients
- 20 grams of rice flour
- 20 grams of minced pork
- Cooking oil specifically for babies under 1 year old
Instructions
- Mince the pork and sauté with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.
- Wash the amaranth, purée it, and strain the juice.
- Mix the rice flour with the amaranth juice, stir until the mixture thickens, add the pork, and continue cooking until the porridge is cooked.
Besides amaranth, you can also make baby food from various other vegetables such as spinach porridge, vegetable candy, vegetable cakes, or cabbage porridge for your baby.
7. Egg Yolk and Tofu Porridge
Ingredients
- 20 grams of tofu
- 20 grams of rice flour
- 1 egg yolk
- Cooking oil specifically for babies under 1 year old
Instructions
- Boil 20 grams of tofu, drain, and mash with a spoon.
- Mix the rice flour with an appropriate amount of water.
- Put the egg yolk and tofu in a small bowl and mix well.
- Cook the prepared mixture with the dissolved rice flour over low heat.
- Add cooking oil.
- Turn off the heat when the porridge boils again.
You can also make some egg-based baby food dishes like egg cakes to supplement your baby’s BLW snacks!
8. Taro and Shrimp Porridge
Ingredients
- 20 grams of rice flour
- 5 shrimps
- 20 grams of taro
- Cooking oil specifically for babies under 1 year old
Instructions
- Peel and devein the shrimp, then mince them.
- Wash the taro thoroughly to remove any sap, steam it until cooked, then purée it.
- Mix the rice flour with water and cook over medium heat.
- Add the shrimp and taro, stirring constantly until the porridge is cooked.
- Pour the porridge into the baby’s bowl and add a little cooking oil.
9. Beef and Bell Pepper Porridge
Ingredients
- 30 grams of beef
- Plain porridge
- Straw mushrooms
- Bell pepper, baby corn
- Cooking oil and cheese specifically for babies under 1 year old
Instructions
- Wash the beef and thinly slice it.
- Wash the straw mushrooms, baby corn, and bell pepper, and dice them.
- Sauté the beef with a little cooking oil, then add the vegetables in the following order: baby corn, straw mushrooms, bell pepper, and cook until tender.
- Add the plain porridge, cheese, and stir well.
- Pour the porridge into the baby’s bowl and add a little cooking oil.
Besides beef porridge, you can also supplement your baby’s protein intake with other beef-based baby food dishes like beef soup, etc.

Beef porridge with bell pepper, straw mushrooms, and corn: A nutritious meal in the 7-month-old baby’s meal plan
10. Snakehead Fish Porridge
Ingredients
- 1 bowl of plain porridge
- 10 grams of deboned snakehead fish
- 1 tablespoon of minced greens
Instructions
- Mince the snakehead fish and sauté it with cooking oil.
- Heat the porridge, add the greens, after 2 minutes add the fish, and stir constantly until the porridge is cooked.
11. Mashed Avocado
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- Breast milk/formula
Instructions
- Scoop out the avocado flesh.
- Add the prepared milk.
- Blend into a smooth mixture and let your baby enjoy.
Suggested Weekly Meal Plans for 7-Month-Old Babies
Week 1 Meal Plan
Day | 7:00 AM | 11:00 AM | 12:30 PM | 3:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 7:15 PM |
Day 1 | Breastfeeding | Breastfeeding | Carp porridge with amaranth
Watermelon juice |
Breastfeeding | Rice flour with potato | Breastfeeding |
Day 2 | Pig brain porridge
Avocado smoothie |
Beef and mushroom soup | ||||
Day 3 | Shrimp and amaranth porridge
Strawberry smoothie |
Barramundi and winter melon porridge | ||||
Day 4 | Eel and carrot porridge
Grape juice |
Potato and shrimp soup | ||||
Day 5 | Salmon and broccoli porridge
Mashed banana |
Egg and corn porridge | ||||
Day 6 | Millet and minced meat porridge
Mango smoothie |
Chayote and chicken breast porridge | ||||
Day 7 | Pork soup
Mashed red dragon fruit |
Tuna and mustard greens porridge |
Week 2 Meal Plan
Day | 7:00 AM | 11:00 AM | 12:30 PM | 3:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 7:15 PM |
Day 1 | Breastfeeding | Breastfeeding | White Radish Porridge with Beef
Applesauce |
Breastfeeding | Snakehead Fish Porridge with Bok Choy | Breastfeeding |
Day 2 | Brown Rice Porridge with Minced Meat
Pineapple Juice |
Black Bean Porridge with Spare Ribs | ||||
Day 3 | Taro Porridge with Shrimp
Mashed Avocado with Milk |
Silver Pomfret Porridge with Seaweed | ||||
Day 4 | Salmon Soup with Spinach
Pear Juice |
Perilla Porridge with Minced Meat | ||||
Day 5 | Chicken Porridge with Amaranth
Yogurt with Fruit |
Tilapia Fish Porridge with Tomato | ||||
Day 6 | Corn Porridge with Cheese
Guava Smoothie |
Striped Catfish Porridge with Sponge Gourd | ||||
Day 7 | Macadamia Nut Porridge with Beef
Sapodilla Smoothie |
Malabar Spinach Porridge with Shrimp |
Week 3 Meal Plan
Day | 7:00 AM | 11:00 AM | 12:30 PM | 3:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 7:15 PM |
Day 1 | Breast milk | Breast milk | Carrot puree with minced meat
Guava juice |
Breast milk | Sweet potato soup | Breast milk |
Day 2 | Asparagus porridge with crab
Steamed pear with red dates |
Mushroom porridge with lotus seeds | ||||
Day 3 | Squid porridge with spinach
Kiwi smoothie |
Mung bean porridge with chicken breast | ||||
Day 4 | Green bean porridge with sweet potato
Dragon fruit with milk |
Pork liver porridge with pumpkin | ||||
Day 5 | Bok choy porridge with eel
Papaya smoothie |
Amaranth porridge with snakehead fish | ||||
Day 6 | Shrimp soup with baby corn
Yogurt with strawberries |
Japanese-style tomato porridge | ||||
Day 7 | Silken tofu porridge with pumpkin
Banana smoothie |
Striped catfish porridge with white gourd |
Week 4 Meal Plan
Day | 7:00 AM | 11:00 AM | 12:30 PM | 3:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 7:15 PM |
Day 1 | Breastfeeding | Breastfeeding | Crab Soup
Pear Smoothie |
Breastfeeding | Taro Porridge with Chicken | Breastfeeding |
Day 2 | Red Bean Porridge with Minced Meat
Mango Juice |
Mackerel Porridge with Broccoli | ||||
Day 3 | Corn Soup with Shrimp
Pureed Carrot Smoothie |
Potato Porridge with Beef | ||||
Day 4 | Loach Porridge with Pumpkin
Blueberry Smoothie |
Egg Soup with Green Peas | ||||
Day 5 | Eel Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms
Pomegranate Juice |
Cobia Porridge with Green Vegetables | ||||
Day 6 | Mudskipper Porridge with Carrots
Kiwi Juice |
Pumpkin Soup with Cheese | ||||
Day 7 | Pigeon Soup with Green Vegetables
Mango Pudding |
Basa Fish Porridge with Jute Leaves |
What are the common mistakes parents make when cooking porridge for their babies?
Always adding mashed carrots and potatoes to porridge
Carrots and potatoes contain only carbohydrates; the vitamin content in these two foods is zero. Therefore, to ensure that children receive a full complement of necessary nutrients, parents need to frequently change the 7-month-old baby’s weaning menu, especially with green vegetables.
Giving children porridge with cereals
Although cereals are rich in nutrients, they are not suitable for a baby’s weak digestive system. Therefore, parents should absolutely not give children porridge with cereals, to avoid indigestion.
Overusing a blender
In a 7-month-old baby’s weaning menu, the baby will eat thin porridge, then gradually thicker porridge, pureed food, thick porridge, whole grain porridge, etc.
When transitioning between diets, the baby may vomit at first, but then they will gradually get used to the food. Therefore, parents should gradually change the food to help the baby adapt and limit the use of a blender to increase the baby’s ability to handle solid food.

Bone broth does not contain nutrients, parents should not include it in the 7-month-old baby’s weaning menu
Cooking porridge with bone broth
Bone broth only adds aroma and sweetness, it does not contain any nutrients. Besides, the fat in bone broth can make it difficult for children to absorb nutrients. Therefore, mothers should mince lean meat to cook porridge for their children to ensure their best development.
Not adding cooking oil to the baby’s menu
Cooking oil (including vegetable oil and fish oil) can help children absorb nutrients, provide a large amount of energy, and help them form adipose tissue for thermoregulation. Therefore, when preparing dishes in a 7-month-old baby’s weaning menu, parents should add 1-2 teaspoons of cooking oil specifically for babies.
Cooking one pot of porridge for the baby to eat all day
At room temperature, porridge starts to spoil within 2 hours. Refrigerating can only partially limit bacterial growth. Therefore, before feeding the baby, parents need to reheat the porridge thoroughly.
If you are too busy with work, cook a pot of plain porridge. Each time you feed your baby, take a portion of the prepared porridge and cook it with different foods to ensure that the nutrients are not lost, and to help the baby eat better.
Hopefully, with the above 7-month-old baby’s weaning menu from AVAKids, parents can prepare dishes that are both delicious and nutritious for their babies. To ensure your baby’s healthy development, don’t forget to supplement a variety of nutrients with different foods. Parents can also refer to baby porridge products to provide a variety of nutrients for their babies.