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Starting solid foods. American Academy of Pediatrics. Sample menu for an 8 to 12 month old. How much and how often to feed. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stanford University. Feeding guide for the first year. Department of Agriculture. Infant nutrition and feeding.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Department of Agriculture and U. Department of Health and Human Services. Elizabeth Dougherty is a veteran parenting writer and editor who's been contributing to BabyCenter since Join now to personalize. How much should my baby eat? Watch for signs your baby is full How much a 4- to 6-month-old should eat How much a 6- to 8-month-old should eat Breakfast for a younger baby 6 to 8 months Dinner for a younger baby 6 to 8 months How much an 8- to month-old should eat Breakfast for an older baby 8 to 12 months Morning snack for an older baby 8 to 12 months Lunch for an older baby 8 to 12 months Afternoon snack for an older baby 8 to 12 months Dinner for older baby 8 to 12 months How much should my baby drink once she starts eating solids?
Your baby has the final say. Photo credit: Karla Martin for BabyCenter. This visual guide shows: Portions for infants who are new to solids typically 4 to 6 months Two sample meals for a younger baby 6 to 8 months Three sample meals and two snacks for an older baby 8 to 12 months from a menu developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics AAP Your little one may eat less or more than what's shown here.
Photo credit: iStock. Signs of being full include: Turning his head away Refusing to open his mouth for another bite after he's swallowed resist the urge to encourage your baby to have one last spoonful Leaning back in his chair Playing with the spoon or food rather than eating.
Start with a very small amount, 1 to 2 teaspoons, of a single-ingredient puree. Gradually increase to 1 to 2 tablespoons of food once a day. Follow your baby's fullness cues. Transition from one to two meals a day, typically by 8 months. Over time, add a second food to each meal. The photo above is an example of a meal with two foods.
Once you've worked up to two meals with two foods each, aim for a balance of proteins, vegetables, fruits, and grains in her daily diet. Whenever you introduce a new food, start with a very small amount, a teaspoon or two, to allow your baby to get used to its flavor and texture.
Start with a soupy consistency. Gradually add more texture as her eating skills improve. Note: The jars in all photos are standard 4-ounce baby food jars. Cereal and fruit make an easy combination for a morning meal. As your child's eating skills improve, gradually add more texture by dicing or mincing foods. During this period: Continue to give your baby breast milk or formula.
Add morning and afternoon snacks. Some babies this age are happy with breast milk or formula as their snack, while others gravitate toward solid foods. Once you've added a third meal and snacks, your baby will be eating or drinking something about every two to three hours. Continue to aim for a mix of proteins, vegetables, fruits, and grains.
Baby Products. Bookmark BookmarkTick BookmarkAdd save. Feeding baby is ruling my life! By Bonnie Vengrow. Plus, more from The Bump:. Next on Your Reading List. Dig in! The following behaviours can be mistaken by parents as signs that their baby is ready for solid foods:. These are all normal behaviours for babies and not necessarily a sign that they're hungry or ready to start solid food. Starting solid foods will not make your baby any more likely to sleep through the night.
Sometimes a little extra milk will help until they're ready for solid foods. Get tips to help your baby sleep well.
Do not worry about how much they eat. The most important thing is getting them used to new tastes and textures, and learning how to move solid foods around their mouths and how to swallow them. They'll still be getting most of their energy and nutrients from breast milk or infant formula. There are some foods to avoid giving to your baby. For example, do not add sugar or salt including stock cubes and gravy to your baby's food or cooking water.
Babies should not eat salty foods as it's not good for their kidneys, and sugar can cause tooth decay. Other babies need a little longer to get used to new textures, so may prefer smooth or blended foods on a spoon at first. When introducing your baby to solid foods, it's important to take extra care to not put them at risk. This is because they're learning how to deal with solid foods and regulate the amount of food they can manage to chew and swallow at one time.
It's free, always available and at the perfect temperature, and is tailor-made for your baby. First infant formula is the only suitable alternative if you do not breastfeed or choose to supplement breast milk. Other milks or milk substitutes, including cows' milk, should not be introduced as a main drink until 12 months of age. When using a bottle, do not put anything such as sugar or cereals in it other than breast milk or infant formula.
It's recommended that breastfed babies are given a daily supplement containing 8. Babies having mls about a pint or more of formula a day should not be given vitamin supplements. All children aged 6 months to 5 years should be given vitamin supplements containing vitamins A, C and D every day.
When they first start having solid foods, babies do not need 3 meals a day. Babies have tiny tummies, so start by offering them small amounts of food just a few pieces, or teaspoons of food.
Start offering them food before their usual milk feed as they might not be interested if they're full, but do not wait until your baby is too hungry. It can take 10 tries or more before your baby will accept a new food or texture, particularly as they get older.
Your baby will still be getting most of their energy and nutrients from breast milk or first infant formula. Breast milk or infant formula should be their main drink during the first year.
Do not give them whole cows' or goats' or sheep's milk as a drink until they're 1 year old. Introduce a cup from around 6 months and offer sips of water with meals. Using an open cup or a free-flow cup without a valve will help your baby learn to sip and is better for their teeth. Try mashed or soft cooked sticks of parsnip, broccoli, potato, yam, sweet potato, carrot, apple or pear.
This will help your baby get used to a range of flavours rather than just the sweeter ones, like carrots and sweet potato and might help prevent them being fussy eaters as they grow up.
Foods containing allergens such as peanuts, hens' eggs, gluten and fish can be introduced from around 6 months of age, 1 at a time and in small amounts so you can spot any reaction. Cows' milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months of age, but should not be given as a drink until your baby is 1 year old.
Full-fat dairy products, such as pasteurised cheese and plain yoghurt or fromage frais, can be given from around 6 months of age. Choose products with no added sugar. As soon as your baby starts solid foods, encourage them to be involved in mealtimes and have fun touching, holding and exploring food. Let them feed themselves with their fingers when they want to. This helps develop fine motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination. Your baby can show you how much they want to eat, and it gets them familiar with different types and textures of food.
Finger food is food that's cut up into pieces big enough for your baby to hold in their fist with a bit sticking out. Start off with finger foods that break up easily in their mouth and are long enough for them to grip. Avoid hard food, such as whole nuts or raw carrots and apples, to reduce the risk of choking. There's no right or wrong way.
The most important thing is that your baby eats a wide variety of food and gets all the nutrients they need. There's no more risk of choking when a baby feeds themselves than when they're fed with a spoon.
From about 7 months, your baby will gradually move towards eating 3 meals a day breakfast, lunch and tea , in addition to their usual milk feeds, which may be around 4 a day for example, on waking, after lunch, after tea and before bed. As your baby eats more solid foods, they may want less milk at each feed or even drop a milk feed altogether. If you're breastfeeding, your baby will adapt their feeds according to how much food they're having.
Gradually increase the amount and variety of food your baby is offered to ensure they get the energy and nutrients they need.
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