Feeding Guide: Baby to Toddler
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By Dahlia Rimmon, MS, RDN
When you step into the wild world of parenthood, there’s a lot to figure out – like how to change a diaper (extra points if you can pull it off without a changing pad!), soothing your baby to sleep, and of course, the whole feeding thing. Making sure your baby is well-fed and nourished is important for their health and development, but their needs change as they grow. That’s why we’ve created the ultimate feeding guide, packed with expert advice from your baby’s very first sip (and bite!) through to their toddler years.
Nutrition: Newborn to 6 months
For the first six months, babies will get all the nutrition and fluids they need from breast milk and/or iron-fortified formula. Some parents exclusively breastfeed, others stick to the formula, and plenty do a combination of both (because fed is best!). The key is figuring out what works best for you, your baby, and your lifestyle.
If you decide to exclusively breastfeed or offer pumped breast milk, your baby will need a vitamin D supplement, since breast milk is naturally low in vitamin D. Vitamin D is an important nutrient for strong bones and a healthy immune system. Babies under 12 months need 400 IU of vitamin D each day.
Nutrition: 6 months to 1 year
Once your baby turns 6 months and starts showing signs of developmental readiness, it’s time to introduce solid foods. Most of their calories will still come from breast milk and/or infant formula, but adding solid foods at this age helps support their growing nutritional and developmental needs. This includes palate development, improving their chewing and swallowing skills, and honing fine motor skills like the palmar grasp and pincer grasp.
When your baby starts eating solids, they’ll likely only need one solid meal a day. There’s no need to rush into three meals — just gradually introduce new foods and flavors. As they grow, you can add a second meal around 7 or 8 months, and by 9 or 10 months, you can introduce a third meal. By your child’s first birthday, the goal is for them to be regularly enjoying three solid meals and about one or two snacks (as needed) each day.
Baby food
There’s no one right way to feed your baby. What matters most is finding what works for you and your baby, and luckily, you have a few options. You can either begin with purees, follow a baby-led weaning (BLW) approach, and offer soft finger foods, or do a combination of both methods.
Purees
When offering purees, include both thin and thick blends to expose your baby to a range of textures. If you decide to stick with purees exclusively at 6 months, be sure to gradually thicken the consistency, then mash up the baby foods, and ultimately progress to chunkier textures and soft finger foods. Experts recommend moving past purees and introducing finger foods before your baby turns 9 months, as it can be challenging to add texture later. Let’s avoid those picky eating habits, shall we?
Finger food
If you decide to go the finger food route, make sure they’re soft enough to easily squish between your fingers. The food’s shape is just as important as its texture, so it’s important to cut foods that babies can easily pick up themselves. At 6 months, babies use their palmar grasp, or whole hand, to pick up food. Serve long, spear-shaped pieces of food like Little Bellies puffs or pick-me sticks that they can easily pick and hold. Around 9 months, you’ll notice your baby practicing the pincer grasp, where they can pick up small pieces of baby food like Little Bellies softcorn or paws with their index finger and thumb. At this stage, cut foods into small, pea-sized pieces to help your baby strengthen this fine motor skill.
Baby food and food groups
Introduce a wide variety of foods to expose them to various food groups, flavors, textures, nutrients, and colors. Babies are incredibly curious and they’re more receptive to trying new foods and textures at a young age. Let’s break it down by food group:
- Proteins: Chicken, beef, Greek yogurt, beans, lentils, eggs, fish, tofu
- Vegetables: Broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, tomato, sweet potato
- Fruit: Strawberries, cantaloupe, banana, peach, mango, apple
- Fat: Avocado, olive oil, butter, nut butter, chia seeds, coconut oil
- Carbs: Quinoa, bread, pasta, rice
Nutrition: Toddlerhood
When your baby turns one, most of their nutrition will come from solid foods. By now, your toddler will be enjoying three meals a day along with one or two snacks. You might notice they’re showing more interest in solid foods or drinking significantly less milk than before. While we still want to offer milk, it’s best to cap it at 16 ounces a day so there’s enough room in their tiny tummy for all those delicious solid foods. You can offer whole cow’s milk, continue breastfeeding, or serve a fortified plant-based milk alternative like soy or pea milk. These options will give your toddler the extra calcium, protein, and fat they need to grow and thrive.
Toddler food
When planning meals for your toddler, try to include three or four food groups at each meal to ensure they get balanced nutrition each day. You don’t have to have every food group on the plate at once, which can be overwhelming and create a bit of sensory overload. Always include a protein for sustained energy and satiety and then serve it alongside fruits, veggies, carbs (like starches or grains), or healthy fats. Here’s an example of three daily meals:
Breakfast:
- Greek yogurt (protein)
- Strawberries (fruit)
- Little Bellies Veggie Tubes (carb)
Lunch:
- Turkey (protein)
- Avocado (fat)
- Whole wheat wrap (carb)
- Roasted broccoli (vegetable)
Dinner:
- Salmon (protein)
- Rice (carb)
- Broccoli (vegetable)
Toddler snacks
Snacks are a great way to sneak in more nutrition but they can also serve as a tool for reducing the frequency of milk feeds. During the weaning process, some kids might need a little distraction when “milk time” comes around, and many parents find that snacks are a helpful way to swap out those mid-day milk feeds. When choosing baby or toddler snacks, opt for ones made from whole foods that are free from added sugars and salts, like Little Bellies Organic Date, Oat and Banana Bars and Apple and Berry Softcorn. Snack time is a great opportunity to reinforce healthy snacking habits and introduce your toddler to nutritious snack choices.
Baby feeding and sleeping schedule by age
Knowing when to feed your baby solids can feel a little confusing at first — they’re either nursing or sleeping or sleeping then bottle-feeding and then the cycle just keeps going. Figuring out a baby’s complete feeding schedule takes time and trial and error, so don’t stress if you don’t get the perfect routine right from the start.
Offer solid food and milk at separate times during the day. This way, your baby is hungry (but not hangry!) and has an appetite for food. Similarly, avoid offering solids back-to-back with a milk feed when they’re already too full to eat more. A good rule of thumb is to space out milk and solids by 30 to 90 minutes. Some babies are ready to eat solids just 30 minutes after milk, while others need 45 minutes or even two hours to digest. Play around with their feeding schedule, see what works best, and be ready to adjust as needed.
Here’s a breakdown of a baby’s feeding and sleeping schedule by age. Keep in mind that these are just examples – every baby is different, and not every family will follow these exact routines.
Feeding and sleeping schedule for 4 month old
At this age, babies are either drinking breast milk or infant formula and haven’t started solids yet. If your baby is exclusively breastfed, they’ll probably nurse 8 times a day, while bottle-fed babies (whether it’s expressed breast milk or formula) typically have about 6 to 8 bottles a day. Since this is a stage where babies sleep a lot, they’re usually taking three naps daily.
Even though your baby isn’t eating solid food yet, it’s a great time to introduce them to concepts of food by bringing them to the table to watch you eat. It’s also important to give them plenty of tummy time to strengthen their core so they’re ready to sit in a highchair by 6 months.
Feeding and sleeping schedule for 6 month old
At this stage, continue to offer your baby the same number of milk feeds, along with one (or two if they’re really into food!) meal of solid foods. They still need plenty of sleep, so stick to three naps a day.
Feeding guide example:
6:00 AM: Wake up + milk feed
8:00 AM: Milk feed
8:30 AM: Nap
10:30 AM: Milk feed
11:15 AM: Solid food
12:30 PM: Milk feed + nap
2:30 PM: Milk feed
4:30 PM: Nap
5:30 PM: Milk feed
7:00 PM: Bedtime
Feeding and sleeping schedule for 8 month old
Your baby is still getting the same number of milk feeds and now eating two or three solid meals a day. Some babies may drop their third nap and transition to two naps a day.
Feeding guide example:
6:30 AM: Wake up + milk feed
7:45 AM: Solid food
8:30 AM: Milk feed + nap
11:00 AM: Milk feed
1:30 PM: Milk feed + nap
3:00 PM: Milk feed
5:30 PM: Milk feed
6:15 PM: Solid food
7:00 PM: Milk feed
7:30 PM: Bedtime
Feeding and sleeping schedule for 10 month old
Your baby is now eating three solid meals a day. You might notice they’re drinking a little less from the bottle or nursing for shorter periods. Many babies will also start to settle into a routine of two naps a day.
Feeding guide example:
6:00 AM: Wake up + milk feed
6:45 AM: Solid food
8:00 AM: Milk feed + nap
10:00 AM: Milk feed
11:15 PM: Solid food
12:30 PM: Milk feed + nap
3:00 PM: Milk feed
4:30 PM: Solid food
5:30 PM: Milk feed
6:15 PM: Bedtime
Feeding and sleeping schedule for 12 month old
Congrats, your baby is now officially a toddler! With this new stage comes a shift to more solid food and cutting back to 16 oz of milk a day. Your toddler will be eating three solid meals plus one or two snacks each day. When it comes to naps, they’ll either stick to two naps or transition down to one.
Feeding guide example:
7:00 AM: Wake up + milk feed
7:45 AM: Solid food
9:45 AM: Nap
12:00 PM: Solid food
2:30 PM: Toddler snack
5:00 PM: Solid food
6:00 PM: Milk feed
6:30 PM: Bedtime
Feeding and sleeping schedule for 18 to 24 month old
Your toddler is comfortably eating three meals and one or two snacks a day. They’ll keep drinking about 16 oz of milk daily, and they’ll typically drop down to one nap a day.
Feeding guide example:
6:30 AM: Wake up + milk feed
7:15 AM: Solid food
9:15 AM: Toddler snack
11:30 PM: Solid food
12:30 PM: Nap
3:00 PM: Toddler snack
5:00 PM: Solid food
6:30 PM: Milk feed
7:00 PM: Bedtime
Age-appropriate foods
In the early months of solids, babies typically eat small amounts of food (sometimes even just a bite or two!). To make sure they’re getting the most out of each bite, offer nutrient-dense or calorie-rich foods during meals and snacks. Think meat, chicken, fish, eggs, lentils, avocado, sweet potatoes, bananas, and berries. The more babies familiarize and accept nutrient-rich whole foods, the more they’ll eat them when they’re older. Plus, establishing healthy habits from the beginning helps parents create a foundation of healthy eating for the whole family.
Most foods are safe for babies, but there are a few exceptions. A big no-no is honey and any foods made with honey due to the risk of infant botulism from the bacteria Clostridium.
It’s also best practice to steer clear of foods with added sugars and salt. Babies have developing kidneys and it may be difficult to filter out excess salt.
Avoid foods that pose a choking risk. Hard, sharp, gummy, or sticky foods can be choking hazards, as well as small, round foods like whole blueberries, chickpeas, or grapes.
Added sugars
It’s best to avoid foods with added sugars, especially for kids under 2 years. This isn’t just about their health – it also helps reinforce healthy eating habits and keeps them from getting too familiar with the taste of sugary foods. Check food labels for other sources of added sugars, like corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, honey, molasses, sucrose, and rice syrup. You might be surprised to find hidden sugars in packaged foods, flavored dairy products, juices, and even bread.
Keep in mind that avoiding sugar might be easier with your first child, but it can get trickier once your baby has older siblings. You don’t want to be too strict about it either, since it can lead to unhealthy obsessions. Instead, be mindful of how much they’re eating and try to limit it when you can.
