Baby Feeding Schedule by Age for The First Year
Reading time:
By Nicole Lattanzio, RDN, CSP, IBCLC
Introduction
Congratulations, your baby is about to start solids!
You may be feeling a range of emotions – excited to anxious, confident to confused, and even relief that milk feeds are coming to an end soon to sadness your baby is taking this next step to eat food soon. It’s a big change! Having all these feelings is completely valid and there are others in the same boat as you.
You may have tons of questions stepping into this next stage of life…
What’s with baby food stages?
How do I know what foods my baby is ready to eat?
What nutrients do I need to focus on?
How do I balance food and milk feeds?
How in the world do I implement meals into our busy day?!
See this guide as your one-stop shop to learn the ins and outs of feeding solids to your baby as they progress month by month. Let’s dive in!
Baby Nutrition 101
Well, before we dive in, let’s discuss why foods are important for babies and what you as a caregiver need to know about their nutrition.
Infants 0-4 months of age rely on breastmilk and/or infant formula as their sole source of nutrition. These milks are perfectly crafted to meet the nutritional needs of growing babies. They provide the proper ratios of carbohydrates, protein, and fats for growth. Not only this, but their milk also provides precise amounts and ratios of vitamins and minerals needed for bone mineralisation, gut maturation, brain growth, immune system development, and more. Introducing non-milk beverages (i.e. juice, water) or foods early changes these ratios and may decrease the milk feed intake, meaning they take in less of these required nutrients.
Around 4-6 months of age, infants begin to have declining iron stores in their bodies. Babies receive high amounts of red blood cells from mom while in the womb and may receive even more if delayed cord clamping is used at delivery. Additionally, babies consume iron from breastmilk (in the form of highly absorbable lactoferrin) and iron-fortified infant formulas (in larger amounts than breastmilk due to being less absorbable) which are needed for building their own red blood cells. Between 4-6 months of age, these iron stores from mom are decreasing. Luckily, babies are becoming more developmentally appropriate for solid foods at this time.
Recommendations for vitamins and minerals for infants are based on 0-6 months and 7-12 months. The most significant change we see for 7-12 months is iron requirements increasing from 0.27 mg/d to 11 mg/d. This change highlights the importance of prioritising iron-rich foods when starting solids. Additional nutrient changes are a moderate increase in needs across the board for total calories, protein, vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes which babies meet with complementary foods. Babies need more of every nutrient when they start foods meaning providing a variety of foods is crucial.
Breastmilk and/or infant formula remain the primary source of nutrition in the first year of life. However, it’s not the only source! There is a transition that occurs for babies between 6-12 months where they drink less milk feeds gradually and increase their solid food intake. This allows them to move to food-first rather than milk-first when they reach their first birthday.
Stepping Stones: Baby Food Stages
Your baby needs complementary foods for growth and development… but where does one start? Baby food stages on labels can guide where you start and how you advance. Taking these stages step by step can help ease your baby into foods from a texture standpoint while they build oral motor skills and simultaneously eat a wider range of nutrients.
Stage 1 (4+ months)
- Stage 1 baby purees: Single-ingredient, watery thin purees for spoon-feeding.
Examples: baby oatmeal, mango puree, green bean puree.
- Note: While these may be labelled for 4+ months, you should always discuss your 4-month-old’s readiness for solids with your paediatrician before starting. Most 4-month-old infants are not developmentally ready for sitting and eating foods.
Stage 2 (6+ months)
- Baby food: Single- or multi-ingredient, strained or mashed purees for spoon-feeding.
Examples: fruit and yoghurt puree, vegetables and chicken puree, strawberry and oats puree.
- Finger food: Soft strips for grasping and self-feeding; meltable solids for self-feeding.
Examples: avocado strips, steamed sweet potato wedges, Little Bellies Organic Pick-Up Sticks.
If desired, baby-led weaning may be started around 6 months of age when the baby is a skilled sitter. Baby-led weaning involves baby self-feeding strips of soft finger foods such as those listed above. While meltables can of course be served with baby-led weaning, they can also be offered with puree feeding as they dissolve quickly to puree consistency in baby’s mouth.
Stage 3 (9+ months)
- Baby food: Multi-ingredient mush that has soft, chewable chunks.
Examples: turkey & vegetable with quinoa stew, apple & pumpkin blend with granola.
- Finger food: Softly cooked small pieces of food for picking up and self-feeding; many family foods can be offered.
Examples: quartered blueberries, chopped meatballs, Little Bellies Organic Softcorn and Paws.
Stage 4 (12+ months)
- “Toddler” food: Wider range of ingredients and highly textured pouches or ready-made meals.
Examples: chia oat berry pouch, vegetable pasta toddler meal bowl.
Note: Some packaged stage 4 (or “tot” or “toddler”) foods may contain added sugars, salt, fibre, or protein powders. Read ingredient lists and labels closely to ensure it’s an appropriate choice for your little one.
- Table food: Offer family foods and snacks in a variety of shapes, textures, and sizes while avoiding choking hazards and limiting added sugar and salt.
Examples: baked apple oatmeal bar, black bean avocado quesadilla, Little Bellies biscuits.
Balancing Nutrient-Rich Snacks and Meals
As discussed above, offering a wide range of foods to babies serves many purposes including:
- meeting baby’s changing nutritional needs
- enhancing oral motor skill development
- supporting palate development
- providing opportunities for learning and interacting with new foods
- developing a positive relationship with all foods from the start
Babies quickly learn which foods they love and which they don’t. As a caregiver, this can be exciting while also challenging at times. We love to see our baby thrilled about certain foods on their plate and we hate when food throwing ensues over less liked foods being offered. We can find balance by 1) building the baby’s plate appropriately and 2) establishing a meal and snack routine.
Guidelines for Building Baby a Meal
- Nutrition: Choose 3-4 different foods/ingredients to offer from various food groups.
- Preference: Include 1-2 preferred foods, 1 familiar food, and 1 new or less-liked food.
- Quantity: Preferred food = moderate amount.
Familiar food = moderate amount.
New/less-liked food = tiny amount.
Refill any section as they eat and want more!
Guidelines for Building Baby a Snack
- Nutrition: Choose 2-3 different foods/ingredients to offer from various food groups.
- Preference: Include 1 preferred food and 1-2 new or less-liked foods.
- Quantity: Snacks should be less in quantity than a meal – aim for half the total food offered.
Preferred food = moderate amount.
New/less-liked food = tiny amount.
Refill any section as they eat and want more!
Feeding Routines
Meal and snack routines will evolve as your baby gets older. These change as the baby gradually eats more food at meals, decreases milk feeds, drops a nap, and has changes to life routine in general. Not only will the number of solid food opportunities increase but the timing will also likely change over time.
Meal and snack progression may look like:
- 6 months = 1 meal per day
- 7-8 months = 2 meals per day
- 9 months = 3 meals per day
- 10 months = 3 meals + 1 snack
- 11 months = 3 meals + 1-2 snacks
- 12 months = 3 meals + 2 snacks
Snack times serve as an opportunity to provide some additional nutrition while filling their tummies enough to get to the next meal. Snack times will be needed when your baby drops milk feeds and a nap or so. As a rule of thumb, babies need to eat every 3-4 hours. For example, if they eat lunch at noon but dinner isn’t until 5 pm, they’ll most certainly need either a milk feed or a snack (or both!). Follow your baby’s hunger and fullness cues and adapt their routine to meet their needs and changing appetite. Every child is different and will need a feeding routine specific to their needs.
Sample Daily Meal Plans by Stage
Every baby is unique in the feeding routine and approach best for them. Use these sample meal plans as a template and/or to gather inspiration. Reference the meal and snack ranges above to modify for your baby.
4 months old
- Option 1: No food offered and only breastmilk/formula feedings
- Option 2 (if recommended by your paediatrician): 1 meal daily in addition to typical breastmilk/formula feedings
Breakfast: iron-fortified baby oatmeal prepared with breastmilk/formula to a thin consistency
6-8 months old
- Breakfast: Little Bellies banana, apple and oats smoothie, Little Bellies Organic Banana Pick-Up sticks.
- Dinner: blended chicken vegetable soup, Little Bellies Organic Sweetcorn Round-a-bouts.
Offering meltable finger foods in addition to blends/purees nurtures self-feeding and promotes chewing practice
9-11 months old
- Breakfast: banana peanut butter oatmeal, diced strawberries.
- Lunch: spinach egg scramble with avocado, Little Bellies Organic Berry & Apple Softcorn.
Puffed snacks encourage babies to refine their pincer grasp which increases the number of food options you can serve when mastered!
- Snack: diced ripe peach, shredded cheese.
- Dinner: hearty lentil veggie stew, diced steamed broccoli.
12-18 months old
- Breakfast: apple oat pancakes, raspberries, hard-boiled egg.
- Snack: plain yogurt, Little Bellies Organic Animal Crackers.
- Lunch: pesto pea pasta, shredded chicken, quartered grapes.
- Snack: hummus with cucumber slices and Little Bellies Organic Veggie Tubes.
Offering favourite snacks along with regular foods helps to keep all foods neutral and allows kids to self-regulate as they get older.
- Dinner: sauteed tofu pieces, brown rice, stir-fried vegetables.
In Conclusion…
As a caregiver, you have the privilege to build a happy and healthy little eater. By routinely offering a wide range of foods that are developmentally appropriate and holding loving boundaries around mealtime routines, you can set your baby up for long-term eating success. After all, nurturing healthy and positive habits around foods starts from the beginning!
