Introducing solid foods to your baby can feel like a giant leap forward. After all, they're used to having breast milk or formula for the first few months of their lives; will they even be interested in dry cereal and pureed fruit?
Our baby feeding guide is meant to give you a rough idea of how much to feed your child in the first year, but don't worry if your little one eats more or less than suggested, or if you feed your baby different food – every family is different.
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While baby cereal is a traditional first food in the United States, you don't have to introduce foods to your child in any special order. If you want to start with pureed fruits, vegetables, or even tofu, go for it.
Just remember that it's always a good idea to touch bases with your pediatrician before starting on solid foods, especially if you plan on getting adventurous!
Key Takeaways
- Babies exclusively drink breast milk or formula from birth to 4 to 6 months old.
- Anywhere from 4 to 6 months (and only if they're showing signs of readiness), your baby can start tasting small amounts of dry infant cereal and purees. Introducing solids is more common around 6 months of age.
- By 12 months, babies are eating a healthy mix of breast milk or formula, bite-sized fruits and vegetables, proteins, and starchy foods.
Birth to 3 months
Feeding behavior:
What to feed:
- Breast milk or formula only
How much per day:
| Age | Amount of breast milk or formula | Feedings per 24 hours |
|---|
| Newborn | 1 or 2 ounces | 8 to 12 times |
| 1 month | 2 to 4 ounces | 6 to 8 times |
| 2 months | 5 or 6 ounces | 5 or 6 times |
| 3 months | 6 or 7 ounces | 5 or 6 times |
Not sure whether your baby's eating enough? Read our guides:
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Feeding tips:
- Your baby's digestive tract is still developing, so solid food is off-limits for now.
- Sticking to a rough sleep and feeding schedule can help you get into a routine. Check out these schedules for 1- and 2-month olds and 3- and 4-month olds.
4 to 6 months
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises moms to exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months, but you can start solids as soon as your baby is developmentally ready for it (more on that below).
"Safety is my primary concern when starting solid foods," says Chandani DeZure, M.D., FAAP, a board-certified pediatrician and a member of the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board. "I don't recommend introducing them until babies can hold their heads up and ideally show signs they can move food from the front to the back of their mouths. After that, it really should be fun for babies and parents. New exposures and textures are great for babies to try and they often want to eat off of parents' plates, which is a great way to get them interested in new foods, too!"
There are a couple of methods for introducing solid foods to your baby. You can go the traditional route of giving your baby purees. Or you can try baby-led weaning, a method that encourages skipping straight to soft, easy-to-eat finger foods.
"When my oldest started puree, our doctor said to start with a tablespoon and work up, but my boy was eating the entire jar and wanting more," says BabyCenter Community member Rlr0711. "I think it really just depends on your baby. If they seem full, then don't push it. but if they want the whole jar and you think they can tolerate it, I'd say that's fine."
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Signs your baby is ready for solid food:
- Can hold their head up and sit upright in a high chair
- Shows significant weight gain (doubled birth weight) and weighs at least 13 pounds
- Can close their mouth around a spoon
- Can move food from the front to the back of their mouth
What to feed:
- Breast milk or formula
- Pureed vegetables (like peas and squash)
- Pureed fruit (apples, bananas, peaches)
- Pureed meat (chicken, pork, and beef)
- Semi-liquid, iron-fortified cereal (avoid rice cereal; instead choose a cereal made with oats or barley)
- A little bit of unsweetened yogurt (no dairy milk until age 1)
How much per day:
| Age | Breast milk or formula | Solid food |
|---|
| 4 months | 28 to 32 ounces | 2 to 4 teaspoons pureed food |
| 5 months | 28 to 32 ounces | 3 to 5 tablespoons dry infant cereal
3 to 10 tbsp. pureed fruit, vegetables, and protein
Snacks: arrowroot cookies, toast, crackers |
| 6 months | 28 to 32 ounces | 3 to 5 tbsp. dry infant cereal
1 to 4 tbsp. pureed fruit
1 to 4 tbsp. pureed vegetables
1 to 4 tbsp. pureed protein
Snacks: arrowroot cookies, toast, crackers |
- Babies this age typically have four to six feedings of breast milk or formula daily (4- to 6-ounce bottles if you're bottle-feeding).
- When starting solids, begin with a very small amount of a single-ingredient pureed food (about 1 to 2 teaspoons) once or twice a day.
- Gradually increase the amount of food you give your baby to 1 to 2 tablespoons. If you're giving cereal, mix it with breast milk or formula so the consistency isn't too thick.
- At 4 months, you can start giving snacks that are easy for your toothless baby to chew. Arrowroot cookies are one of the first suggested snacks for babies, and most baby snacks will have a recommended age on the label.
Feeding tips:
- If your baby won't eat what you offer the first time, try again in a few days.
- Some experts recommend that you introduce new foods one at a time. Wait three to five days, if possible, before offering another new food. (If your baby or family has a history of allergies, talk to your baby's healthcare provider about specific timing.) It's also a good idea to write down the foods your baby samples. If they have an adverse reaction, a food log will make it easier to pinpoint the cause.
- Unsafe levels of toxic heavy metals – arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury – have been found in store-bought baby food (including in organic brands). Here's how to avoid heavy metals in baby food.
- There are a few surprising foods that are off the table for babies; honey and cow's milk are among the foods that aren't safe for babies.
- While it can be difficult to stick to a routine during this period, try to follow a regular feeding and sleeping schedule for your 5- and 6-month old.
7 to 9 months
Signs your baby is ready for finger foods:
- Picks up objects with thumb and forefinger (pincer grasp)
- Can transfer items from one hand to the other
- Moves jaw in a chewing motion
- Swallows food more easily
- No longer pushes food out of mouth with tongue
- Tries to use a spoon
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What to feed:
- Breast milk or formula
- Pureed or strained fruits (banana, pears, applesauce, peaches, avocado)
- Pureed or strained vegetables (well-cooked carrots, squash, sweet potato)
- Pureed or mashed meat (chicken, pork, beef)
- Pureed or mashed tofu
- Small amounts of pureed or soft pasteurized cheese, cottage cheese, or unsweetened yogurt
- Pureed or mashed legumes (black beans, chickpeas, edamame, fava beans, black-eyed peas, lentils, kidney beans)
- Iron-fortified cereal (oats, barley); small pieces of bread and crackers
How much per day:
| Age | Breast milk or formula | Solid food |
|---|
| 7 months | 30 to 32 ounces | 3 to 5 tbsp. dry infant cereal
4 to 6 tbsp. pureed fruit
4 to 6 tbsp. pureed vegetables
2 to 4 tbsp. pureed protein
Snacks: Arrowroot cookies, toast, crackers, plain yogurt |
| 8 months | 30 to 32 ounces | 5 to 8 tbsp. dry infant cereal
4 to 6 tbsp. mashed fruit
4 to 6 tbsp. mashed vegetables
2 to 4 tbsp. pureed protein
Snacks: Arrowroot cookies, toast, crackers, plain yogurt |
| 9 months | 30 to 32 ounces | 5 to 8 tbsp. dry infant cereal
4 to 8 tbsp. mashed fruit
4 to 8 tbsp. mashed vegetables
4 to 6 tbsp. chopped protein
1/2 to 1 cup soft starches (rice, pasta, potatoes)
Snacks: Cookies, toast, crackers, plain yogurt |
- Breastfeeding or formula: three to five feedings per day (6 to 8 ounces if you're bottle-feeding)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fruit per serving, gradually increasing to 4 to 8 tablespoons
- 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetables per serving, gradually increasing to 4 to 8 tablespoons
- 1 to 2 tablespoons grain products per serving, gradually increasing to 2 to 4 tablespoons
- 1 to 2 tablespoons protein-rich foods per serving, gradually increasing to 2 to 4 tablespoons
Feeding tips:
- As your baby gets more comfortable with eating, you can start to add a variety of foods and increase the frequency of meals. By 8 months, it's typical for your baby to be eating one to two meals a day.
- Whenever you introduce a new food, start with a very small amount (a teaspoon or two) to allow your baby to get used to a new flavor and texture.
- Our 7- and 8-month-old sleep and feeding schedules can help your baby follow a healthy routine.
New exposures and textures are great for babies to try and they often want to eat off of parents' plates, which is a great way to get them interested in new foods, too!
- Dr. Chandani DeZure, pediatrician
10 to 12 months
What to feed:
- Breast milk or formula
- Soft pasteurized cheese, cottage cheese, and unsweetened yogurt
- Bite-size, soft-cooked vegetables (carrots, squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes)
- Fruit mashed or cut into soft cubes or strips (bananas, peaches, pears, avocados)
- Finger foods (O-shaped cereal, small bits of scrambled eggs, well-cooked pieces of potato, well-cooked spiral pasta, teething crackers, small pieces of bagel)
- Protein-rich foods (small bits of meat, poultry, boneless fish, tofu, and well-cooked beans, like lentils, split peas, pintos, or black beans)
- Iron-fortified cereal and other grains (barley, wheat, oats, mixed cereals)
How much per day:
| Age | Breast milk or formula | Solid food |
|---|
| 10 months | 30 to 32 ounces | 5 to 8 tbsp. dry infant cereal
4 to 8 tbsp. mashed fruit
4 to 8 tbsp. bite-sized vegetables
4 to 6 tbsp. protein (meats, fish, cheese)
1/2 to 1 cup soft starches
Snacks: Cookies, toast, crackers, plain yogurt, cottage cheese |
| 11 months | 24 to 30 ounces | 5 to 8 tbsp. dry infant cereal
4 to 8 tbsp. mashed fruit
4 to 8 tbsp. bite-sized vegetables
4 to 6 tbsp. protein (meats, fish, cheese)
1/2 to 1 cup soft starches
Snacks: Cookies, toast, crackers, plain yogurt, cottage cheese |
| 12 months | 24 to 30 ounces | 5 to 8 tbsp. dry infant cereal
4 to 8 tbsp. mashed fruit
4 to 8 tbsp. bite-sized vegetables
4 to 6 tbsp. protein (meats, fish, cheese)
1/2 to 1 cup soft starches
Snacks: Cookies, toast, crackers, plain yogurt, cottage cheese |
- Breastfeeding or formula: 3 to 4 feedings (breastfeeding, or 7- to 8-ounce bottles)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup fruit
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetables
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup protein-rich foods
- 1/2 to 1 cup soft starches
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Feeding tips:
- By 8 months or so, babies often have three meals and start adding more snacks.
- Continue to offer a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein-rich foods. As your baby's eating skills improve, gradually introduce more textures and soft finger foods.
It's fine to serve your baby what the rest of the family is eating – just watch out for added sugars, which aren't recommended for children under 2. Check the nutrition facts label on packaged foods, and try to steer clear of foods that list 1 gram or more of added sugars.
