When it comes to starting your baby on solids, the list of “dos” and “don’ts” seems long, doesn’t it? Enter a simple question like, “How much should I feed my baby at each meal?” or “When should I start feeding my baby dairy?” into a search engine, and you’ll find pages and pages answers (many of which contradict each other!)
We know that when it comes to baby schedules, moms like to have the basics presented to them in a clear, easy-to-understand way. We’ve attempted to do just that in this article. Below, you’ll find two simple charts: one outlines the types of solid foods you can feed your baby, by age; the other highlights amounts and serving sizes, by age. Use both as a guide as you shop for and prepare your baby’s foods.
Remember, these charts are a general guide — they’re not set in stone! If your baby eats more servings of vegetables in a day than we’ve recommended here, good for him! We’ve simply grouped the foods based on their digestability, texture, and allergy risk. What’s more, the serving sizes we recommend are general ranges, but all babies are unique.
You’ll also notice that this chart shows solid food beginning between 4-6 months. You can start small amounts of solid food as early as 4 months; however, based on the most recent health information, we recommend waiting until closer to 6 months to start solids.
As you look over the recommended amounts of solid food, keep one thing in mind: you should always prioritize your baby’s breastmilk or formula intake over your baby’s solid food intake. In other words, if your baby isn’t drinking the recommended amounts of breastmilk or formula, but is eating plenty of solid food, be sure to decrease their solid food intake and really focus on making sure they’re drinking the recommended amounts of breastmilk or formula.
Finally, keep in mind that the information offered here should never replace the advice or guidance of your baby’s doctor.
TYPES OF SOLID FOODS BY AGE
| Age | Grains | Fruits | Vegetables | Meat and Dairy | Feeding Tip |
| Birth-4 Months | None | None | None | None | At this age, breastmilk or formula is all a baby needs to be properly nourished. |
| 4-6 Months | Baby cereal (traditionally a baby’s very first food) | Apple, Avocado, Banana, Pear | Green Beans, Sweet Potato, Squash | None | Not sure if your baby’s ready for solids? Review the tips for when to start. |
| 7-8 Months | Same as above. | Same as above, plus cherries, mango, papaya, nectarines and peaches, and plums. | Same as above, plus carrots, cauliflower, peas, potatoes, pumpkin, and zucchini. | Poultry (chicken and turkey), beans, and legumes. Doctors used to recommend waiting to offer egg whites until after 12 months; that recommendation has changed. Now, egg yolks and whites can be introduced around 8 months. | In the beginning, it’s best to offer baby single-ingredient meals. Around 8 months, however, you can start mixing foods for more interesting tastes. |
| 9-10 Months | Same as above, plus quinoa, wheat, pasta, crackers, bread, bulgar, kasha, and millet. | Same as above, plus blueberries, coconut, figs, grapes (mashed), kiwi, and melon. | Same as above, plus asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, cucumber, eggplant, mushrooms, onion, peppers, and spinach. | Same as above, including yogurt, cheese (including cottage cheese and cream cheese), beef, pork, tofu. | Begin offering your baby tiny bits of food; you can feed these to her on a spoon or spread them on a tray and encourage her to feed herself. |
| 11-12 Months | Same as above. | Same as above, plus tomatoes, citrus fruits, and strawberries. | Same as above, plus corn. | Same as above, plus fish. Whole milk, shellfish, nuts, and nut butters can be introduced any time after 12 months. | By this point, your baby should be feeding himself more and more. Whenever possible, offer your baby finger food at meals. |
AMOUNTS OF SOLID FOODS BY AGE
| Age | Liquid
(per day) |
Grains
(per day) |
Fruit
(per day) |
Vegetables
(per day) |
Meat and Dairy
(per day) |
| Birth-4 months | 25-35 oz of breastmilk (~6 breastfeeding sessions) or 20-30 oz. formula (or combination). No water or juice. | None | None | None | None |
| 4-6 months (1-2 solid feedings per day) | 25-35 oz of breastmilk (~5-8 breastfeeding sessions) or 20-30 oz. formula (or combination). No water or juice. | 1-2 tablespoons dry infant cereal, mixed with breastmilk or formula | 1-2 tablespoons pureed fruit | 1-2 tablespoons pureed vegetables | None |
| 7-8 months (2-3 solid feedings per day) | 25-35 oz of breastmilk (~5 breastfeeding sessions) or 20-30 oz. formula (or combination). 2-3 oz. of water.** | 1-6 tablespoons dry infant cereal, mixed with breastmilk or formula | 1-6 tablespoons pureed/mashed fruit | 1-6 tablespoons pureed/mashed vegetables | Meat: 1-2 tablespoons pureed/mashed protein (offer at 8 months) Dairy: 1/4-1/2 cup yogurt or cottage cheese; 1 oz. shredded cheese |
| 9-10 months (3 solid feedings per day) | 25-35 oz of breastmilk (~4-5 breastfeeding sessions) or 20-30 oz. formula (or combination). 4-6 oz. of water.** | 2-4 tablespoons dry infant cereal, mixed with breastmilk or formula. 1-2 servings other grains* |
4-8 tablespoons mashed/chopped fruit | 4-12 tablespoons mashed/chopped vegetables | Meat: 2-6 tablespoons mashed/chopped protein Dairy: Same as 7-8 month recommendations. |
| 11-12 months (3 solid feedings per day) | 25-35 oz of breastmilk (~3-4 breastfeeding sessions) or 20-30 oz. formula (or combination). 6-8 oz. of water.** | Same as above, except increase “other grains” to 2 servings | 6-8 tablespoons mashed/chopped fruit, or 1/2 cup diced | 6-12 tablespoons mashed/chopped vegetables, or 1/2 – 3/4 cup diced | Meat: 2-6 tablespoons mashed/chopped protein, or 1/4 cup diced Dairy: Same as 7-8 month recommendations. |
*1 serving of “other grains” = 1/2 slice of bread, 2 crackers, 1/2 cup Cheerios, or 1/2 cup whole wheat pasta
**You can offer small amounts of juice at this age, too, but based on pediatric dental recommendations, we don’t advise offering much juice at all (if any). We also advise that parents offer breastmilk or formula first. Only offer juice or water if your baby is getting the breastmilk and/or formula he needs each day.
Everything You Need To Know About Starting Solids – All In One e-Book!
What if you could find everything you needed to know about starting your baby on solid foods – when it’s best to start solids, how to introduce solids, complications, food allergies, etc. – in one easy-reference guide? Now you can! Your Baby’s Start To Solid Foods: A Comprehensive Guide will walk you through every step of starting solids. Plus, your e-Book package includes several bonus materials, designed to maximize your success in starting solids. You’ll get a thorough guide to treating constipation, a dietitian’s advice on how to avoid 5 common solid-foods mistakes, and a weekly meal plan for your baby’s first year. Grab your e-Book today, and ensure your baby has the healthiest possible start to solid foods!
Have anything you’d like to add to our chart? Share your input below!
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Jane says
I have followed ‘How to introduce solid foods to your baby’ by Susan Urban ( got it here https://www.parental-love.com/shop/baby-food ), and I think it’s the best baby food guide. I started by reading articles on the internet, but I was too confused – every source says something else. My dear friend told me about S. Urban’s guide, and it made introducing solids to my son so easy. It contains helpful tables separately for each month. Can recommend it to other parents
Connie says
This guide is awesome! I was so confused after reading all this mess on the internet but after reading this guide I feel like I know everything about introducing solid foods and how to feed my boy until he can eat what we all eat. By the way – all the books about feeding baby should have step by step first aid in case of choking as this guide has! Thanks for sharing the link 🙂
Kelly says
Hi girls! after reading your comments I decided to get ‘how to introduce solid foods to your baby” and I’m so happy I did so! You were right?—?finally some good info in one place with month by month schedule! Nice one, thank you for your recommendation. It made my life much easier 🙂
Rose says
awesome, awesome, AWESOME guide! thank you for your recommendation!
Danielle says
We started our granndson on rice cereal. Hes almost 6 mos. How much cereal to how much formula?
Althea G. Mease says
Hi! Would these amounts apply to a baby who was born off the charts in size? My son was born 10.5lbs 22” long (my husband and I are tall)…he is now 10.5 months old and he is 25lbs 29” long. He wears 24 mo clothing. He eats a lot and sometimes his tummy looks visibly full! He nurses 3 times a day. Short feeds. He might eat a whole banana, slice of whole grain bread with pb and 6oz of yogurt with purees mixed in… for breakfast and then be a crank for more food an hour later! He eats more than my four year old! Any advise?? Thx!
[email protected] says
Yikes ~!~ I was hoping for the reply from the pro ~ 🙁
Beth P. says
My son had really bad gas and excessive spit up when he was a couple months old so it was suggested removing dairy from my diet (I exclusively bf) and everything improved. I have had a tiny bit of dairy here and there recently because he’s 6 months now and the pediatrician said their stomachs mature around then. Does that mean I should avoid dairy from his solids diet too? So far he has just had cereal, fruits and veggies. Just thinking ahead!
Liz G says
Dear all,
Happy to come across your site and sister site on sleep.
– My 8month old seems to have a reaction to banana. She vomited after 1st time. We waited several wks, then same thing. Any experience of this with banana? (She has ezcema too which we believe could be allergy-related.
– Also you mention in a different article that you believe breastfeeding should be the primary source of nutrition. But the link doesn’t work. I’ve recently dropped to 3-4 breastfeeds per day.
Many thanks
Nicole says
This is the most helpful chart I have found after scouring the internet for info and getting info from my doctor’s office! Thank you! We waited until our LO was just about 6 months old to start solids, but everything online is geared toward 4 month olds, so thank you for giving us a chart that is consistent with the advice to wait until 6 months! Just to clarify, for a 6 month old, when you say 1-2 T of food from each category, that means he should be getting 3-6 T of food a day, approximately, even if the food is not from all three categories, but from two categories for example? (Heads up – you spelled avocado incorrectly on your chart – I hate to point that out and sound like a snob, but your chart is so good!)
Beth P. says
Lol, I noticed the type-o too!
admin says
@Beth and @Nicole Thank you for the kind words and helping us fix mistakes! I’ve fixed it now. 🙂
Jo says
Hi. I feel like We are over feeding our 8 1/2 month old baby. She never pulls away to tell me she’s full. We buy those organic purées in the pouches and she will eat those at breakfast, lunch and dinner, but still wants more. They are about 4 ounces. Is it ok to give her a little bit more than that, or is that already too much?
Rebekah says
We had the same issue with our first daughter – she seemed to want to just eat and eat. For a while we tried to restrict her to the “recommended” amounts but it became obvious that she was still hungry, turns out that she was just a hungry baby and needed that little bit extra for growth, as long as it’s the good stuff the. We figured her little body knew what was best, she ate a whole lot more than others her age but she wasn’t over weight and was much happier when we just let her eat u til she was fully satisfied. Hope this helps
yvonne kosdan says
Does this apply when trying baby food? My 4 1/2 month old still wants more of the pouch and I give her about half now. Do I let her keep eating it?
mohamed zaki says
hey
I was poking around google today and came your article about baby feeding and it make my happy find someone else speak about it because i have made a very Inclusive article about baby feeding charts
http://www.baby-feeding-chart.com/2016/06/the-full-guide-for-baby-feeding-chart.html
i’d be tickled pink if you consider adding it to your page
yours
Danielle says
I just introduced solids this week to my 5 1/2 month old. I’m unclear on when to give my baby solids. Should I bottle feed first, then give solids, or bottle feed after? Or should solids be given at a separate time than bottle feeding (ie: bottle feed at 9am, solids at 10am)? Thanks!
EmilyDeJeu says
@ Danielle – great question! At this age, the usual recommendation is to offer breastmilk and/or formula first, then offer solids. This advice follows the principle that, for the first year, breastmilk and/or formula is the best source of nutrition and nourishment for your baby. Doing it this way can also help a reluctant solid food-eater, since you are “taking the edge off” your baby’s hunger before you introduce new foods. That can help a baby accept solid food more easily than trying to offer solid foods during a time when baby is hungry.
You could also offer solids separately from breastmilk or formula, but you’d just want to watch the amounts you offer so as not to interfere with your usual bottle feeding amounts.
As your baby grows, you will gradually offer more solid food and slightly less breastmilk and/or formula. But for now, I’d say one of the two approaches above should work well! Best of luck to you, Danielle, and thanks for commenting!
Carolyn says
This is a great chart but I’m still unsure where my baby lands and if I’m doing the right thing. My daughter is almost 7 months and has been having 3 solid meals a day for at least a month. She loves food! She can easily take down 4-5 ounces in a meal, which I’m sure is close to 6tablespoons or more. Typically she’ll have a cereal with pear for breakfast, sweet potatoes for lunch and peas with spinach/kale for dinner. Often dinner will also include some prunes with apples or banana. This seems to be too much according to your chart, am I right? She is also still nursing every 2 or 3 hours during the day, but sleeps through 9-11 hours a night.
She’s also only in the 25% for weight.
Am I over feeding her solids or can I keep giving her as much as I am (she’s never ‘done’ when I stop, she’d always eat more if offered)?
EmilyDeJeu says
@ Carolyn – you can use the chart as a guide, but don’t get too hung up on amounts of they don’t seem helpful. If your daughter seems to be thriving with the amount she is eating, and is still taking plenty of breast milk (sounds like that is the case), then don’t worry about it. If you are truly concerned, I’d suggest going to your healthcare provider, but to me, it sounds like you are doing a great job!!
Thanks for commenting! 🙂