Feeding a 6 month old baby how much food

Feeding your baby: 6–12 months

At 6 months of age, breastmilk continues to be a vital source of nutrition; but it’s not enough by itself. You need to now introduce your baby to solid food, in addition to breastmilk, to keep up with her growing needs.

Be sure you give your baby her first foods after she has breastfed, or between nursing sessions, so that your baby continues to breastfeed as much as possible.

When you start to feed your baby solid food, take extra care that she doesn’t become sick. As she crawls about and explores, germs can spread from her hands to her mouth. Protect your baby from getting sick by washing your and her hands with soap before preparing food and before every feeding.

Your baby's first foods

When your baby is 6 months old, she is just learning to chew. Her first foods need to be soft so they’re very easy to swallow, such as porridge or well mashed fruits and vegetables. Did you know that when porridge is too watery, it doesn't have as many nutrients? To make it more nutritious, cook it until it’s thick enough not to run off the spoon.

Feed your baby when you see her give signs that she's hungry – such as putting her hands to her mouth. After washing hands, start by giving your baby just two to three spoonfuls of soft food, twice a day. At this age, her stomach is small so she can only eat small amounts at each meal.

The taste of a new food may surprise your baby. Give her time to get used to these new foods and flavours. Be patient and don’t force your baby to eat. Watch for signs that she is full and stop feeding her then.

As your baby grows, her stomach also grows and she can eat more food with each meal.

Feeding your baby: 6–8 months old

From 6–8 months old, feed your baby half a cup of soft food two to three times a day. Your baby can eat anything except honey, which she shouldn't eat until she is a year old. You can start to add a healthy snack, like mashed fruit, between meals. As your baby gets increasing amounts of solid foods, she should continue to get the same amount of breastmilk.

Feeding your baby: 9–11 months old

From 9–11 months old, your baby can take half a cup of food three to four times a day, plus a healthy snack. Now you can start to chop up soft food into small pieces instead of mashing it. Your baby may even start to eat food herself with her fingers. Continue to breastfeed whenever your baby is hungry.

Each meal needs to be both easy for your baby to eat and packed with nutrition. Make every bite count.

Foods need to be rich in energy and nutrients. In addition to grains and potatoes, be sure your baby has vegetables and fruits, legumes and seeds, a little energy-rich oil or fat, and – especially – animal foods (dairy, eggs, meat, fish and poultry) every day. Eating a variety of foods every day gives your baby the best chance of getting all the nutrients he needs.

If your baby refuses a new food or spits it out, don’t force it. Try again a few days later. You can also try mixing it with another food that your baby likes or squeezing a little breastmilk on top.

Feeding non-breastfed babies

If you're not breastfeeding your baby, she’ll need to eat more often. She'll also need to rely on other foods, including milk products, to get all the nutrition her body needs.

Start to give your baby solid foods at 6 months of age, just as a breastfed baby would need. Begin with two to three spoonfuls of soft and mashed food four times a day, which will give her the nutrients she needs without breastmilk.
From 6–8 months old, she’ll need half a cup of soft food four times a day, plus a healthy snack.
From 9–11 months old, she’ll need half a cup of food four to five times a day, plus two healthy snacks.

How much should my baby eat? A guide to baby food portions

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Wondering how much to feed your baby? This can be hard to figure out, especially when you're starting solids and most of your baby's food ends up on your little one or the floor. It's also difficult to determine how much an 8-month-old (or older baby) should eat – babies this age are more interested in solid foods but still get most of their nutrition from breast milk or formula. This visual guide to baby food portions can help you figure out how much your baby should eat at every stage.

Photo credit: Karla Martin for BabyCenter

How much should my baby eat?

Do you worry that your baby is eating too little or too much? Your baby will self-regulate her food intake based on what their body needs, so let their appetite be your guide.

It's helpful to have a reference point, however. Here are photos of how much solid food a baby typically eats in a day. You can also ask your baby's doctor for feeding advice.

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. Your job is to provide a variety of healthy foods at regular intervals without pressure, and their job is to decide what and how much to eat.

Photo credit: iStock.com / UntitledImages

Watch for signs your baby is full

Lots of factors – including activity level, growth spurts or plateaus, illness, and teething – will affect your baby's appetite, which can vary daily.

End feeding when they signal that they're done. Signs of being full include:

Turning their head away
Refusing to open their mouth for another bite after they've swallowed (resist the urge to encourage your baby to have one last spoonful)
Leaning back in their chair
Playing with the spoon or food rather than eating

Photo credit: Karla Martin for BabyCenter

How much a 4- to 6-month-old should eat

When your baby is developmentally ready for solids, typically around 4 to 6 months, talk to their doctor about introducing solid foods. The first bites are mostly about them getting used to the idea of having something different in their mouth.

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.

Popular first foods include pureed mango, banana, chicken, turkey, beef, peas, sweet potatoes, and infant cereal. It's up to you what food to start with, but wait 3 to 5 days between introducing each new food to make sure your baby doesn't have an allergic reaction or food intolerance. (And remember, no cow's milk or honey until age 1.)

Photo credit: Karla Martin for BabyCenter

How much a 6- to 8-month-old should eat

As your little one gets more comfortable with solids, you can increase the frequency of meals and variety of food.

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 their 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 their eating skills improve.

Expect their intake of breast milk or formula to go down. They'll start drinking less of it as they eat more solid foods. Provide healthy options at mealtimes, and let them choose how much to eat.

Note: The jars in all photos are standard 4-ounce baby food jars.

Photo credit: Karla Martin for BabyCenter

Breakfast for a younger baby (6 to 8 months)

Cereal and fruit make an easy combination for a morning meal.

Grain: Iron-fortified, whole-grain infant cereal is a popular first grain. At 6 months, a typical daily portion of infant cereal mixed with breast milk or formula might be 2 to 3 tablespoons, increasing to 4 to 8 tablespoons (1/4 to 1/2 cup) by 8 months. (It's best to avoid rice cereal, though.)

Fruit: Babies love the natural sweetness of fruits like pears, apples, berries, prunes, and stone fruits. Between 6 and 8 months, a baby will typically transition from about 2 to 3 tablespoons of fruit puree a day to 4 to 8 tablespoons (1/4 to 1/2 cup) of mashed or minced fruit.

Photo credit: Karla Martin for BabyCenter

Dinner for a younger baby (6 to 8 months)

If you serve a grain and fruit in the morning, consider offering a protein-rich food and vegetable later in the day. Your child may eat more or less than the amounts shown.

Protein: A baby might transition from eating 1 to 2 tablespoons of meat puree at 6 months to 2 to 4 tablespoons at 8 months, for example. Other good protein sources include cheese, unsweetened plain whole-milk yogurt, tofu, beans, and lentils.

Vegetables: Between 6 and 8 months, a baby will typically transition from about 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable puree a day to 4 to 8 tablespoons (1/4 to 1/2 cup). Try classic favorites like carrots, spinach, or butternut squash, as well as less traditional first foods such as parsnips, beets, or asparagus.

As your child's eating skills improve, gradually add more texture by dicing or mincing foods.

Photo credit: Karla Martin for BabyCenter

How much an 8- to 12-month-old should eat

By 8 months or so, your baby is likely getting the hang of eating and needs to eat more calories to support their growing body. But since their little belly can't hold a lot of food, they'll need to eat more often. Every baby is different, but this may be a good time to try offering a third solid food meal.

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.
Introduce coarser and chunkier textures, for example, by dicing or mincing food instead of pureeing it, and graduate to soft finger foods as your baby's eating skills improve.
Avoid foods with added sugars. Check the Nutrition Facts label on packaged foods, and try to steer clear of foods that list 1 gram or more of "Added Sugars."
Provide healthy options, and let your baby choose how much to eat.

To visualize daily portions for an 8- to 12-month-old, check out the following photos of a typical day's menu for a baby this age, developed by the AAP.

Your child may eat more or less than these amounts. If you're concerned about how much your baby is eating, talk to their doctor for advice.

Photo credit: Karla Martin for BabyCenter

Breakfast for an older baby (8 to 12 months)

The AAP sample menu for a baby 8 to 12 months features a breakfast consisting of:

4 to 8 tablespoons (1/4 to 1/2 cup) whole-grain infant cereal mixed with formula or breast milk
4 to 8 tablespoons (1/4 to 1/2 cup) diced fruit

Note: This is an example. Your baby may eat different foods and amounts.

Photo credit: Karla Martin for BabyCenter

Morning snack for an older baby (8 to 12 months)

The AAP sample menu for a baby 8 to 12 months features a morning snack consisting of:

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) diced cheese or cooked vegetables

Note: This is an example of a morning snack, which babies typically add sometime between 8 and 12 months. Your baby may eat different foods and amounts.

Photo credit: Karla Martin for BabyCenter

Lunch for an older baby (8 to 12 months)

The AAP sample menu for a baby 8 to 12 months features a lunch consisting of:

4 to 8 tablespoons (1/4 to 1/2 cup) unsweetened plain whole-milk yogurt or cottage cheese, or minced meat
4 to 8 tablespoons (1/4 to 1/2 cup) diced or mashed yellow or orange vegetable

Note: This is an example. Your baby may eat different foods and amounts.

Photo credit: Karla Martin for BabyCenter

Afternoon snack for an older baby (8 to 12 months)

The AAP sample menu for a baby 8 to 12 months features an afternoon snack consisting of:

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) diced fruit or unsweetened plain whole-milk yogurt
1 whole-grain teething biscuit or cracker

Note: This is an example of an afternoon snack, which babies typically add sometime between 8 and 12 months. Your baby may eat different foods and amounts.

Photo credit: Karla Martin for BabyCenter

Dinner for older baby (8 to 12 months)

The AAP sample menu for a baby 8 to 12 months features a dinner consisting of:

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) minced or ground poultry or meat, or diced tofu
4 to 8 tablespoons (1/4 to 1/2) cup diced, cooked green vegetable
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) noodles, pasta, rice, or potato
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) diced fruit

Note: This is an example. Your baby may eat different foods and amounts.

Photo credit: Karla Martin for BabyCenter

How much should my baby drink once they start eating solids?

Breast milk or formula will fully meet your child's hydration needs until they're about 6 months old. They may start drinking less as solid foods become a bigger part of their diet. Here are typical daily amounts by age – your baby's intake may be different, however.

6 to 8 months: 24 to 32 ounces of formula, or continued breastfeeding on demand

8 to 12 months: 24 ounces of formula, or continued breastfeeding on demand

Water: You can offer your baby water once they start eating solids, but let them self-regulate how much they drink. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends giving babies who are 6 to 12 months old 4 to 6 ounces of water a day, but what your baby decides to drink may vary. They may drink more on a hot day, for example.

Avoid juice: Juice isn't recommended for babies younger than 12 months.

Photo credit: iStock.com / SDI Productions

Your baby has the final say

Keep in mind that these portions are an estimate. The truth is, every baby is different, and there's no set amount of food that's appropriate for every baby at every stage.

If you're worried about whether your baby is eating enough – or too much – the best advice is to look for and respond to signs that your baby is full.

Your baby's doctor will chart their weight gain at regular intervals. If the doctor sees a consistent growth curve and doesn't have other concerns, your baby is most likely eating the right amount of food.

Hungry for more?

Age-by-age guide to feeding your baby

The 10 best foods for babies

The worst foods for babies

Using spices and seasoning in baby food

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Elizabeth Dougherty

Elizabeth Dougherty is a veteran parenting writer and editor who's been contributing to BabyCenter since 2015. She's an intrepid traveler, devoted yogi, and longtime resident of Silicon Valley, where she lives with her husband and son.

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diet, daily routine, how to introduce complementary foods

We publish the menu of a child at 6 months, recommended by the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. Please note that these are only examples of how children at this age can eat. The volume and timing of the introduction of complementary foods for a particular child are determined individually by a pediatrician.

When to introduce complementary foods for a breastfed baby

WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. If:

The baby was born full term and healthy with normal body weight.

The child has no delay in physical development and malnutrition.

The mother eats fully, her daily menu contains specialized enriched foods or vitamin-mineral complexes.

At 6 months, the first complementary foods are introduced.

According to the doctor's decision, made on the basis of the individual characteristics of the child's development, complementary foods can be prescribed earlier, but not earlier than 4 months.

The age of introduction of complementary foods is associated with indicators of the functional and physical development of the child:

The initially high permeability of the mucous membrane of the small intestine decreases.

The production of digestive enzymes is stabilized.

Sufficient local immunity is formed in the digestive tract.

The child learns to swallow semi-liquid and thicker foods.

According to local pediatricians, it is also not worth delaying the introduction of complementary foods after 6 months. If you do not add new foods to the diet, you may develop a deficiency of important nutrients - including iron, zinc, and others.

Important!

The timing of the introduction of complementary foods is determined by the pediatrician individually for each, taking into account age, characteristics of the prenatal period and childbirth, weight and pace of physical development, the presence of diseases and other factors.

General rules for introducing complementary foods while breastfeeding

It is best to discuss the introduction of complementary foods with your pediatrician. The doctor will tell you when you can introduce complementary foods, what foods to start with and what aspects you should pay attention to.

When drawing up a sample menu for a child's nutrition together with a doctor, the following important points should be taken into account:

Children with insufficient weight and frequent stools are recommended to give cereals enriched with iron, zinc, calcium and iodine as the first complementary food.

Children with overweight and constipation - vegetable puree.

Proven!

In order for the baby to accept a new dish, he must try it repeatedly - up to 12-15 times. Do not be afraid of refusal, offer the product again, try complementary foods in his presence - and the baby will definitely become interested in new food.

Sample menu for a 6-month-old baby per day

Select complementary foods

At 6 months, the baby should eat 5 times a day. Complementary foods are introduced only for daytime feedings - for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Mother's milk remains for the first and last feeding.

Asking what to feed a child, parents ask: is it necessary to breastfeed along with complementary foods? Pediatricians believe: in the daily menu for an aged baby, mother's milk should be mandatory at every feeding. The volume will depend on how much complementary foods have already been introduced.

Let's see how to calculate this using an example.

Baby at 6 months should receive 200 g of food per feeding. If he ate 60 g of vegetable puree, he should receive another 140 ml of mother's milk or baby milk.

Important!

Breast milk offered after complementary foods!

Sample menu for a 6 month old baby for a week

The menu should include a variety of products. They should be introduced gradually. The kid begins to get acquainted with new dishes with a minimum portion. For example, it can be a teaspoon (5 g) of vegetable or meat puree or 2 teaspoons (10 g) of porridge.

The approximate amount of food for a baby at 6 months is indicated in the table (according to the recommendations of the Union of Pediatricians of Russia).

Name of products and dishes (g, ml)

Age (month)

9-12

Vegetable puree

170

180 9000 9000 180

200

Fruit puree

90-100

Fruit juice

90-100

Curd*

0. 25

0.5

Puree

60-70

Puree

5-30

30-60

kefir and other non-adapted fermented milk drinks

200

Rusks, biscuits

3-5

10-15

Wheat bread

Vegetable oil

Butter

* - not earlier than 6 months.

An approximate menu for a child for a week at 6 months is presented in the table. Please note: this is only a guide for parents - to know how a child can eat at this age. More detailed and accurate recommendations will be given by the pediatrician observing your baby.

Monday

06:00

breast milk

200 ml

10:00

Nestlé® porridge “Silent rice hypoallergenic”

100-150 g

Breast milk (donkey)

9000 14:00

Meat pure ® Indiana

20 g

Gerber® vegetable “only color cabbage”

100-150 g

Breast milk (donkey)

18:00

Fruous puree Gerber® “ Only an apple"

60 g

Breast milk (donkey)

22:00

Breast milk

200 ml

Tuesday

06:00 9000

Nestlé® Milk buckwheat

100-150 g

Fruit juice GERBER® “Apple Prossidized”

60 ml

breast milk (donkey)

14:00 9Ol000 Gerber® Persik Pue

60 g

breast milk (top feed)

22:00

Breast milk

200 ml

Wednesday

06:00

Breast milk

200 ml

10:00

Gerber® Kultislakaya with Apple and Bunny "

100-150 g

Fruit juice Gerber®" Apple-breast-breast "

60 ml

Breast milk. (donkey)

14:00 9000

18:00 9000 06:00

Breast milk

200 ml

10:00

Nestlé® Silent corn

100-150 g

Fruit juice Gerber® “Grozhevy”

9000 ml

Breast milk (complementary feeding)

14:00

Maucure Gerber® "Indeka"

20 g

Gerber® vegetable puree for the first feeding 9000,100-150 g 9000 g

9000

Breast milk (complementary feed)

18:00

002 breast milk

200 ml

Friday

06:00

Breast milk

200 ml

10:00

Nestlé® Milk oatmeal

9000 g

9000

fruit juice gerber gerber gerber gerber ® “Apple Courage”

60 ml

Breast milk (donkey)

14:00

Gerber® Made Puree

9000 20 g

Gerber® vegetable only carrots only

100-150 g

Breast milk (donkey)

18:00

Gerber® fruit puree

60 g

Breast milk (suicide)

22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 : 00

Breast milk

200 ml

Saturday

06:00

Breast milk

200 ml

10:00

002

Breast milk (complementary feed)

14:00

Maucure Gerber® “Indika”

20 g

Gerber® Pureta “only Color cabbage”

9000 100-150 g

9000

Breast milk (donkey)

18:00

003

200 ml

Sunday

06:00

Breast milk

200 ml

10:00

Breast milk (leopard)

14:00

Puree Gerber® Puree

20 g

Gerber® vegetable Broccoli only

100-150 g

Breast milk (completeness)

18:00

Gerber® Fruit Persik

60 g

Breast milk (supplementary)

22:00

Breast milk

200 ml

Here is the menu for a breastfed baby.

Important!

To maintain lactation, during the introduction of complementary foods, you need to put the baby to the breast after each feeding! According to WHO recommendations, it is worth continuing to feed the baby with breast milk even after the appearance of new products in his diet.

1. National program for optimizing the feeding of children in the first year of life in the Russian Federation. Union of Pediatricians of Russia. Moscow 2019.
2. Feeding and nutrition of infants and young children. Guidelines for the WHO European Region with a special focus on the republics of the former Soviet Union.
3. www.who.int/features/factfiles/breastfeeding/en
4. Safina, A.I. Modern approaches to the nutrition of children from one to three years old / A.I. Safina // Bulletin of modern clinical medicine. - 2016. - Vol. 9, no. 2. - P. 77-85.

Obstetrician-gynecologist (Southern State Medical University, Faculty of Pediatrics, specialization at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology)

Others articles by the author

diet for a 6-month-old baby with breast and artificial feeding, an approximate menu for a week in the table, a diet for a day

Published: 02/10/2021

Reading time: 4 min.

Number of reads: 232406

Author of the article: Ponomareva Yuliya Vladimirovna

Pediatrician, candidate of medical sciences, allergist-immunologist

Changes in a child in the first year of life are very rapid, and every month is not like another. The 6-month milestone is very important, it is largely evaluative and transitional. By this age, most babies have doubled their birth weight, are about 15 cm tall, and some babies have already erupted their teeth. The age of 6 months is also transitional in terms of nutrition. Breast milk or an adapted formula is still the basis of the diet, but with the beginning of the second half of life, all children, without exception, should begin to receive complementary foods. Despite the general graph of growth and weight gain and indicators of psychomotor development, the status and diet of children at 6 months can be very different.

Content: Hide

The first feeding of 6 months
The beginning of complementary foods at 4-5 months
The second half of life
The approximate menu for a week for a child at 6 months

The first feeding of 6 months

9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 If the baby is healthy and breastfed, and his mother eats a full and varied diet, exclusive breastfeeding is possible until this age.

Cereal complementary foods in this case are preferable to start. This is due to the high energy and nutritional value of cereals, the ability to significantly enrich the baby's diet with a delayed start of the introduction of complementary foods.

However, the rate of expansion of the child's diet in this situation will be accelerated. Before the 8th month of life, it is necessary to introduce all basic food groups into the baby’s menu, since in the second half of the year the need for additional intake of nutrients and micronutrients is very high. Another reason explaining the importance of the rapid introduction of complementary foods is the formation of immunity of the immune cells of the intestine to ordinary food. If a child is introduced to these foods at the age of 4-8 months, the risk of developing food allergies has been proven to be reduced.

Complementary feeding starts at 4-5 months

In modern life, the nutrition of a nursing mother, unfortunately, is not always complete. Therefore, for most breastfed babies, complementary foods already need to be introduced from 5 months in order to prevent deficient conditions.

If a child is bottle-fed, then by the 4th month of life, the baby will not have enough adapted formula alone, and in this group of children, the timing of the introduction of complementary foods usually shifts a month earlier than in breast-fed babies. Accordingly, by 6 months, children will have vegetable puree and gluten-free porridge (buckwheat, corn and rice) in their diet. In the first half of life, monocomponent meals are used (that is, from one type of grain and vegetables), prepared on the basis of water, breast milk or an adapted mixture.

Fruit puree and juice can be another possible complementary food for children under 6 months of age without allergy symptoms. In a child with a risk of developing or manifesting allergies, the timing of the introduction of fruit complementary foods is shifted to the 8th month.

Second six months of life

Children over 6 months of age can supplement their diet with cereals containing gluten. First of all, these are oatmeal and wheat porridge, and then multi-cereal dishes with the addition of other cereals (millet, barley, rye). If the child does not have any manifestations of allergies, milk porridge can be included in the menu at this age. Bebi Premium industrial baby food products include specially prepared milk that is safe to use in healthy babies in the first year of life.

From the age of 6 months, the baby's diet is expanded with such important products as meat and cottage cheese. These products are a source of high-quality protein, fats, and are also rich in minerals such as iron, calcium, and phosphorus. Pediatricians and nutritionists recommend introducing meat and cottage cheese as part of combined dishes based on a fruit and vegetable and / or grain component in a ratio of 1 (cottage cheese / meat): 4–5 (fruits / vegetables / cereals).

To enrich the diet with polyunsaturated fatty acids in the second half of the year, the menu includes vegetable oil in the amount of 3–5 grams per day, which can be added to the complementary food dish.