Sample solid food schedule babies
Sample Schedules for Starting Solids (6 to 12 Months)
Looking for sample schedules for starting solids? Ideas for how to introduce solids on a schedule. Including sample feeding schedule for 6 months old and beyond.
Ready to start solids with your babe? This is an exciting time!
Here’s everything you need to know about introducing solids safely including sample schedules for starting solids from 6 months to 12 months, plus recommended menu items.
Is Baby Ready for Solids?
The most important thing to consider as your baby approaches the 4-6 month mark, is whether they are showing signs of feeding readiness.
This includes things like:
- Baby is 6 months old (there is no benefit to starting solids before 4 months at the earliest)
- They are interested in food they see around them
- Baby is losing their tongue thrust reflex that keeps food out of their mouth
- They are sitting up on their own for at least 60 seconds at a time
If your baby is showing these signs, great! It’s time to start introducing some solids.
Note that baby should continue receiving breast milk and/or formula for at least the first year of life, as you begin the transition to solid foods.
What Are the Benefits of Solids?
Eventually, your baby’s diet will be predominantly solid foods, but it takes some time to get there.
Solid foods expose your baby to a wide variety of textures, shapes, consistencies, and colors. They’re also important for nutrition, providing an array of vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, fat, and energy.
Eating solids is also important for physical growth and development. As your baby matures, they become prepared to try new foods and get more of their nutrients from solids than breast milk/formula.
Plus, it’s fun to play with and try new foods!
However you decide to introduce solids – using a traditional spoon-feeding/puree approach or a baby-led weaning approach – your baby benefits from the nutrition and exposure.
Recommended Solid Foods for Babies
Below are some nutritious first foods that have worked well for us:
- Tofu
- Avocado
- Oatmeal
- Hummus
- Pancakes
- Soft fruits, like bananas, kiwi, mango
- Soft-cooked vegetables, like zucchini, sweet potato, and broccoli
- Beans, peas, lentils
- Toast, cut into strips
As you design your baby’s menu, these are some great nutrient-dense foods to incorporate that can also be prepared and served in an age-appropriate way.
For a list of foods to avoid when starting solids, see this blog post.
Sample Schedules for Starting Solids
How you choose to design your baby’s solid feeding schedule depends on several things, including what your daily routine looks like.
We recommend beginning with 1 solid food meal per day for 6-month-old babes and increasing to 3 meals per day for 9-month-old babies.
Between these milestones, continue to slowly add new foods and increase how many meals/snacks you’re offering.
By 12 months old, your baby will be eating 3 meals and a few snacks per day of solid foods, using breast milk and/or milk/milk alternatives (e.g., fortified unsweetened soy or pea milk) as needed.
Keep in mind that it can take 10-15 times of offering a food before a baby even tries it, or decides whether they like it. If your baby doesn’t seem to be interested in a certain food, keep offering.
Below are a few example feeding schedules for offering solids to babes at least 6 months old.
Feeding Schedule for 6 Months
- 7am: Breastfeed/bottle feed
- 8am: Breakfast – Iron-fortified baby oat cereal, peeled sliced peaches, avocado strips
- 11am: Breastfeed/bottle feed
- 2pm: Breastfeed/bottle feed
- 5pm: Breastfeed/bottle feed
- 7pm: Breastfeed/bottle feed
Note that you may continue to breastfeed/bottle feed babies this age during the night if they are still waking up.
Feeding Schedule for 9 Months
- 7am: Breastfeed/bottle feed
- 8am: Breakfast – Pancake strips, chopped raspberries and bananes
- 11am: Breastfeed/bottle feed
- 12pm: Lunch – Penne pasta with tomato sauce, green peas, melon slices with skin and seed removed
- 3pm: Breastfeed/bottle feed
- 5pm: Breastfeed/bottle feed
- 6pm: Dinner – Smashed black beans, tofu strips drizzled with thinned nut butter, sliced orange sections with outer membranes and pith removed
- 7pm: Breastfeed/bottle feed
Feeding Schedule for 12 Months
- 7am: Breast milk or milk/milk alternative
- 8am: Breakfast – Toast strips with mashed avocado, half of a banana (remove 2 inches of the skin, leaving the rest of the peel for easy handling)
- 10am: Mid-morning snack – chopped watermelon, diced grapes, hummus
- 12pm: Lunch – Quinoa-based veggie burger patty, steamed cauliflower and beet strips
- 3pm: Afternoon snack + breast milk or milk/milk alternative
- 6pm: Dinner – Lightly fried tempeh strips, kidney beans, roasted sweet potato cubes, steamed cucumber
- 7pm: Breast milk or milk/milk alternative
We hope these sample schedules for starting solids are helpful when your baby is ready for first foods.
When you introduce solids on a schedule, this can help alleviate some of the stress of feeding while nourishing your baby well. Have fun with it!
Chime In: If you’ve already done solids with your babe, what has your schedule looked like? Any other tips for new parents?
If you found this post helpful, we suggest you read these too:
- Spoon Feeding vs. Baby-Led Weaning
- Do Babies Really Need 11mg of Iron a Day?
- Plant-Based Baby-Led Weaning Grocery List
- How to Wean Baby to Plant-Based Milk
Homemade baby food introducing solids schedule
Homemade baby food introducing solids schedule is a guide on what foods to introduce to your baby at different stages. A great way for making sure they get plenty of variety!
Introducing solids to your little one -- which just means supplementing the breast milk or formula they are getting with baby food purees -- is an exciting and somewhat scary time.
It can be intimidating to know what to do, when and how.
I've put together a lot of homemade baby food resources on this blog to help you through the process and to encourage you to make your own baby food. It's so, so easy. I promise!
Update: I've also written a new cookbook all about making healthy, easy baby food! The Healthy, Quick & Easy Baby Food cookbook is available on Amazon and in most booksellers. It's got all the info and resources you need to get started, plus 100 recipes ranging from single purees to combinations to finger foods and toddler meals. You'll have everything you need in one place! (Also, it makes a great gift!)
Today though, I've created a homemade baby food introducing solids schedule for you to use as a guide to beginning this journey.
This list is what I researched and used when introducing baby food to M and I mostly stuck to the same thing with J. My kiddos loved purees and were not big on baby-led weaning, so this is the route I took.
(And if you want to save that schedule above, I made a free printable PDF for you!)
- Currently, the recommendation is to introduce solids to a baby somewhere between 4 and 6 months old, depending on the child's readiness. Talk to your pediatrician about when to introduce solids for your baby.
- Wait 3-5 days between introducing new foods, to monitor for an allergic reaction.
- Speaking of allergies, current research says it's OK to introduce peanut products as early as 4-6 months old. (This is new since my kids were babies.) If you are concerned about a possible peanut allergy, please check with your health care provider before offering any type of peanut product to your baby.
- You can refrigerate homemade baby food for up to 3-5 days and freeze baby food for up to 6 months. Just be sure to label everything!
- Got extra? I've got tons of ideas and recipes (and a video and free printable, too) for ways to use leftover baby food.
- Check out my master list of homemade baby food resources for more info.
Also, if you are new to this journey, check out my guide on how to make homemade baby food purees. I walk you through ALL the ins and outs of making purees at home, including step-by-step instructions for 10 favorite beginner purees.
You can watch this video to see how easy it is to make your own baby food:
I hope this homemade baby food introducing solids schedule is helpful for you to get started! Here's the FREE PRINTABLE again if you want to print this schedule out to save.
Oh, and if you have a fussy teething baby that's 8 months or older, definitely check out these homemade baby teething biscuits.
And if you want to be super efficient in making baby purees, it's all about the batch cooking.
Here are my collections of beginner homemade baby food batch cooking -- lots of beginner baby food basics grouped together to make the most out of your precious time. You can knock out 5 foods in as little as 20 minutes!
These batch cooking guides will also give you step-by-step details on how exactly to prepare various foods for your baby.
Homemade baby food round 1: peas, green beans, applesauce, butternut squash, oatmeal
Homemade baby food round 2: sweet potato, brown rice, chicken, pears, banana
Homemade baby food round 3: quinoa, peaches, avocado, pumpkin, cottage cheese
Homemade baby food round 4: broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, black beans, Greek yogurt
Homemade baby food round 5: asparagus, barley, edamame, blueberries, mango
Homemade baby food round 6: apricots, prunes, egg yolks, chick peas, blackberries
Lastly, have fun with it! It's exciting to see your baby discover the joys of different food and flavors!
Enjoy and let me know if you have questions! Happy to try and help 😊
XO,
Kathryn
(P.S. Here's the link for the free printable again!)
How to properly feed your 7-month-old baby with solid food
Learn how to make a menu, what to include and what to avoid when you introduce solid food into your baby's diet.
Рixabay
Collected detailed information about what and how much to feed a 7-month-old baby.
Also included are some interesting recipes that allow you to diversify the complementary foods menu.
Contents of the article
Do not self-medicate! In our articles, we collect the latest scientific data and the opinions of authoritative health experts. But remember: only a doctor can diagnose and prescribe treatment.
How do you know when a 7-month-old baby is ready for solid foods?
The signs below will help you determine if your baby is able to digest solid foods:
- He holds his head well.
- Can sit upright on a high chair or feeding seat (no or little support).
- Tries to reach out (leans forward) for solid food.
- Opens mouth and willingly eats solid food when offered.
- Fingers capable of grasping objects.
Delaying the introduction of solid foods can affect a child's healthy weight gain. Therefore, encourage your child to eat solid food as soon as he shows signs of readiness.
A 7-month-old baby's diet can include a variety of healthy foods such as grains, legumes, meat, fish, poultry, fruits, and vegetables. With constant breast or milk feeding, children can consume these products in the form of a well-cooked puree or gruel.
How often should I feed my baby when weaning?
Feed 7-month-old babies nutritious foods and drinks every two to three hours to support proper growth and development. If on some days the baby eats less than usual, refrain from force feeding. We have a separate article on maternal nutrition during breastfeeding.
Remember that the main source of nutrition even for a seven-month-old baby is breast milk or formula. They can get solid food, but in small amounts, as they need time to get used to the taste, texture, and digestibility of weaning food.
How much food should a 7-month-old baby eat?
The Association of American Pediatricians recommends that mothers continue breastfeeding until at least 12 months of age.
Therefore, the baby can be given alternately both breast milk and solid food.
Portion sizes per day
At 7 months, a baby needs a portion of food per day, which is equal to about ⅛ of body weight. This is 1000-1200 ml of food, excluding water, juices, children's tea. Divide this amount by 5 feedings and you will get an estimated amount of food per meal - 200-210 ml.
7-month-old meal options
Traditionally, parents start with single-grain cereal or vegetables and fruits (blended, pureed, or cooked soft). When your baby is seven to nine months old, you can include a variety of foods from different food groups in your diet.
Vegetables
Broccoli, cauliflower, peas, spinach, asparagus, parsnips, peppers, carrots, cabbage, avocados, green beans and squash.
Fruit
Banana, apple, mango, blueberry, kiwi, pear, strawberry, papaya, melon, peach, plum and orange.
Starchy foods
Potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, porridge, oatmeal, oats, corn, millet, quinoa, cornmeal and bread.
Protein-rich foods
Meat (chicken, lamb, boneless fish), eggs, legumes, lentils, beans.
Dairy products
Pasteurized full fat kefir, curd without sugar or sweeteners.
What is the right way to cook food for a 7 month old baby?
Boil and mash hard fruits such as apples before serving them to a child. You can mix fruit and vegetable purees with formula or breast milk. When choosing meat, you can also consider serving meat broth.
All foods must be soft so that the baby does not choke. Make sure your child eats slowly and in small portions.
Recipes for complementary foods for 7-month-old children
omelet with onions
You will need:
1 Small bulb, peeled and chopped
1 Egg
½ of the oil
How to prepare:
Sound egg.
Cut the onion into small pieces and add it to the egg. Whip them together.
Place the butter in a frying pan. When the pan is hot, add the mixture and let it cook through.
Let the omelet cool down. Cut it into thin slices and serve to the child.
Berry porridge
You will need:
2 tablespoons of oatmeal
¼ banana
Frozen blueberries (you can use fresh blueberries)
1 tablespoon of yogurt
Water 9000
how to prepare:
how to prepare: oatmeal and water in a saucepan. Cook until the mixture thickens and becomes soft.
Top with finely chopped or pureed bananas and blueberries before serving.
Spicy chicken fingers
You will need:
skinless chicken breast
juice of ½ lemon
How to cook:
Take the skinless chicken breast and cut into medium-sized pieces.
Preheat oven to 200°C (approx. 400°F).
Place the chicken pieces on a baking sheet and squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over them.
Roast the chicken for 25 minutes. Once baked, it can be crumbled or given as finger food.
Avocado and Banana Purée
You will need:
½ avocado
1 banana, peeled
How to make:
Remove the avocado from the pan Add a banana to it and make a puree.
You can also add formula or breast milk to the puree and mix before serving.
Sample menu for the day
Breakfast (morning). Solid food :
● Porridge for infants
Liquid :
● Breast milk or formula
Snack (late morning).
Solid food :
● Fruit puree such as banana, kiwi, strawberry, boiled apple, boiled pear with unsweetened yogurt (low fat).
Liquid :
● Breast milk or formula
Lunch. Solid food :
● Boiled and finely chopped chicken,
● Cooked and mashed vegetables such as pumpkin, potatoes, spinach, squash, etc. with cooked and mashed rice.
Liquid :
● Breast milk or formula
Snack (evening). Solid food :
● Boiled and mashed pear
● Boiled and finely chopped carrots or mashed beans.
● Plain yogurt or kefir
● Whole grain cracker
Liquid :
● Breast milk or formula
Dinner.
Solid food :
● Boiled vegetables.
Liquid:
● Breast milk or formula
Start with one or two tablespoons of food and see if your baby shows signs of hunger or satiety. Remember that their tummies are still small! You can alternate between solids and liquids depending on your child's hunger signals. You can learn more about breastfeeding here.
Try to include foods with a variety of colors and textures in your child's diet. By the end of seven months, you can also slowly start introducing finger foods to develop the habit of self-feeding.
Baby's meal plan at seven months
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), complementary foods (foods other than breast milk) can be given to babies between six and eight months of age up to two to three times a day. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends giving your child something to drink or eat every two to three hours, or about five to six times a day (10).
Precautions for feeding a 7 month old baby
Here are a few things to keep in mind when feeding your baby.
- move one ingredient at a time. Give this product for three to five days, during which time do not give any other new food. Monitor your child for signs of an allergy.
- Gradually increase the variety and quantity of food ingredients; start with a teaspoon and then move on to a tablespoon.
- You can also try finger food if your child seems ready. Your child may begin to grasp objects with his fingers when he is ready for finger food. Make sure you are present during meals to avoid the danger of choking.
- Wash, peel, remove seeds and seeds before giving fruits and vegetables to your child.
- Use a spoon to feed your baby. Make sure that during feeding the child sits on a chair with a table. Observe and respond to your child's hunger cues. Try to develop a predictable schedule for your child for all meals and snacks, and limit the time of each meal to 15-20 minutes.
- Avoid adding salt, sugar and butter when preparing baby food at home. Also, avoid cow's milk and honey until your baby is at least 12 months old.
Baby menu at seven months
0-6 months
Article
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What should be the menu of a child at 7 months? What foods and in what quantity can be introduced into the diet at this age? When and at what intervals to give the baby to eat? We will help develop an approximate menu for a 7-month-old baby and answer the most exciting questions regarding the nutrition of a baby up to a year old.
7 min. for reading Feb. 17, 2022
Contents
- Diet: when and how much should a baby eat at 7 months
- Baby menu at 7 months: introducing new products
- Consistency of dishes
- Meal schedule and approximate daily menu
- Sample diet for a 7 month old baby allergic to cow's milk proteins: Table
- FAQ
- Breastfeed your baby every 3-4 hours while breastfeeding.
- If you give your baby expressed breast milk, he needs approximately 710 grams per day. With 5-6 meals a day, this is about 120 to 200 grams of milk per meal.
- If the baby is formula fed (FW), he needs 170 to 230 grams of formula up to 4 times a day, provided that 2 more feedings replace complementary foods. To find out how much mixture you need, be guided by the instructions on the package, the recommendations of the pediatrician.
- From the age of 6 months, only mother's milk or adapted infant formula is not enough for a baby - he needs a variety of complementary foods. Introduce no more than one new product per day into the child’s menu at 7 months and consult a pediatrician first. After getting acquainted with different foods, up to three complementary foods can be given daily: this can be one or two tablespoons or 115-170 grams (8-12 tablespoons), depending on the baby and the specific product.
Important
The calculation of portions and the number of feedings depends on the individual characteristics of the development and needs of the child.
Therefore, first of all, be guided by the recommendations of your pediatrician and the needs of the baby.
Baby menu at 7 months: introducing new products
The basis of the diet is still breast milk or infant formula. To diversify the menu, children's adapted food will help: fruit and vegetable purees, milk and dairy-free cereals, juices, as well as some products from the "adult table".
Cereals
At 7 months, dairy-free and milk porridges, along with breast milk, are the basis of a child's nutrition. To start complementary foods, choose gluten-free liquid one-component cereals with a high iron content: rice, buckwheat, oatmeal. A little later - corn and semolina. Start complementary foods with half or a whole teaspoon, gradually increasing the serving to 150 grams.
Important
Dairy-free porridge is diluted with breast milk or milk formula, milk - with purified boiled water.
Find out more: Gerber® Baby Cereals: product range
Vegetable and fruit purees
Vegetable and fruit purees will diversify the diet and introduce new tastes to the baby.
According to WHO recommendations, the best product to start with is a one-component vegetable puree made from zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower or potatoes. These vegetables are less allergenic than other foods. If the child does not have allergies, pumpkin, carrot, pea and tomato puree can be given a little later.
Find out more: Gerber® Vegetable Purees
After introducing vegetable purees into your diet, it's time for your baby to get to know sweet and healthy fruit purees. Like vegetable, fruit complementary foods are also recommended to start with one-component low-allergenic foods. Apple, pear or banana puree is best for this. Start with half or a whole teaspoon and gradually increase the serving to 100-150 grams.
Find out more: Gerber® fruit purees
Meat
Meat is an essential product for development, rich in iron and protein, which is well absorbed in the body. Start with homogenized options.
The product must contain only one type of meat (diet turkey, rabbit, chicken, veal) and no additional components. If the crumbs have a tendency to food allergies, choose meat very carefully, it is better to consult a doctor in advance. Pay attention to the composition of baby food and its age-appropriate baby. First, let the baby try half a teaspoon. If no adverse reactions occur, gradually increase the meat rate to 60 grams.
Learn more: Gerber® Meat Purees
Juices
Fruit Juice is great for snacking and menu variety. Young children tolerate clarified apple and pear juice better, so they should be introduced first. Give the baby adapted baby juices: they do not contain sugar or other additives undesirable for the child. Ordinary store-bought juices can only be drunk by children over three years old.
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Advice
Introduce your baby to juices after the introduction of cereals and vegetable purees.
Often the child gets used to sweet juices and then does not eat foods with a less bright taste.
Egg yolk
In addition to cereals and mashed potatoes, boiled egg yolk is introduced at the age of 7 months, as it is an excellent source of omega-fats, selenium, phosphorus and vitamins. Please note that you need to give the egg not the whole, but only the yolk. But, like any other product that you give to try for the first time, it should be introduced carefully and little by little to make sure that the baby does not have an allergy. Do not combine with other food! Only when you "test" the yolk, it is allowed to add it to cereals and vegetable purees.
Important
There is an opinion that children with allergies can be fed quail eggs. But it is important to remember that quail eggs can also be allergic, as they also contain egg white - an allergen that is found in chicken eggs. Therefore, do not experiment, but seek the advice of a pediatrician.
See also: Introduction of complementary foods to children with food allergies
Baby biscuits and crackers0036
Some babies start teething at seven months. Therefore, you can add crackers and children's cookies to food. But do not forget that they should not be too hard so that the child does not get hurt and choke. It is also better to choose special products without added salt, sugar, synthetic leavening agents and preservatives.
Important
The child should eat solid food in a sitting position and strictly under adult supervision.
Consistency of dishes
The main component of the diet remains liquid and homogeneous (without lumps) - breast milk or milk formula, milk and dairy-free cereals. As the baby grows, the baby's food should change from liquid and homogeneous to thicker and puree, mashed. When the body adapts and is able to digest solid food, they begin to carefully introduce small, medium and coarsely ground foods, give children's cookies and crackers.
At 7 months, some babies already have teeth, but the child cannot yet chew thoroughly and safely swallow vegetables, fruits and meat. Therefore, solid food should be given only in a grated form. It is important that the puree is not too thick, otherwise the child may accidentally choke.
Advice
If you are making puree yourself, carefully remove everything that is not rubbed and can get into the crumbs' respiratory tract: bones, fat, veins, skin, films. To make the puree easier to swallow, add some boiled water, unsalted vegetable broth, vegetable puree already familiar to the baby, or breast milk (milk mixture).
By about 7 months of age, your baby has mastered the “palm grip” skill and can independently hold solid food in the handle. From now on, you can give your child special baby cookies or snacks. At the same time, make sure that the baby eats slowly, in a sitting position and does not choke.
Important
Your baby should be ready for more sticky or solid foods.
Therefore, before changing the consistency of food for a child, consult a pediatrician.
What can be given to children at 7 months and at what time to feed? Parents can begin to form a classic division of food consumption per day. But at 7 months, the baby needs to be fed not three or four, but five times a day at intervals of four hours. The first and final feeding is mother's milk or formula. Complementary foods are not given at this time in order to prevent overeating.
*Dairy-free porridge should be diluted with breast milk or infant formula given to the baby. Milk porridge is diluted with water.
Tip
Do not salt or sweeten food. It is better to introduce the baby to sugar and salt after a year.
| Feeding time | Products | Serving Size |
|---|---|---|
| I feeding 6 hours | Breast milk or medicated formula for infants with cow's milk protein intolerance | 200 ml |
| II feeding 10 hours | Nestle® Dairy-Free Rice Porridge* | 130 g |
| Vegetable oil (add to food) | about 1 tsp. | |
| Gerber® Apple or Williams Pears Fruit Puree | 70 g | |
| III feeding 14 hours | Gerber® Vegetable Puree Broccoli, Cauliflower | 170 g |
| Vegetable oil (add to food) | about 1 tsp. | |
| Gerber® Meat Puree Tender Vegetables with Rabbit | 30 g | |
| IV feeding 18 hours | Vegetable puree or dairy-free porridge** | 170 g |
| Vegetable oil (add to food) | about 1 tsp. | |
| Gerber® Tender Turkey Meat Puree | 20 g | |
| V feeding 22 hours | Breast milk or formula for infants with intolerance to cow's milk proteins | 200 ml |
*Dairy-free porridge should be diluted with breast milk or formula for infants with intolerance to cow's milk proteins. **you can either alternate porridge or vegetables, or offer a mixed dish - porridge with vegetables.
Now you know what products and in what form can be introduced into the child's menu at 7 months. It is preferable if it is certified baby food that meets all age requirements and high safety standards.
See also: Do we cook ourselves or use baby food?
1. At what age should complementary foods start?
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends introducing complementary foods to your baby's menu at 6 months of age.
2. Where to start complementary foods?
Experts advise starting complementary foods with one-component homogenized vegetable purees.
3. How much should a 7-month-old baby eat?
At 7 months, a baby needs a portion of food per day, which is equal to about ⅛ of body weight. This is 1000-1200 ml of food, excluding water, juices, children's tea. Divide this amount by 5 feedings and you will get an estimated amount of food per meal - 200-210 ml.
