What should i be feeding my 10 month old baby


Sample Menu for a Baby 8 to 12 Months Old

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Ages & Stages

Ages & Stages

Now that your baby is eating solid foods, planning meals can be more challenging. At this age, your baby needs between 750 and 900 calories each day, of which about 400 to 500 should come from breast milk or formula (if you are not breastfeeding)—roughly 24 ounces (720 mL) a day. Breast milk and formula contain vitamins, minerals, and other important components for brain growth.

At about eight months, you may want to introduce foods that are slightly coarser than strained pureed foods. They require more chewing than baby foods. You can expand your baby's diet to include soft foods such as yogurt, oatmeal, mashed banana, mashed potatoes, or even thicker or lumpy pureed vegetables. Eggs (including scrambled) are an excellent source of protein, as are cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and avocado.

Sample menu ideas for an 8- to 12-month-old baby:


1 cup = 8 ounces = 240 ml
¾ cup = 6 ounces = 180 ml
½ cup = 4 ounces = 120 ml
¼ cup = 2 ounces = 60 ml

Breakfast


  • 2 to 4 ounces cereal, or 1 mashed or scrambled egg

  • 2 to 4 ounces mashed or diced fruit

  • Breastmilk or 4 to 6 ounces formula

Snack

Lunch

  • 2 to 4 ounces yogurt or cottage cheese, or pureed or diced beans or meat

  • 2 to 4 ounces cooked pureed or diced yellow or orange vegetables

  • Breastmilk or 4 to 6 ounces formula

Snack


Dinner

  • 2 to 4 ounces diced diced poultry, meat, or tofu

  • 2 to 4 ounces cooked green vegetables

  • 2 to 4 ounces cooked soft-whole grain pasta or potato

  • 2 to 4 ounces diced or mashed fruit

  • Breastmilk or 4 to 6 ounces formula

Before bedtime

Breastmilk or 6 to 8 ounces formula, or water. (If breastmilk or formula, follow with water or brush teeth afterward).

More information


  • Sample Menu for a One-Year-Old
  • Starting Solid Foods
  • Breastfeeding Mealtime Milestones
  • Ask the Pediatrician: Is it OK to make my own baby food?
Last Updated
8/12/2022
Source
Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5 7th Edition (Copyright © 2019 American Academy of Pediatrics)

The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

What to Feed a 10 Months Old Baby

What can babies eat at 10 months?

Food for 10-month-old babies can consist of fruits, vegetables, fortified cereal, unsweetened yogurts, cheese, and meats. By 10 months old, most babies have at least four teeth at the front of their mouth. They can bite, but it is still difficult to properly chew. Because of this, you'll need to make sure their food is soft enough for them to mash up with their front teeth and gums.

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How much should a 10-month-old baby eat?

It's helpful to think of food for 10-month-olds as you would for a healthy adult. This means that they should be encouraged to eat food from all of the different food groups, with a healthy balance of fruit and vegetables. Remember, your baby might like foods that you don't, so encourage them to try new things!

Offer a variety of foods that your baby can easily pick up, and encourage them to self-feed. This can be quite messy, but offering finger food helps your baby develop their hand-eye coordination and establish a sense of accomplishment through independence.

A feeding schedule for a 10-month-old should consist of three main meals per day with two healthy snacks and at least 3–4 nursing sessions or bottle feedings.  

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that whole cow's milk and low-iron formulas not be used during the first year of life.

A 10-month-old child needs around 920 kcal for boys and around 865 kcal for girls. This will give them the nutrients intake that they need for the day as well. It is best to limit the amount of water or juice that your 10-month-old baby drinks at this point to no more than 6–8 ounces per day.

How much formula for 10-month-olds is enough?

A good feeding schedule for a 10-month-old should include at least 3–4 nursing sessions or bottles per day. A 10-month-old baby should be drinking at least 24–32 ounces of breast milk or formula every 24 hours. If you divide this between four nursing sessions, it is about 6–8 ounces each time. Even if your baby is eating more solid foods, keep offering them the appropriate amount of breast milk or formula.

Your child may also become a picky eater at this age. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that it can sometimes take several introductions to the same food before your baby decides to eat it. They also say that your baby is more likely to want to try a food if they see you eating it. So, if you are eating a salad, you can cook some of the same ingredients to feed to your baby.

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Examples of foods for 10-month-old babies

Here is a list of some foods for your 10-month-old baby, along with other foods that should be avoided until they're older.

Great foods for 10-month-olds:

  • Soft, ripe fruits such as bananas, pears, peaches, and berries that have been cut into small pieces
  • Iron-fortified cereals served either dry or mixed with formula or breast milk
  • Cooked vegetables including carrots, peas, green beans, spinach (and other leafy greens), squash, and potatoes (white and sweet) that have been mashed or cut into small pieces
  • Whole cooked beans
  • Well-cooked meat, poultry, and fish that is minced
  • Dairy products
  • Egg yolks
  • Starchy foods (breads and pasta)

Foods to avoid

  • Whole pieces of fruit
  • Large pieces of vegetables
  • Hard-to-chew or large pieces of meat
  • Popcorn, nuts, and seeds
  • Olives
  • Honey
  • Hard candy, jelly beans, or gumdrops
  • Sweets, desserts, and sweetened juices or drinks
  • Egg whites
  • Shellfish

By offering your 10-month-old baby food that is nutritious, you are starting them out on the right path to a healthy diet and lifestyle.

10-month-old babies eating menu

Your 10-month-old baby will need three meals, two healthy snacks, and breast milk or formula at least 3–4 times per day to provide the nutrition they need to grow. Here is a sample 10-month-old menu for a single day.

Breakfast

  • 2 servings of iron-fortified cereal (2–4 tablespoons dry)
  • 1 serving of fruit or vegetables (3–4 tablespoons)
  • 6–8 ounces of  formula or breast milk

Morning snack

  • 1 serving of grain (2 crackers, ½ slice bread)
  • 1 serving of dairy (1/2 cup of yogurt, 1 ounce cheese)

Lunch

  • 1 serving of protein (1–2 tablespoons minced chicken)
  • 1 serving of vegetables (3–4 tablespoons)
  • 1 serving of fruit juice (3–4 ounces)

Nap time

  • 6–8 ounces of formula or breast milk

Afternoon snack

  • 1 serving of fruit (3–4 tablespoons)

Dinner

  • 1 serving of protein (1–2 ounces of tofu)
  • 1 serving of grain (1/2 cup cooked pasta)
  • 1 serving of fruit or vegetables (3–4 tablespoons)
  • 6–8 ounces of formula or breast milk

Bedtime

  • 6–8 ounces of formula or breast milk

This is just a sample menu for a 10-month-old. You can vary the menu depending on your own baby's needs. Make sure your baby gets 2–3 servings of fruit, vegetables, protein, and whole grains daily.

These daily servings, combined with the nutrients in 24–32 ounces of formula or breast milk, will give your baby the nutrition they need to grow into a healthy and happy toddler. You are also establishing healthy eating habits from an early age, which can be carried on throughout their childhood and into adulthood.

Nutrition for a 10-month-old baby: menu for every day

How to make a weekly menu for a 10-month-old baby

A sample menu for a 10-month-old baby is best discussed with a pediatrician. A doctor who has been observing your baby from birth knows all the features of his development and will tell you which new foods it is time to introduce into the diet, and which ones should not be rushed. The menu for each day is compiled taking into account the needs of a growing child, and also takes into account his nature of nutrition - fully breastfeeding or not.

A sample menu for a 10 month old baby might look like this:

See other complementary foods

Please note:

is just a sample daily menu for a 10 month old baby. You can change it according to your baby's needs and pediatrician's recommendations.

How a 10-month-old baby's diet changes

Here's what changes in a 10-month-old breastfed baby's diet:

  • The assortment of cereals, vegetable and fruit purees is expanding. You can introduce your baby to new tastes.
  • Egg yolk ratio increased to ½ egg per day

No new products appear in the daily menu at the age of 10 months. The approximate diet remains the same as a month ago, but the share of some dishes increases:

  • Vegetable puree - up to 150 g.
  • Kashi - up to 200 g.
  • Meat puree of industrial production - up to 100 g or boiled meat in the form of puree - up to 50 g.
  • Fish puree - up to 60 g.
  • Cottage cheese - up to 50 g.
  • Kefir - up to 200 ml.
  • Fruit juices - up to 100 ml.
  • Baby biscuits - up to 5 g.
  • Rusks - up to 10 g.
  • Butter and vegetable oil - up to 5 g.

All these foods should be included in the diet when compiling a sample menu for the week.

Meals for a 10-month-old baby are prepared without the addition of salt and sugar. This applies to both homemade food and industrial products. Added fruits and berries give natural sweetness to cereals.

Until the end of the first year of life, the baby continues to receive meals in the form of mashed potatoes, but gradually they should be replaced with finely ground ones. These stimulate the development of the chewing apparatus and prepare the child for the transition to a common table. In the approximate diet of a child at the age of 10 months, there should also be baby cookies and crackers. If the baby already has enough teeth, he can learn to chew solid food. If not, cookies and crackers can be soaked in milk, water, or juice.

Feeding a 10-month-old breastfed baby

When planning a daily menu for a 10-month-old baby, remember that a significant proportion of his diet is breast milk. In the morning after waking up and in the evening before going to bed, offer him the breast, as well as in all situations when he worries and cries. For daily feedings, start with complementary foods - cereal, vegetable or meat puree. Finish breakfasts, lunches and dinners with fruit juices, kefir, give children's cookies. After, if the baby is not full, offer the breast - but not vice versa. If the baby starts with breast milk, he will fill up - and most likely will not want to try complementary foods after that.

Common problems to be aware of

It happens like this: it's time to expand the diet and introduce new foods, but the baby does not want to do this. He is naughty, refuses to eat, protests against the proposed menu. The most common problems faced by parents of an infant are:

  • The child refuses a new product. He may not like him, but that's okay. It takes up to 10-15 attempts to get used to a new food. Make a menu for a child for a week so that it contains at least a small portion of a new product - and combine it with familiar dishes. Over time, the baby will get used to it, and if not, consult a pediatrician how to replace this product.
  • The child wants to eat only one or two dishes, and ignores the rest. Continue to follow your usual feeding pattern, but not too rigidly. Offer your favorite meal along with or immediately after another age-recommended meal. Try to introduce eating rituals and stick to them. For example, if your baby loves applesauce but doesn't want to eat buckwheat porridge, try giving the puree immediately after a small portion of porridge. So the child will get used to different tastes and will know that immediately after the porridge, his favorite treat is waiting for him.
  • A baby plays with food: throws it on the floor, transfers them from one plate to another, etc. This is normal, this is how the baby explores the world. Be patient: this stage will pass, and the child will be happy to eat food without trying to play with it. Stick to the usual pattern: offer your child familiar dishes, show how to use a spoon, but do not swear if he tries to make porridge cakes or gets his hands into open jars of mashed potatoes.
  • The child reacts to food by crying or screaming. Perhaps he did not like the taste or the dish was too hot or cold. Check what is wrong, try to fix it. Do not insist on an immediate continuation, let the baby calm down. If the child is breastfed, offer the breast and give complementary foods later.

Now you know what to feed a baby at 10 months, what foods should be on his menu every day and how to solve possible problems. If in doubt, be sure to consult a pediatrician.

  • 1. Infant and young child feeding and nutrition. Guidelines for the WHO European Region with a special focus on the republics of the former Soviet Union.
  • 2. The program for optimizing the feeding of children in the first year of life in the Russian Federation. Guidelines, 2019.
  • 3. Arutyunyan K.A., Babtseva A.F., Romantsova E.B. The physical development of the child. Textbook, 2011.
  • Obstetrician-gynecologist (Southern State Medical University, Faculty of Pediatrics, specialization at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology)

Others articles by the author

what can a baby eat, what to feed, what vegetables, cereals, fruits to give, regimen and diet for 10 months

Published: 06/20/2020

Reading time: 4 min.

Number of reads: 277722

Author of the article: Ponomareva Yulia Vladimirovna

Pediatrician, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Allergist-Immunologist

The first year of a baby's life is unique. The processes of growth and development are so intense that each new month is not like the previous one. In this regard, the child's diet undergoes changes every month to meet the growing needs of the body for nutrients, vitamins, minerals and other biologically active substances. Let's discuss what changes are taking place in the baby's diet, and what can be included in the diet at 10 months.

Contents: Hide

  1. Basic principles and changes in nutrition at 10 months
  2. Feeding your baby at 10 months
  3. First meal
  4. Breakfast
  5. Drinks
  6. 21 Afternoon snack
  7. Dinner

The basic principles and changes in nutrition at 10 months

The basic food groups that must be included in the daily diet of children in the second half of life remain the same - vegetables, fruits, meat, cereals, dairy products. There are 3 main meals and 2-3 additional ones, while the portion size increases, and the daily amount of food is 1000-1100 ml. The child no longer looks like a baby - he has grown stronger, is trying to walk, he has an interest in all the phenomena of the world around him, including traditional adult food. Of course, the menu at 10 months is still very different from the food of the general table, but in terms of the possible variety of food, the list is already close to the diet of older children. The baby’s menu can already be diversified with homemade dishes in the form of soups, puddings and casseroles. Vegetables and fruits can be partially raw, grated on a fine grater. The drinking diet is still represented mainly by water, but the child can already drink compotes and fruit drinks of home and industrial production without the addition of sugar and artificial colors.

Feeding a 10-month-old baby

Daily routine and nutrition are very important in a baby's life. Children quickly get used to a certain routine and more readily eat the dishes that are traditionally offered at this meal. Of course, each child is unique, and yours has its own favorite foods and their combinations. Try to rationally distribute all the necessary complementary foods in 5 meals, taking into account the characteristics of family life. Adhere to the principle of a balanced menu, plan your diet for the week in advance, while trying to diversify your diet as much as possible, accustoming your child to the taste of new foods.

First meal

The first meal is in the early morning - the baby wakes up hungry after a 6-8 hour break in food. It is best to feed your baby with breast milk or an adapted formula. Child health and nutrition experts recommend continued breastfeeding (BC) until at least the end of the first year of life. The nutritional value of mother's milk at this age is already low, but as a source of the most important biological substances and psycho-emotional comfort, it is undoubtedly priceless. If the child is bottle-fed, you can prepare him a drink based on an adapted mixture. Until the end of the first year of a child's life, it is not recommended to feed whole cow's milk. The fact is that the protein of cow's and goat's milk can cause an allergic reaction, in addition, it causes damage to the intestinal epithelium of an infant and is a serious burden on the kidneys. Do not rush to introduce this unadapted product into the baby's diet.

See also: Complementary Foods and Meals

Breakfast

The second meal, at approximately 9-10 am, should provide energy and nutrients for a 10-month-old baby to be active in the morning. What can you offer your child for breakfast? Milk porridge is the perfect product for a good start to the day - it is rich in complex carbohydrates, which ensures long-term saturation and energy boost. The dietary fibers included in its composition are involved in comfortable digestion. In addition, cereals are a source of almost all essential nutrients. In the nutrition of babies at 10 months, the consistency of porridge may already be less homogeneous. Try introducing porridge into your diet, which contains cereal flakes and crushed berries, which helps your child learn to chew. At this age, mothers often begin to cook porridge at home, but it is preferable to use industrial products. Commercially produced porridge is often multi-cereal, which makes it possible to use the beneficial qualities of various grain crops, including those that cannot be cooked at home due to poor digestibility. Cereals go well with fruits and vegetables. For breakfast, you can additionally offer fruit puree or slices of boiled / baked soft fruits for breakfast. Cottage cheese and vegetable or cottage cheese and cereal casseroles and puddings can diversify the weekly breakfast menu. Every day a child can eat up to 50 grams of cottage cheese. If the child has not previously had allergic reactions, you can expand the range of fruits and gradually introduce citrus fruits and a number of exotic fruits into the diet.

Drinks

It is not recommended to give a large amount of liquid immediately after a meal, as this overloads the digestion process. Limit yourself to a few sips of water or compote if the child wants to drink food. And between the main meals, periodically offer the baby water, compote or fruit drink, as well as special children's tea. Limit your juice intake, as this is a high-carbohydrate product and is a serious burden on the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. The volume of juice per day should not exceed 100 ml.

Lunch

The next meal, lunch, covers a third of the total energy expenditure of the day and provides nutrients important for active growth and development. At 10 months, it is already possible to offer the baby unpurified soup, provided that well-boiled vegetables are used. Meat complementary foods should be combined with foods that promote the best absorption of trace elements important for growth and development, especially copper and iron. First of all, these are vegetables, with the exception of legumes, and buckwheat. Given that different types of meat contain different amounts of trace elements and vitamins, a balanced weekly diet includes at least 3-4 types of meat complementary foods. Also, 1-2 times a week, the baby can eat dishes with the addition of offal - the liver, tongue and heart. In addition to mashed meat, the baby can be offered coarsely chopped meatballs or steam cutlets. Adding vegetable and cereal components to a meat dish makes the taste more tender and enriches the diet with other beneficial nutrients. Despite the insipid taste of dinner dishes, which seems to many adults, it is not recommended to add salt and spices to them. At 10 months, onions and parsley and dill can be used to develop taste buds in dishes.

Snack

Snack, although not the main meal, is necessary for the baby to refresh himself after a daytime nap and provide the necessary energy for active activities in the afternoon. A dairy product rich in easily digestible protein and fat is ideal, combined with cereals and fruits that complement the dish with carbohydrates and fiber. For a 10-month-old baby, this could be a specialized fermented milk drink combined with baby biscuits and fruit. Another option would be a special industrial product called "Snack Porridge", which is a delicious dessert that combines cereals, milk and natural fruits. In addition to nutritional value, it is a source of dietary fiber, organic acids, vitamins and trace elements. And for kids, this is a delicacy, because the dish has a delicate texture and pleasant taste.


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