Yous snapped the pics of your messy-mouthed munchkin starting solids and shared the kickoff repast milestone, and now you're wondering where to go from here.

How much solid nutrient should yous offer your baby each twenty-four hour period, and when should your child adopt a three-meals-a-day routine? What's the right ratio of solids to breast milk or formula — and should both be on the menu at the same time?

Get answers to these questions, along with simple guidelines for setting up a general baby feeding schedule.

How oftentimes and at what times should I feed babe solids?

There's no "perfect" fourth dimension of day to feed your baby — it'southward whenever works for yous. If you're breastfeeding, you might offer solids when your milk supply is at its everyman (probably late afternoon or early on evening). On the other hand, babies who wake up bright-eyed and eager might be happy to sample solids for breakfast.

You lot'll chop-chop learn when your baby is interested in eating and when she isn't, which she'll show you lot by opening her mouth wide and willingly taking bites (or palming and gumming finger foods on her own) versus fussily turning her head away. Follow the cues and don't force feedings — you can e'er try again afterward.

Start with i meal a day, and then motion upward to two (attempt 1 in the morning time and one in the evening) for the next month or and then. Equally your infant gets older and approaches toddlerhood, you lot can work upwardly to three solid meals a day with a snack or two in between.

Infant feeding chart: How much should I feed my baby in one sitting?

baby feeding chart

A expert rule of thumb when you're figuring out but how much to requite your piffling one during each meal: Start modest and piece of work your way up.

While your infant'south starting time meals may have consisted of a teaspoon or two of solid food, once she gets the hang of eating, you lot can employ the following baby feeding chart equally a full general guideline:

4 to half dozen months:

  • 24 to 36 ounces of formula or milk over 24 hours (or five to viii nursing sessions a day)
  • i to four tablespoons of cereal in one case or twice a day
  • 1 to 4 tablespoons each of a fruit and vegetable in one case or twice a twenty-four hour period

6 to viii months:

  • 24 to 36 ounces of formula or breast milk over 24 hours (at present that your baby's a more efficient nurser, you'll probably breastfeed her four to six times a mean solar day)
  • 4 to 9 tablespoons each of cereal, fruit and vegetables a day, spread out over two to iii meals
  • ane to 6 tablespoons of a meat or other poly peptide (like yogurt, cottage cheese or crumbled egg) a day

9 to 12 months:

  • 16 to 30 ounces of formula or milk over 24 hours (or three to v nursing sessions a day)
  • Around 1/four to i/2 loving cup each of grains, fruit and veggies twice a day
  • Effectually i/4 to one/2 cup of dairy foods a day
  • Around one/four to 1/2 cup of protein-packed foods a 24-hour interval

How practise I decide the best baby nutrient portion sizes?

Full general serving size recommendations can exist helpful, simply remember that every baby is dissimilar. It's perfectly normal for your lilliputian eater to chow downwardly one twenty-four hour period (and even take seconds or thirds) and clamp her tiny mouth shut the next.

Try not to worry if your cutie's appetite isn't always exactly the same, or if what she chooses to eat doesn't quite match upward with the recommended servings.

Forcing your babe to eat when she'due south not interested isn't fun for either of you lot, and over fourth dimension, it tin can brand it harder for her to tune in to her body'south natural hunger and fullness cues.

Feeding Baby Solids Safely

Instead, focus simply on offer a diverseness of food-rich foods in age-appropriate serving sizes and letting your little one have it from there. Your new nosher has the power to take in what her body is asking for.

As long as you're offering balanced options, she'll likely get what she needs over the course of the 24-hour interval or calendar week.

On the other hand? Trust your gut. Talk with the pediatrician if you suspect that your baby has a feeding issue, seems uncomfortable or unusually fussy later eating, or doesn't seem to be gaining weight as she should be. Together, yous can figure out what's going on and make mealtime more enjoyable.

How do I contain breastfeeding or canteen-feeding in one case I innovate solids?

Even though your infant is now slurping purées from a spoon (or, if you're trying a baby-led weaning approach, learning to glue at finger foods), the bulk of her nutrition will notwithstanding come from chest milk or formula. Consider the solids y'all serve at first as healthy supplements and a chance for your sweetie to explore new tastes and textures.

When should you bring out a bottle or your breast, and when should yous dish out solids? There's really no set rule. Some parents find that an appetizer of breast milk or formula is a skillful way to start off a meal, so their little ones aren't likewise hungry to settle downward to eat.

Other parents offer solids as a first course and chest milk or formula for dessert. Then in that location are moms who like to completely separate solids from nursing or bottle-feeding sessions.

Since there'due south no hard and fast rule, experiment until you find a feeding schedule that works for you.

Sample baby feeding schedules

Your baby's early days with solids should exist about helping her go into the flow of mealtime with the family. Ideally, she'll eat at times when everyone else is at the table, too.

Just proceed in listen that, since the majority of your babe's nutrition should even so be coming from chest milk or formula until she turns 1, those liquid meals should proceed to take priority.

Y'all can showtime off with just one or ii solid meals per mean solar day — whichever ones are most user-friendly for you.

For case, offer breakfast and dinner if your cutie is in twenty-four hours care and you want the honors of feeding her solids. If it'south too hard to clasp in dinner before her bedtime milk feeding, brainstorm with breakfast and lunch.

Equally your babe hits 8 or 9 months and starts eating more foods (and drops to only a morning and afternoon nap, freeing upwardly more than time in the day), y'all tin transition to three meals.

These sample schedules below may help y'all envision how solids can fit into your baby's day — just remember that every child (and every family!) is dissimilar. Your little one's schedule may not exist predictable or consistent until she hits toddlerhood. However, you might notice that a typical day looks something like this:

Sample baby feeding schedule for 4- to half-dozen-month-olds

This schedule assumes that your iv- to 6-month-old is taking three naps (though some 6-calendar month-olds will drib down to 2) and yous're introducing solid foods by spoon-feeding purées.

If your family is following a baby-led weaning approach, solids (in the course of soft, gummable finger foods) would non be offered until after the 6-month marking, when your child is likely more capable of self-feeding.

  • vii:00 a.m.: Wake and nurse or bottle (6 to 8 ounces chest milk or formula)
  • 7:45 a.m.: Breakfast (1 to 4 tablespoons infant cereal, 1 to 4 tablespoons mashed banana)
  • 8:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.: Nap
  • ten:45 a.thousand.: Wake and nurse or bottle (6 to eight ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 12:00 p.g.: Nurse or bottle (6 to 8 ounces chest milk or formula)
  • 12:30 p.k. – 2:30 p.one thousand.: Nap
  • 2:30 p.m.: Nurse or canteen (6 to 8 ounces chest milk or formula)
  • 4:thirty p.m. to 5:00 p.chiliad.: Nap
  • v:00 p.one thousand.: Nurse or canteen (6 to viii ounces breast milk or formula)
  • v:45 PM: Dinner (1 to 4 tablespoons mashed sweetness potato, i to 4 tablespoons puréed peas)
  • half-dozen:45 PM: Nurse or bottle (6 to 8 ounces chest milk or formula)
  • 7:00 PM: Bed

Sample babe feeding schedule for 7- to 9-month-olds

This schedule assumes that your 7- to 9-month-sometime is taking two naps (though some seven-month-olds may withal need three).

  • 7:00 a.m.: Wake and nurse or bottle (6 to eight ounces chest milk or formula)
  • 7:45 a.chiliad.: Breakfast (ii to three tablespoons apparently Greek yogurt, 2 to 3 tablespoons thinly sliced strawberries, ane/4 slice whole grain toast)
  • 9:30 a.yard. – 11:thirty a.grand.: Nap
  • 11:30 a.chiliad.: Nurse or bottle (6 to 8 ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 12:fifteen p.m.: Dejeuner (one/four to 1/2 crumbled or sliced hard-boiled egg, two to 3 tablespoons mashed or sliced avocado, 1/4 to 1/2 whole grain pita cut into strips)
  • one:45 p.chiliad. (Nurse or bottle) 6 to eight ounces breast milk or formula
  • 2:00 p.one thousand. – 4:00 p.m.: Nap
  • 4:00 p.m.: Nurse or bottle (6 to viii ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 5:30 p.g.: Dinner (2 to iii tablespoons mini meatballs made with turkey or beef, two to 3 tablespoons cooked whole grain pasta, 1 to 2 tablespoons steamed broccoli florets)
  • vii:00 p.k.: Nurse or canteen (half dozen to viii ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 7:30 p.m.: Bed

Sample schedule for 10- to 12-month-olds

  • 7:00 a.k.: Wake and nurse or bottle (six to 8 ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 8:00 a.m.: Breakfast (1/4 cup cooked rolled oats, i to two teaspoons peanut butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons smushed blueberries)
  • 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.1000.: Nap
  • xi:00 a.m.: Nurse or bottle (6 to 8 ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 12:00 PM: Lunch (1/4 to 1/2 black bean and cheese quesadilla on whole grain tortilla sliced into small pieces, two to three tablespoons steamed carrot half-moons, 1/4 thinly sliced ripe pear)
  • 2:30 p.thou. – four:00 p.m.: Nap
  • 4:00 p.m.: Nurse or bottle (6 to eight ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 5:45 p.m.: Dinner (3 to 4 tablespoons flaked salmon, 3 to iv tablespoons baked sweet potato wedges, three to 4 tablespoons steamed green beans with butter)
  • vii:00 p.g.: Nurse or canteen (6 to viii ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 7:30 p.g.: Bed

It will take some trial and error to figure out the best feeding schedule for your baby, only as long as your picayune one is eating a variety of foods and growing and thriving, you can rest assured that she'due south well-fed.