You snapped the pics of your messy-mouthed munchkin starting solids and shared the offset meal milestone, and now you're wondering where to become from here.

How much solid food should you offer your babe each 24-hour interval, and when should your child adopt a three-meals-a-24-hour interval routine? What's the right ratio of solids to breast milk or formula — and should both be on the menu at the same fourth dimension?

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

How frequently and at what times should I feed baby solids?

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

You'll quickly acquire when your baby is interested in eating and when she isn't, which she'll show y'all 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 ever try again subsequently.

Kickoff with one meal a solar day, then move up to ii (try 1 in the morn and one in the evening) for the next month or so. As your baby gets older and approaches toddlerhood, you can work upwardly to three solid meals a twenty-four hour period with a snack or two in between.

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

baby feeding chart

A expert rule of pollex when yous're figuring out just how much to give your petty one during each repast: Start small and piece of work your way upwards.

While your babe's first meals may have consisted of a teaspoon or two of solid nutrient, once she gets the hang of eating, you tin employ the following baby feeding nautical chart every bit a general guideline:

4 to six months:

  • 24 to 36 ounces of formula or milk over 24 hours (or five to eight nursing sessions a day)
  • ane to 4 tablespoons of cereal one time or twice a day
  • ane to iv tablespoons each of a fruit and vegetable once or twice a twenty-four hours

6 to 8 months:

  • 24 to 36 ounces of formula or breast milk over 24 hours (now that your baby'south a more efficient nurser, you'll probably breastfeed her 4 to vi times a day)
  • iv to 9 tablespoons each of cereal, fruit and vegetables a solar day, spread out over 2 to three meals
  • one to 6 tablespoons of a meat or other poly peptide (similar yogurt, cottage cheese or crumbled egg) a twenty-four hour period

9 to 12 months:

  • 16 to thirty ounces of formula or milk over 24 hours (or three to five nursing sessions a day)
  • Around i/four to 1/2 cup each of grains, fruit and veggies twice a 24-hour interval
  • Around 1/iv to 1/2 loving cup of dairy foods a day
  • Around 1/iv to i/two loving cup of protein-packed foods a twenty-four hour period

How do I make up one's mind the best baby food portion sizes?

General serving size recommendations tin can be helpful, but think that every infant is different. It's perfectly normal for your trivial eater to chow down ane mean solar day (and even have seconds or thirds) and clench her tiny mouth close the next.

Endeavor 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 up with the recommended servings.

Forcing your baby to eat when she'southward not interested isn't fun for either of you, and over time, information technology can go far harder for her to tune in to her body's natural hunger and fullness cues.

Feeding Baby Solids Safely

Instead, focus merely on offering a multifariousness of nutrient-rich foods in age-appropriate serving sizes and letting your little ane have information technology from at that place. Your new nosher has the ability to take in what her body is request for.

As long as you're offer counterbalanced options, she'll probable become what she needs over the course of the day or calendar week.

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

How do I contain breastfeeding or bottle-feeding once I introduce solids?

Even though your baby is at present 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 still come from breast milk or formula. Consider the solids you lot serve at kickoff as healthy supplements and a run a risk for your sweetie to explore new tastes and textures.

When should you bring out a canteen or your breast, and when should you dish out solids? There's really no set rule. Some parents find that an titbit of breast milk or formula is a good style to get-go off a repast, so their little ones aren't likewise hungry to settle downward to swallow.

Other parents offering solids equally a outset form and chest milk or formula for dessert. And so in that location are moms who like to completely split solids from nursing or canteen-feeding sessions.

Since there's no hard and fast rule, experiment until you detect a feeding schedule that works for you.

Sample baby feeding schedules

Your babe'southward early days with solids should be about helping her get into the menses of mealtime with the family. Ideally, she'll swallow at times when everyone else is at the table, too.

Just keep in heed that, since the bulk of your babe'southward nutrition should still be coming from breast milk or formula until she turns one, those liquid meals should continue to accept priority.

You can start off with just one or two solid meals per twenty-four hour period — whichever ones are most convenient for y'all.

For instance, offer breakfast and dinner if your cutie is in day care and you want the honors of feeding her solids. If it's too hard to squeeze in dinner before her bedtime milk feeding, brainstorm with breakfast and lunch.

Every bit your baby hits 8 or ix months and starts eating more foods (and drops to just a morning time and afternoon nap, freeing up more time in the day), you lot can transition to three meals.

These sample schedules below may help you envision how solids can fit into your baby's day — just remember that every kid (and every family unit!) is dissimilar. Your little 1'southward schedule may not be anticipated or consistent until she hits toddlerhood. Nevertheless, you might notice that a typical twenty-four hours looks something similar this:

Sample infant feeding schedule for 4- to 6-month-olds

This schedule assumes that your 4- to half-dozen-month-old is taking three naps (though some half-dozen-month-olds will drop down to 2) and yous're introducing solid foods past spoon-feeding purées.

If your family is following a baby-led weaning approach, solids (in the form of soft, gummable finger foods) would non exist offered until after the vi-month mark, when your child is probable more capable of self-feeding.

  • 7:00 a.m.: Wake and nurse or bottle (six to 8 ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 7:45 a.chiliad.: Breakfast (1 to 4 tablespoons infant cereal, one to iv tablespoons mashed assistant)
  • eight:45 a.1000. – 10:45 a.m.: Nap
  • 10:45 a.k.: Wake and nurse or canteen (half dozen to 8 ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 12:00 p.k.: Nurse or bottle (6 to 8 ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 12:30 p.thou. – two:30 p.one thousand.: Nap
  • 2:30 p.m.: Nurse or canteen (6 to 8 ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 4:30 p.grand. to 5:00 p.k.: Nap
  • 5:00 p.m.: Nurse or bottle (6 to viii ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 5:45 PM: Dinner (1 to 4 tablespoons mashed sweet potato, 1 to 4 tablespoons puréed peas)
  • half dozen:45 PM: Nurse or bottle (half-dozen to 8 ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 7:00 PM: Bed

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

This schedule assumes that your 7- to 9-month-one-time is taking two naps (though some seven-month-olds may still demand three).

  • 7:00 a.yard.: Wake and nurse or bottle (six to 8 ounces breast milk or formula)
  • vii:45 a.chiliad.: Breakfast (2 to three tablespoons apparently Greek yogurt, 2 to 3 tablespoons thinly sliced strawberries, one/4 slice whole grain toast)
  • 9:xxx a.k. – 11:thirty a.yard.: Nap
  • 11:30 a.m.: Nurse or canteen (half-dozen to viii ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 12:xv p.1000.: Lunch (1/iv to i/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) six to viii ounces breast milk or formula
  • ii:00 p.m. – four:00 p.k.: Nap
  • 4:00 p.one thousand.: Nurse or bottle (vi to viii ounces chest milk or formula)
  • 5:30 p.m.: Dinner (2 to iii tablespoons mini meatballs made with turkey or beefiness, 2 to iii tablespoons cooked whole grain pasta, 1 to 2 tablespoons steamed broccoli florets)
  • 7:00 p.g.: Nurse or canteen (6 to viii ounces breast milk or formula)
  • seven:30 p.thousand.: Bed

Sample schedule for 10- to 12-month-olds

  • vii:00 a.m.: Wake and nurse or bottle (6 to 8 ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 8:00 a.yard.: Breakfast (1/iv loving cup cooked rolled oats, one to 2 teaspoons peanut butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons smushed blueberries)
  • nine:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: Nap
  • eleven:00 a.grand.: Nurse or bottle (six to 8 ounces breast milk or formula)
  • 12:00 PM: Lunch (i/4 to 1/ii black bean and cheese quesadilla on whole grain tortilla sliced into small-scale pieces, 2 to 3 tablespoons steamed carrot half-moons, 1/4 thinly sliced ripe pear)
  • 2:thirty p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Nap
  • 4:00 p.m.: Nurse or canteen (6 to 8 ounces chest milk or formula)
  • 5:45 p.yard.: Dinner (three to four tablespoons flaked salmon, iii to 4 tablespoons baked sweet tater wedges, 3 to 4 tablespoons steamed green beans with butter)
  • 7:00 p.m.: Nurse or bottle (6 to 8 ounces chest milk or formula)
  • seven:30 p.m.: Bed

It will have some trial and error to figure out the best feeding schedule for your babe, only as long as your little one is eating a variety of foods and growing and thriving, y'all can residuum assured that she's well-fed.