Guides · Feeding
6–12 month feeding schedule: milk and solids by age
Start solids around 6 months, once your baby sits with a steady head, coordinates hand to mouth and swallows food. At 6 months offer small tasters before a milk feed. From about 7 months build to 3 meals plus around 4 milk feeds a day, and from about 10 months to 3 meals plus around 3 milk feeds (NHS).
Feeding schedule by age
This table follows the NHS schedule. Breast milk or formula stays the main drink during the first year.
| Age | Solids | Milk feeds | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around 6 months | Small amounts (a few pieces or teaspoons) before a usual milk feed; not 3 meals a day yet | Usual feeds continue | Offer a cup with sips of water at meals |
| 7–9 months | 3 meals a day: breakfast, lunch and tea | Around 4 a day, e.g. on waking, after lunch, after tea, before bed | Formula-fed babies may need about 600 ml of milk a day |
| 10–12 months | 3 meals a day, wider range of finger foods | Around 3 a day, e.g. after breakfast, after lunch, before bed | Formula-fed babies drink about 400 ml a day |
| 12 months and after | 3 meals plus 2 healthy snacks if needed | Cows' milk can become a main drink | Breastfeeding can continue if you both want |
Breastfed babies adapt their milk intake as they eat more solids, so the milk feed numbers are guides. The AAP agrees solids should be added at about 6 months; for breast and bottle amounts see breast milk amounts and formula amounts.
How to start solids at 6 months
- Pick a time that suits you both, when you are not rushed and your baby is not too tired.
- Offer food before the usual milk feed, but do not wait until your baby is too hungry.
- Do not worry about quantity at first. Getting used to new tastes and textures matters more.
- Go at your baby's pace. Stop when they close their mouth or turn their head away.
- It can take 10 tries or more before a baby accepts a new food or texture.
- Move from purées to mashed, lumpy and finger foods as soon as your baby can manage.
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- Iron-containing foods such as meat, fish, fortified breakfast cereals, dark green vegetables, beans and lentils (NHS, from 7 months).
- Allergenic foods such as peanuts, hen's eggs, gluten and fish can be introduced from around 6 months, one at a time and in small amounts so you can spot a reaction (NHS). See baby food allergies.
- No added salt or sugar in food or cooking water.
- Choking hazards: avoid whole nuts and raw carrot or apple; cut small round foods like grapes and cherry tomatoes into quarters; always stay with your baby while they eat. Gagging is different from choking.
- Whole cows' milk is not a main drink until 1 year. It can be used in cooking from around 6 months.
The NHS also says babies do not need baby rice to help them sleep better, and starting solids will not make them sleep through the night.
Vitamins
The NHS recommends vitamin D supplements for breastfed babies, and vitamins A and C from 6 to 12 months, unless the baby has about 500 ml of formula a day or more (UK guidance). Recommendations differ between countries, so ask your pediatrician what applies to you.
Plan meals around naps
Meals and milk feeds fall between naps. Use the wake window calculator and the 6–12 month sleep schedule to find gaps when your baby is alert and not overtired. More on starting: introducing solid foods.
Every baby moves through these stages at their own pace. This article is general information, not medical advice. If you are worried about your baby's weight gain, wet diapers or feeding, talk to your pediatrician or a lactation consultant.
Frequently asked questions
When should a baby start solid foods?
Around 6 months, when the baby can sit with a steady head, coordinate eyes, hands and mouth, and swallow food rather than spit it out (NHS).
How many meals does a 9-month-old eat?
About 3 meals a day (breakfast, lunch and tea) plus around 4 milk feeds, according to the NHS guide for 7 to 9 months.
How many milk feeds does a 12-month-old need?
Around 3 milk feeds a day from about 10 months, with 3 meals. After 12 months milk is one part of a varied diet, and breastfeeding can continue if you both want.
How much formula does a 9-month-old need?
As a guide the NHS says formula-fed babies may need around 600 ml a day at 7 to 9 months, and about 400 ml a day at 10 to 12 months. Ask your pediatrician about your baby.
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