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Navigating Solids, Mealtime & Feeding Schedules by Age with Pediatric Dietician Pegah

Navigating Solids, Mealtime & Feeding Schedules by Age with Pediatric Dietician Pegah

Pegah Jalali of @pediatric.dietitian is back with more fantastic feeding insights. This week, she talks solids and timetables. Learn more about when and how often to offer baby solids throughout their first year:

How often should I feed my 6-month-old solids?

Babies are recommended to start solid foods around six months. There are no official guidelines for the number of meals or how much food babies need at six months, so make sure to follow your baby’s cues!

At six months, you only need to offer about one meal per day. When first starting solids, you should aim to offer solids 15-30 minutes after a full milk feeding (either breastmilk or formula). 

This will ensure that your baby is not overly hungry or frustrated when eating. Eating solids is a new skill for your baby, so you want to ensure they are not sleepy or overly hungry when you offer them. 

The meal can be at different times of the day, and if you need to skip a day here or there, that’s completely fine! On other days if you feel like you would like to offer a second meal, you can! Just know that you don’t “need” to do so!

How often should an 8-month-old eat solids?

Around eight months, you can start to offer a second meal consistently. Around this age, babies tend to have more predictable daytime schedules. You can begin to space their solid meals from milk feedings. Do not worry too much about having a perfectly consistent schedule, but instead focus on having pleasant mealtimes that your baby enjoys. This will help them continue to learn new skills and make progress on their feeding skills.

How often do I offer solids at 10 months? 

By ten months, you will want to offer a 3rd meal. At this age, it can feel like you are constantly feeding your baby with solids and milk feedings. But don’t worry, this will pass! Your baby will likely have a more consistent schedule of meals, milk feedings, and naps.

12 months and beyond

Around 12 months, you can start to offer snacks instead of milk feedings. Some toddlers may take one snack per day, and others may take up to three. It will continue to fluctuate as they take less milk and drop to one nap somewhere between 14-18 months.

 

Curious about what solids to introduce? Check out Pegah’s pro tips for starting solids, including the pros and cons of different methods. 



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