Infant Feeding

Infant feeding

Age Developmental signs Breast milk or Formula Grains Protein foods Fruits Vegetables
Birth – 6 months Sticks out tongue to latch onto breast or drink from a bottle.
  • Breast Milk: 8-12 times/day.
  • Infant Formula: 18-32 oz./day.
 None. None. None. None.
6-8 months
  • Has head and neck control.
  • Can sit up with help.
  • Grabs small objects such as food or toys.
  • Can move food to the back of the mouth using the tongue.
  • Breast Milk: 6-9 times/day.
  • Infant Formula: 24-32 oz./day.
  • 2 to 4 Tbsps. grains/day.
  • Iron fortified infant cereal.
  • Give iron-fortified infant cereal first, wait to give pieces of bread and rolls until infant is closer to 8 months.
  • 2 to 4 Tbsps. protein foods/day.
  • Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, yogurt, beans, and lentils.
  • All proteins should be cooked, plain, strained, and pureed or mashed.
  • 4-8 Tbsps. of fruits/day.
  • Fresh, frozen, canned, or commercially prepared fruits.
  • All fruits should be soft, plain, strained, and pureed or mashed.
  • 4 to 8 Tbsps. of vegetables/day.
  • Fresh, frozen, canned, or commercially prepared vegetables.
  • All vegetables should be cooked, plain, strained, and pureed or mashed.
8-12 months
  • Can sit up without help.
  • Grabs foods with thumb and index finger.
  • Feeds self with thumb and index finger.
  • Breast milk: 4+ times/day.
  • Infant Formula: About 24 oz./day.
  • 4 to 8 Tbsps. grains/day.
  • Iron fortified infant cereals, soft pieces of breads and rolls, small pieces of small pieces of plain crackers or cereal, and chopped-up soft cooked noodles.
  • 4 to 8 Tbsps. protein foods/day.
  • -Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, yogurt, beans, and legumes each day.
  • All protein foods should be cooked; plain; and ground, finely chopped, or diced.
  • 8 to 12 Tbsps. of fruits/day.
  • Fresh, frozen, canned, or commercially prepared fruits.
  • All fruits should be soft, plain; and ground, finely chopped, or diced.
  • 8 to 12 Tbsps. of vegetables/day.
  • Fresh, frozen, canned, or commercially prepared vegetables.
  • All vegetables should be cooked; plain; and ground, finely chopped, or diced.
Note: Cheese and yogurt can be offered occasionally to infants start at six months. Cow’s milk should not be offered to infants before they are 1 year old.  

What are the best first foods for my baby?

Your baby’s first foods should be high in iron and zinc. This includes iron-fortified cereal and protein foods like pureed meats, chicken, turkey, or fish. Give high iron and zinc foods to your baby every day to help them grow and develop. Make sure that you cook meat until it’s well-done before giving it to your baby so they don’t get sick. Give your baby a new food every 3 to 5 days. Give foods from all of the food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy that is appropriate for their age (cheese and yogurt occasionally). By the time your baby is 7 to 8 months old, they should be eating food from all of the food groups.

How do I introduce new foods to my baby?

Introduce 1 new food to your baby at a time. Make sure it doesn’t have any ingredients they haven’t already tried before. This can help you know if your baby has a food allergy and what foods it comes from. Don’t give any more of a food if you see that your baby has a reaction to it. Your baby may itch, vomit, get hives, a rash, swelling, eczema, or diarrhea if they are allergic to a food. Some reactions to a food allergy are more serious. Call your doctor if you notice your baby has an allergic reaction after they eat a new food. Call 911 or take your baby to the emergency room (ER) if they can’t breath or have a more serious reaction. Give 1 to 2 Tbsps. of food to your baby to start with. It may take your baby more than one time trying a new food before they like it. There are a lot of tastes and textures for them to get used to. Your baby may need to try a new food more than 10 times before they like it.

Foods to avoid giving to your baby:

  • Do not give your baby any honey or foods containing honey (including honey crackers or cereal) until they are one year old.
  • Do not give your baby any cow’s milk before they are 1 year old.
  • Avoid giving fruit juice or mixing baby food or cereal in the bottle unless your doctor tells you to.
  • Avoid giving your baby the following foods:
    • Caffeinated foods and drinks such as soda pop, coffee, or tea.
    • Sugary foods and drinks such as soda pop, sports drinks, ice cream, candy, or sugary cereals.
    • Artificial sweeteners, such as in “diet” foods and drinks.
    • Salty or fatty foods.