Confused by dropping milk feeds and introducing snacks? Here’s our guide to fitting all those meals, snacks and bottles into your baby’s day
Between 10 and 12 months, your baby will be starting to eat more ‘grown-up’ foods and will be making an effort to feed himself (and making a huge mess in the process!). He’ll probably be having three meals a day, and starting to take more nutrients from solid food. As his appetite for solids increases, he may be heading towards dropping one or more milk feeds: usually the one around lunchtime.
As he approaches his first birthday, your baby may also drop the early morning milk feed, so you may need to bring breakfast forward to satisfy his hunger. Now that he’s eating more solids, you can start to offer his milk feeds after meals, rather than before, and be guided by how much he wants to take. Remember to offer water to drink after a meal of solids.
When should your baby be eating?
Timings can vary enormously. If you’re fitting meals in around work, getting your baby to daycare or your older children to school, your day may start earlier. If he’s dropping his morning nap, your baby may be ready for a sleep by noon, so you might need to make his lunch a bit earlier. Use this routine as a general guide, but tailor it to fit the needs of your family. Make sure snacks are well spaced throughout the day: if you find that your child isn’t hungry at a mealtime, try making it a little bit later, or make snack time earlier.
Your baby’s meal routine at seven to nine months
7am: Wake up
Breast or bottle feed
8am: Breakfast
Porridge and fruit
9.45am: Breast or bottle feed
Nap (around 45 minutes)
12 noon: Lunch
Two courses, one savoury, one sweet
Cup of water
1pm: Nap (around two hours)
4pm: Snack
Breast or bottle feed or milk from a cup
5.30pm: Tea
Two courses
Drink of water
Small milk feed in a cup
6.30pm: Bath and wind-down routine
7pm: Breast or bottle feed
7.30pm: Bedtime
All babies are different, and their eating habits may vary. This information is only intended as a guide and may vary according to both sleep and eating patterns. If you have any concerns about your baby’s development and his transition to solid food, please consult your health visitor or doctor.
