How much solid food should a baby eat?

The short answer

From about 8 months, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ sample menu offers 2 to 4 ounces (¼ to ½ cup) of each food at breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus two small snacks.² Before that, amounts are much smaller: the AAP suggests starting at about 6 months with half a spoonful or less, building up to a teaspoon or two.¹

In real food, an 8-month-old’s lunch might be a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt or mashed beans and a similar amount of soft orange vegetables, with a breast milk or formula feed alongside.² Through the whole first year, breast milk or formula is still the main source of nutrition; solids gradually take up more room.³¹¹ For the daily calorie ranges behind that, see how many calories a baby needs a day.

These ranges come from several sources that describe the same gradual climb in slightly different words: the CDC suggests starting with 1 or 2 tablespoons,³ and the NHS describes a few pieces or teaspoons at first, moving towards 3 meals a day from about 7 months and having 3 meals a day by about 10 months.⁶

When to start, and how to know your baby is ready

Solids can start at about 6 months; introducing foods before 4 months isn’t recommended.⁴ Age alone isn’t the signal. The CDC and the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines list these signs of readiness:⁴¹¹

• Sits up alone or with support, with good head and neck control
• Opens their mouth when food is offered
• Swallows food rather than pushing it back out onto their chin
• Brings objects to their mouth and tries to grasp small things, like toys or food

If food keeps dribbling straight back out, your baby may not yet be able to move it to the back of their mouth. That’s normal — the AAP suggests trying a thinner texture or waiting a week or two.¹

How much should a 6- or 7-month-old eat?

Think tastes, not meals. The AAP suggests half a spoonful or less at first, increasing gradually to a teaspoonful or two.¹ Some babies find it easier if you offer a little breast milk or formula first, then the food, then finish with more milk, so they aren’t frantic with hunger.¹

At this stage it doesn’t matter much how much is eaten. The NHS puts it plainly: getting used to new tastes and textures matters more than the amount, because milk is still providing most of their energy and nutrients.⁶ By 7 or 8 months, most babies can eat a range of foods from different food groups.⁴

How much should an 8-, 9- or 10-month-old eat?

This is when portions grow. The AAP’s sample day for 8 to 12 months looks like this:²

• Breakfast: 2–4 oz cereal or 1 mashed or scrambled egg, 2–4 oz fruit, and a breast milk or formula feed
• Snack: a feed, plus 2–4 oz diced cheese or soft vegetables
• Lunch: 2–4 oz yogurt, cottage cheese, beans or meat, 2–4 oz yellow or orange vegetables, and a feed
• Snack: a whole-grain cracker or teething biscuit, 2–4 oz yogurt or soft fruit, and 2–4 oz water
• Dinner: 2–4 oz each of poultry, meat or tofu, green vegetables, soft pasta or potato, and fruit, plus a feed

That’s a menu to offer, not a quota to finish. The AAP also describes about 4 oz at a meal — roughly one small jar of baby food — as typical.¹ Around 8 months is a good time to move from smooth purées to thicker, lumpier textures and soft foods like oatmeal, mashed banana and scrambled egg.² If you’re weighing spoon-feeding against finger foods, see purées vs baby-led weaning.

How much should an 11-month-old eat?

Much the same menu, eaten with more skill. The CDC describes feeding every 2 to 3 hours, which adds up to about 3 meals and 2 to 3 snacks a day.³ By 10 to 12 months, many babies can pick up small pieces of food and feed themselves.⁶

Make sure some of those foods carry iron. The AAP specifically advises including foods that provide iron and zinc, such as meat or iron-fortified infant cereal.¹ Our guide to iron-rich foods for babies shows what that looks like in baby portions. From 12 months, the picture changes again — see how much a 1-year-old should eat.

Where milk fits in

The AAP estimates that babies aged 8 to 12 months need about 750 to 900 calories a day, with 400 to 500 of them from breast milk or formula — roughly 24 oz (720 mL) of formula a day.² Breastfed babies adjust on their own; follow their lead.

Sources differ a little here. The NHS suggests formula-fed babies may need about 600 mL (about 20 oz) at 7 to 9 months and about 400 mL (about 13.5 oz) at 10 to 12 months.⁶ We follow the AAP’s US guidance, but both agree on the direction: as solids increase, milk feeds may shrink. If you’re unsure, your pediatrician can check your baby’s growth.

Can you overfeed a baby solids?

It can happen, which is why the AAP’s advice ends simply: watch for cues that your baby has had enough, and don’t overfeed.¹ Babies are good at telling you. The CDC lists these cues for 6 to 23 months:⁵

• Still hungry: reaches for or points to food, opens their mouth for the spoon, gets excited at the sight of food
• Full: pushes food away, closes their mouth, turns their head away

Your baby doesn’t need to finish the jar or the bowl, and food shouldn’t be used as a reward.⁵ Don’t add cereal to a bottle unless your pediatrician advises it for reflux — it’s a choking risk and can lead a baby to eat more than they need.¹ If your baby is turning down most solids, our guide to a baby refusing solids can help.

Your job is to offer the food; your baby’s job is to decide how much of it to eat.

Safety rules for the first year

• No honey before 12 months. It can cause infant botulism, a severe food poisoning — not in food, water, formula or on a pacifier.⁷ More in when babies can have honey.
• No cow’s milk as a drink before 12 months. It can put babies at risk of intestinal bleeding and doesn’t have the right nutrients. Plain yogurt and cheese are fine.⁴⁷
• No juice before 12 months. Offer whole fruit instead.⁷⁸
• Water from about 6 months, 4 to 8 oz a day, in an open, sippy or straw cup.⁸
• No added sugars during infancy.¹¹
• Avoid choking hazards like whole nuts, whole grapes, popcorn, raw carrot or apple chunks, hot dogs and spoonfuls of nut butter.⁹ Cut food into pieces no bigger than ½ inch, and always stay with your baby while they eat.¹⁰

Gagging is not the same as choking. Gagging is a normal part of learning to eat: your baby’s eyes may water, and they may push their tongue forward or retch to bring food forward.⁶ A baby who is choking can’t breathe, cry or make noise, may wheeze or gasp, and may turn bluish.¹⁰ That’s an emergency — call 911 and start infant first aid.

When to talk to your pediatrician

Common questions