What does a baby food menu actually look like for my family? If you see the previous post ( Introducing Solids ) you can see the various recommendations for introducing solids. In a typical day, we need to include iron, zinc, and common allergens. There are infinite possibilities on how to achieve this. I’ll share a sample day’s menu here. Hopefully it can inspire your baby’s meals, or at least give a framework for a starting point.
As I mentioned in the previous post, I chose to introduce food mostly in a puree form, so that’s what these examples entail. Baby-led weaning (and skipping the puree step) is a great option too.
Please see the previous post about how to tell when your baby is ready.
Day One: Baby’s First Tastes
When your baby is ready, simply offer a taste of something that has a completely smooth or liquid texture, ideally from your own plate
This literally means offering just a taste from the tip of a spoon or even from your clean finger that has been dipped in the food.
Examples
- Broth (a meat-based broth can be a good source of iron)
- Plain yogurt
- Sauce from a main meal (tomato sauce, tahini, marinade, etc)
- Guacamole
See how it goes. If your baby seems to like it, continue for a day or two more.
Then repeat with another new taste or food. If your baby acts like they want more than just a taste, go ahead and offer it!
If the first tastes are going well and your baby seems eager to try more, it’s now time to focus on essential ingredients as discussed in Introducing Solids .
Below is an example for a baby who has tried several different foods previously.
6 Month-old Sample Menu: After Solids Introduced
Breakfast
- breast milk or formula (the usual amount)
- organic infant oatmeal cereal mixed with water, unsweetened apple sauce, and creamy peanut butter with no added sugar (I used warm water to help dissolve and mix in the peanut butter).
- sips of water offered from a cup during “meal”
Bottle or breastfeed per usual routine for the rest of the morning.
Lunch
- Breast milk or formula (the usual amount)
- Puree of water and scrambled eggs (bonus if the eggs are cooked in a cast iron pan). No added salt needed.
- Sips of water offered from a cup during “meal”
Bottle or breastfeed per usual routine for the rest of the afternoon.
Dinner
- Breastmilk or formula (the usual amount)
- Full-fat plain Greek yogurt in addition to tastes of whatever the rest of the family is eating. Puree if needed. Meat, legumes, and fish are great.
- Sips of water offered from a cup during “meal”
9-12 Month-Old Sample Menu: Starting Finger Foods
This is for a baby who tolerates purees well and has started to self-feed with their fingers. For many babies, this is roughly around age 9-12 months old.
Your baby may continue to breastfeed and bottle feed on demand. Volumes will gradually decrease as the baby gets closer to age 12 months. Snacks can be added as per family preference or if the baby seems hungry and unsatisfied with formula or breast milk between meals
Breakfast
- Scrambled eggs as a finger food. Soft and cut into small pieces
- Soft banana as a finger food, cut into small pieces or narrow strips
- Sips of water offered from a cup during the meal
Lunch:
- Cooked yam as a finger food, cut into thin strips or small pieces
- Cooked spinach (bonus if cooked in cast iron), either pureed or cut into small pieces. Creamy peanut butter can be mixed in.
- +/- Unsweetened applesauce or full fat plain yogurt
- Sips of water offered from a cup during the meal
Dinner
- Family meal adapted for texture. Either pureed with some lumps or cut into small soft pieces. (Some of our favorites: flaky salmon or other low-mercury fish, cooked veggies cut into small pieces, smooshed cooked black beans).
- Thin slices of ripe avocado
- Sips of water offered from a cup during the meal
You can see how adaptable this is. And, by no means, are the examples above meant to be complete nutrition if repeated daily. Variety is crucial. Hopefully you can also imagine how other variations exist. My family typically cooks for dinner, and that’s where we have the most variety. Breakfast and lunch are easily premade and could be sent to daycare, if needed.
I included the infant cereal in this sample menu because, honestly, it’s the food my patients have asked about the most.
To make purees, I used a small blender. It worked well and was nice to have a dedicated tool for this process. Any blender would work. And by age 9 months or so, I stopped pureeing altogether. My babies could tolerate a thicker texture. So, I either mashed with a fork or just cut into smaller pieces.
If you’re interested and able, I suggest researching baby-led weaning as well. Many families prefer that approach. Today, I just wanted to share what I actually did, in case someone needed a starting point.
Whatever the Menu, We Follow Our Child’s Lead
To be clear, we never need to force a single bite or taste of food. Even if it means wasting that last bite. It’s a gift for our children to learn to stop when full. I abhor food waste, so would give tiny servings to my babies, and just offer seconds and thirds as often as needed. Even then, I sometimes tossed the last scrapings of infant cereal or a gummed piece of avocado. After a few meals of particular food, I’d get better at guessing how much they’d eat.
Again, the above menu is just an example. We focus on a texture the baby can tolerate, and make sure to include some essential nutrients, like iron, zinc, and fat. We also try to regularly include allergen-containing foods, like dairy, peanuts, and fish, in order to lower the risk of food allergies in the future. (If you have a family history of allergies, please see your baby’s physician to discuss the best and safest approach to introducing solids).
It’s all totally do-able!
Maya M. Mahmood, D.O., F.A.A.P. is a board-certified pediatrician and mom. She is passionate about parents having evidence-based information to help their families be healthier. Don’t want to miss a post? Subscribe to the newsletter.
Disclaimer: This contains no medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. Full disclaimer here.
