How much should my baby eat? Amounts by age, cues and milk
5 min read
Quick answer
How much your baby should eat depends on their age and appetite, and your baby is the best judge. Around 6 months, a few teaspoons or a few soft pieces once a day is plenty. By 10 to 12 months, most babies have 3 small meals a day, with breast milk or formula alongside.
- At first, a few teaspoons or pieces once a day is enough
- Meals build up to 3 a day between 7 and 12 months
- Let your baby decide how much to eat and stop when they show they are full
- Breast milk or first infant formula stays the main drink until 12 months
- Babies under 12 months do not need snacks; offer extra milk instead
How much should my baby eat at 6 months?
Very little. When your baby first starts solids around 6 months, a few teaspoons of mashed food or a few soft finger foods, once a day, is all they need.
In these early weeks the aim is learning to eat, not filling up. Breast milk or first infant formula still provides most of what your baby needs. Pick a time when neither of you is rushed or tired, sit with them, and let them set the pace.
How many meals a day does my baby need?
The number of meals grows gradually over the first year. This is the rough pattern the NHS describes. The WHO suggests a similar build-up, with 2 to 3 meals a day from 6 to 8 months and 3 to 4 from 9 months, plus 1 or 2 snacks if needed from 9 months. The NHS differs on snacks and says babies under 12 months do not need them.
- Around 6 months: one small meal a day, a little more each week
- 7 to 9 months: slowly moving towards 3 meals, breakfast, lunch and tea
- 10 to 12 months: 3 meals a day, and lunch and tea can have a main course plus fruit or plain yoghurt
- From 12 months: 3 meals a day and up to 2 healthy snacks
Signs your baby is hungry or full
Your baby shows you when they want more and when they have had enough. Following those signals, rather than a set amount, is known as responsive feeding.
- Hungry: leaning or reaching towards food, or pointing at it
- Hungry: opening their mouth as the spoon comes close
- Hungry: looking excited when food appears, or using sounds or gestures to ask for more
- Full: shutting their mouth firmly when food is offered
- Full: turning their head away from the spoon or plate
- Full: pushing food or the spoon away
How do I avoid pressure at mealtimes?
You choose what to offer and when. Your baby decides whether to eat and how much.
If you are spoon feeding, wait until your baby opens their mouth before you offer the next spoonful. Do not force your baby to eat, and avoid using food as a reward or taking it away as a punishment. Keep screens away from the table and eat with your baby when you can, because babies learn by copying you.
How much milk does my baby need alongside solids?
Breast milk or first infant formula stays your baby's main drink until 12 months. As they eat more food, most babies want a little less milk, and some drop a feed on their own.
- Breastfed babies adjust their feeds to how much food they eat, so there is no amount to aim for
- 7 to 9 months: often around 4 milk feeds a day; formula-fed babies may have around 600ml
- 10 to 12 months: often around 3 milk feeds a day; formula-fed babies may have around 400ml
- From 12 months: at least 350ml of milk a day, or 2 servings of dairy foods such as cheese or yoghurt
Why does my baby eat less some days?
Changing appetite is normal. Some days your baby will eat well, some days hardly at all, and some days they will refuse almost everything.
A refused food is not a failed food. Babies can need 10 or more tries before they accept a new taste or texture, so keep offering it on other days, next to foods they already enjoy. There is no need to hold back milk to make your baby hungrier for food. Milk still does much of the work in the first year, and the WHO notes that breast milk can provide half or more of a baby's energy between 6 and 12 months.
If you are worried that your baby is eating too much or too little, or about their weight or growth, talk to your health visitor or GP. If your baby was born early, ask them when and how to start solids.
Sources
We check this guide against these sources. It is general information, not medical advice: speak to your health visitor, GP or paediatrician about your own baby.
Questions parents ask
Should I give solids before or after a milk feed?
In the first weeks, the NHS suggests offering food a little before a usual milk feed, but not when your baby is very hungry, because a hungry baby gets frustrated. As your baby eats more, the NHS suggests offering milk feeds after meals, because their tummy is small and fills up quickly. Either way, offer milk as normal and never hold it back.
Can I overfeed my baby with solids?
The best protection is to follow your baby's cues. Stop when they close their mouth, turn their head or push the spoon away, even if there is food left. Do not encourage them to finish a portion or add cereal to a bottle. If you are concerned about your baby's weight, your health visitor can check their growth.
How do I know my baby is getting enough?
Over a week, a baby who is offered regular meals and milk, eats to their own appetite, and is growing well is usually getting enough. Single days are not a good guide, because appetite goes up and down. If you are unsure, your health visitor can weigh your baby and look at their growth chart with you.
Does my baby need snacks between meals?
Not before 12 months. The NHS says babies under 1 do not need snacks. If your baby seems hungry between meals, offer an extra breast or formula feed instead. From 12 months, your child will usually have 3 meals a day and may also need up to 2 healthy snacks, such as fruit, yoghurt or toast fingers.