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Food for Baby’s First Year

Baby progresses from liquid to soft foods and finger foods to family foods by 1 year of age.

Respond to your baby’s cues.

When
What
Why
From birth to 6 months
  • Provide breast milk for the first two years and beyond
  • Respond to your baby’s cues
  • Breast milk + Vitamin D
  • Provide a daily Vitamin D supplement of 10ug (400 IU) from birth to 24 months of age if baby receives breast milk
At 6 months
Start iron-rich solids when your
baby:
  • Can sit and lean forward and backward
  • Holds head up and turns towards/away from food
  • Follows food with eyes
  • Opens mouth wide when offered food
  • Offer iron-rich foods such as beef, poultry, fish, meat alternatives (cooked whole egg, tofu, well-cooked legumes such as beans and lentils) and iron-fortified infant cereal.
  • Provide a variety of soft textures (lumpy, tender-cooked and finely minced, puréed, mashed or ground) and finger foods.
  • Baby needs iron and extra energy from solids.
  • Baby can handle a variety of textures.
  • Baby learns to move food to back of the mouth with tongue and swallow.
  • Keep feeding positive. Do not force baby to eat.
  • Increase iron-rich foods until offered:
    • Two or more times each day from 6-12 months
    • At every meal from 12-24 months
 6 to 8 months
  • Parent decides whether to offer breast milk or a solid food first
  • New foods can be given in any order
  • Increase texture and variety of foods responding to baby’s cues

6-8 months

  • Offer solid foods at 2-3 meals and 1-2 snacks
  • Offer soft-cooked vegetables (grated, mashed, pureed or soft pieces): squash, sweet potato, peas, carrots, etc.
  • Offer soft ripe fruit or small pieces of soft-cooked fruit: banana, apple, pear, peach, melon, etc.
  • Offer milk products: yogurt, cottage cheese, grated/small pieces of cheese.
  • Offer finger foods: ground or minced cooked meat, fish or poultry; crackers or toast strips; pasta

Continue with iron-rich foods as you introduce other new foods. If baby refuses iron-rich foods, discuss an iron supplement with your doctor.
  • Offer a variety of foods to introduce new flavours, textures and important nutrients.
  • Give your baby food without added salt, sugar, honey or other sweeteners.
  • Baby can sip small amounts of water from an open cup.
  • Juice is not needed. If you decide to give juice offer only unsweetened, 100% fruit juice and limit to 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup (2-4 oz.) per day.
  • Allow baby to self-feed with fingers or a spoon. Expect a mess!
  • Make sure that lumpy textures and/or finger foods are offered by 9 months.
9 to 12 months
  • 9-11 months: Offer 3 meals and 1-2 snacks
  • 12-24 months: Offer 3 regular meals and 2-3 snacks
  • If you offer cow’s milk, serve homogenized 3.25% M.F. milk in an open cup
  • Offer a variety of foods from Canada’s Food Guide
  • Provide healthy fats: soft margarines, nut or seed butters, vegetable oils, fatty fish and avocado
  • Include baby in family meals often
  • Wait until 9 to 12 months to offer homogenized cow’s milk. Baby should be eating a variety of solid foods before it is introduced. Cow’s milk is low in iron.
  • Healthy, higher fat foods are an important source of energy for your child.
  • Honey could make your baby sick. Do not offer honey or foods that contain honey until baby is 1 year of age.
  • Be a good role model for your child.

How can I feed my baby safely?

  • Always watch your baby eat. Baby should sit to eat. Let your baby focus on eating without distractions like TV.
  • Common food allergens include: milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, soy, wheat, mustard, fish and shellfish. Introduce these foods from 6 months, one at a time, 2 days apart. Introduce these foods early and serve often. Delaying will not prevent an allergy.
  • If an allergic reaction (diarrhea, rash, itchy skin, swelling or difficulty breathing) happens, seek medical attention.
  • Prevent food poisoning. Cook all meat, eggs, poultry, and fish well. Do not use products with raw eggs. Do not give unpasteurized milk, milk products or juice to your baby.
  • Reduce the risk of choking by not feeding whole nuts, popcorn, gummy candies, marshmallows, hard candy or fish with bones. To protect your baby: cut round foods such as grapes; remove pits from fruit; cook hard vegetables and fruit until soft; spread sticky foods such as nut butters thinly on a cracker or toast, not soft bread.
  • Do not give your baby herbal teas, sports drinks or other drinks with caffeine or sweeteners.

Why use an open cup?

An open cup:

  • Reduces the risk of dental cavities
  • Helps baby avoid getting too many calories
  • Promotes mature drinking skills

At first, baby will need your help but baby will quickly learn to hold the cup, get it in the right position for sipping and to adjust the pace. Begin with water because it is easy to clean up.

How much should my baby eat?

Your baby knows best how much to eat. Watch for signs from your baby. Stop when your baby turns her head away or closes her lips to show she has had enough food. During the first year, it is important to feed your baby when he wants to eat. Offer food when he is wide awake and calm, before he starts to cry from hunger. Allow him to eat at his own pace.

Sample Menu for a 7 month old baby

Offer more or less food, responding to your baby’s cues.

Early Morning

  • breast milk on cue and throughout the day when baby is hungry

Morning

  • Breast milk
  • Iron-fortified infant cereal
  • Mashed strawberries or other soft fruit

Snack

  • Whole grain toast cut into narrow strips  spread with a very thin layer of peanut butter

Mid-day

  • Breast milk
  • Iron-fortified infant cereal
  • Scrambled egg
  • Cooked (mashed if preferred) peas or another vegetable

Snack

  • Unsweetened applesauce or another fruit

Early Evening

  • Breast milk
  • Ground or finely minced beef or other meat
  • Soft cooked vegetable such as sweet potato

Evening and Nighttime

  • breast milk on cue

If your baby refuses a new food, that’s OK. Throw the food away and try again in a few days. Do not force your baby to eat. Be patient. It can take many times before a baby accepts a new food.

For more information:

Adapted with permission from City of Hamilton, Public Health Services February 2015