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There’s no rule as to how much food your baby should be eating. Every beautiful little baby is unique and they all have very different tummies. Here’s a daily guide to help you through the stages of feeding. The most important part is to listen to your babies cues as to when they’re hungry and when they’ve had enough.
Please consult your pediatrician or lactation consultant about nursing or providing formula. The list below is only a general chart when it comes to providing milk to your baby and toddlers.
Birth to 2 Weeks:
8 to 12 Nursings or 18-24 Oz of Formula (2-3 oz per bottle)
2 Weeks to 2 Months_
6 to 10 Nursings or 20-32 Oz of Formula (4 oz per bottle)
2 to 4 Months_
6 to 8 Nursings or 30-36 oz of Formula (5 oz per bottle)
4 to 6 Months_
5 to 6 Nursings or 32-40 oz of Formula (6 oz per bottle)
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*Towards the end of this period you can start giving baby 2-4 Tbsp of Rice Cereal mixed with breast milk, formula or water
6 to 9 Months_
4 to 5 Nursings or 24-32 oz of Formula (7 oz per bottle)
1 to 3 Meals a day which consist of 2-4 Tbsp of single puree foods* (This amount will differ for every child depending on their appetite. Just make sure your little one is getting a variety of foods).
9 to 12 Months_
3 to 4 Nursings or 20-32 oz of Formula (8 oz per bottle)
3 Meals a day which consist of 3-4 Tbsp of 3 different foods* (This amount will differ for every child depending on their appetite. Just make sure your little one is getting a variety of foods).
12 to 15 Months_
2 to 3 Nursings or 16-20 oz of Formula or Whole Milk
3 Meals and 2 snacks a day, approximently 4 or more Tbsp of 3 different foods (This amount will differ for every child depending on their appetite. Just make sure your little one is getting a variety of foods).
*Fruits, vegetables, cereals, proteins and grains. Start with purees that are watery and then graduate to a thicker, chunkier puree. After you have given baby single purees, you can start combining them and prepare recipes on weelicious.com.
My 10 month old is taking 6 bottles of 7-8 ounces a day plus 4 servings of 3-5 tablespoons of solids at a time. That is way more formula than what you (and other sources) suggest. Do I need to cut back on the formula?? I would appreciate your input.
Yes, each meal is 4 or more tablespoons so that would be at least 12 tablespoons a day. It will vary depending on your child’s appetite and needs. Kids, even very young ones, are surprisingly good at self-regulating and know when they’ve had enough to eat!
I am new to your site and love this! Can you clarify that is 3 meals, each consisting of 4 or more Tbsp of 3 different foods? So they should be getting 12 or more table spoons of food/day?
We are very concerned about under feeding out 13 month old!
Hi,
I have a 12 month old baby girl. Of late, she is throwing tantrums while eating food. She used to be a good eater once upon a time. We took her to the Pediatrician to make sure she is not sick. But our doc said that she was fine and that she might be teething. We are trying to give her different foods varying from smooth puree, mashed and food we are eating(minus the spices).
But she eats only two to three spoonfuls and is done with it. Sometimes, I feel she wants to eat our food, but she just has two to three spoons of our food and she is done with it.
Please give me some recipes that will help babies transition from puree food to the real food and which they will like.
Regards,
Aruna
3-4 tablespoons total for the meal! Of course it may vary depending on the child! 🙂
I love this guide, thank you! I wanted to clarify, under the 9-12 month old, when you recommend “3 Meals a day which consist of 3-4 Tbsp of 3 different foods”, do you mean 3 different foods at each meal (which would be 9-12 Tbsp total at each meal)? Thanks for your help!
My mom used to say you have to try everything on your plate once, if you don’t like it then you don’t have to eat it. If we didn’t eat dinner and were hungry later she would offer the food left from our plates. She says if a kid is hungry they will eat. She never was too harsh about it, if we really hated it she wouldn’t force it, especially if we ate everything else on the plate. She also tried to make food taste good but was more focused on health. Now that I have my own I have yet to use this tacktic, I haven’t had to yet but most likely will one day! Good luck! It’s hard when you just want them to eat
I’m wondering if I could get some advice…. I have a 2 1/2 yr old cute as a button little boy. I unfortunately have let him turn me into a short order cook. He literally only eats yogurt, peanut butter and nutella sandwiches, ham and cheese, cereal, apples and oatmeal. He will eat those puréed fruits in the pouches…. My one year old eats everything! So my question here is: do I put whatever I’m making for the family in front of him and if he doesn’t eat it then he doesn’t eat? He refuses to even try new foods. How can I break this nasty cycle?! By the way I love this website! We try recipes off here almost everyday, my daughter (and occasionally my son) loves them!
I have also heard not to give babies white rice, it is like giving them sugar. oats or brown rice.
Given the recent studies indicating the levels of arsenic in rice, is there any substitute to rice cereal that will still provide the same nutrients?
I use Spectrum cooking spray which is free from all that stuff! http://www.spectrumorganics.com/?id=89
Would you eat cooking spray with Isobutane and Propane on the ingredient list? Well sadly it does contain this, I’d avoid it for your kids say if nothing else
I agree! My 12 month old still nurses 4 times/day and I’m already getting the “aren’t you going to wean?” comments. It’s great to find a resource that realizes this is normal 12-15 month old behavior.
i love that you have included 2-3 nursings for a 12-15 month old! my daughter is 14 months old & i get questions & weird looks from people when they find out she is still nursing! she nurses three times per day & i feel like it is still really good for her. i LOVE your site & now i do even more. thank you for the encouragement!!!!
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