Consistency: harder finger foods and self-feeding, some parents choose to start at this phase with soft finger foods).
Amount: Up to 1 ½ cups at meal times and ½ cup at snacks
Breastfeeds: 2-3 breast feeds per day
Timing: Before or between breastfeeds
Frequency: 3 meals a day and 2 snacks per day
Types of foods: Continue to introduce new foods.
Note – Always seek individualised advice when you have a family history of allergy, intolerance, coeliac disease or your baby is suspected to have feeding delays (such as tongue tie or physical or mental disabilities).
Stage 4 – Around 10-12 months
Consistency: Lumpy, textural foods promoting chewing and soft finger food
Introduce a range of temperatures: cold, room temperature and warm (note never give babies hot food and always test the temperature yourself before giving it to baby).
Amount: Up to 1 cup at meals and ½ cup snacks
Breastfeeds: 3 per day
Timing: Before or between breastfeeds
Frequency: 3 times a day plus 1 snack
Type of foods: Increase variety of foods, add legumes, variety of grains and cereals, fruits such as berries and citrus fruits, and stronger flavoured vegetables such as onion, and harder to eat vegetables such as sweet corn, shredded salad greens, spinach, tomato. Introduce eggs, and ground nuts and seeds, as well as cooked milk products in small amounts. Note – Always seek individualised advice when you have a family history of allergy, intolerance, coeliac disease or your baby is suspected to have feeding delays (such as tongue tie or physical or mental disabilities).
Stage 3 – Around 8-10 months
Baby Menu Planner
While watching your baby grow and develop is something you look forward to with much pride, at the same time you will find yourself also wanting it to slow down. When your baby is old enough to start solid foods, this is definitely one of the first milestones confirming the cliché ‘they grow so quickly’. Knowing what to expect, what to cook, how to feed and manage the introduction of solids while continuing to breastfeed is exciting and challenging at times. This chapter will give you some great menu ideas for your little one as they grow toward toddlerhood.
Stage 5 – Around 12 months onwards
First Foods - when your baby shows signs they are ready for solids.
Consistency: Warm puree
Amount: 1–2 teaspoons working up to about 1/4 cup
Breast feeds: About 5 per day
Timing: After breastfeeds
Frequency: Starting once a day when baby is happy and settled.
Types of food: Infant cereal, fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, yoghurt, custard. No added salt or sugar or other flavourings should be added.
What is important is that you give only single ingredient healthy foods first and wait between each new food to make sure your baby doesn’t have a bad reaction to the food.
Note – Always seek individualised advice when you have a family history of allergy, intolerance, coeliac disease or your baby is suspected to have feeding delays (such as tongue tie or physical or mental disabilities).
Consistency: All textures -soft to solid. Continue to vary tastes, smells, textures, temperatures, smells consistencies, and appearances.
Amount: Up to 2-cup meals and 1-cup snacks (look for hunger and full signs).
Breast feeds: 2–3 breastfeeds per day.
Frequency of solids: 3 meals plus 2 snacks a day.
Types of food: All foods unless otherwise specified by your health care professional can be introduced in a healthy balanced way. Your baby should now be able to eat what the rest of the family are eating.
Consistency: Slowly increase texture to include soft lumps as tolerated.
Amount: 1/4 to 1/2 cup plus
Timing: After breast feeds
Breast feeds: 3–5 breastfeeds per day
Frequency: 2–3 times a day Types of foods: Increase variety of foods (cereal, fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish)
Note – Always seek individualised advice when you have a family history of allergy, intolerance, coeliac disease or your baby is suspected to have feeding delays (such as tongue tie or physical or mental disabilities).
Stage 2 – Around 6-8 months
First Foods – From 4 months