Sample meal plans

For the first 6 months

All baby needs for the first 6 months is breastmilk or formula.  Do not start feeding your baby solids until they are about 6 months old.

 

Sample Meal Plan for a 6-9 Month Old Baby

Give breastmilk/formula FIRST before feeding your baby solids.

When you first start feeding your baby solids, only give baby 1 food at a time and wait around 3 days before giving a new food.  Once baby is eating a variety of foods well, you can start mixing foods together.

Breakfast  iron-fortified infant cereal  mashed fruit (banana, pears)

cooked egg (yolk only)

Lunch  bread  mashed vegetable (yam, potato) chicken
Dinner  pasta   mashed fruit (peaches, pears) meat

 How much and how often to feed baby

• 5 – 30 mL (1 tsp – 2 tbsp), 2-3 x/day, increase to 3-4 x/day
• Snacks: breastmilk

Other things to remember

• No meat? 120 mL (8 Tbsp) of iron fortified cereal by 9 months
• Don’t forget Vitamin D drops

 

Sample Meal Plan for a 9-12 Month Old Baby

Give baby breastmilk/formula AFTER eating

Breakfast 

2 Tbsp cooked egg

 2-3 Tbsp infant cereal  2-4 Tbsp soft, cubed or diced vegetable or
fruit (squash, plum)
Lunch  2-3 Tbsp cut up stew meat            2-3 Tbsp infant cereal  2-6 Tbsp soft cubed or diced vegetable and fruit (avocado, carrot)
Dinner 2-3 Tbsp diced,  cooked chicken  2-3 Tbsp infant cereal        2-6 Tbsp soft, cubed or diced vegetable and fruit (green bean, cantaloupe)

How often to feed baby

  • Offer food: 3-4 x/day
  • Snacks: cheese cubes, whole grain crackers, strips of whole wheat toast, rated apple

Other things to remember

  • Offer water from a cup/sippy cup at each meal
  • No meat? 120 mL (8 Tbsp) of iron fortified cereal by 9 months

 

Sample Meal Plan for a 1-2 Year Old Baby

By this time, your baby should be eating the same foods your family eats.  Make sure you are giving your baby a variety of different foods that are low in fat, sugar, and salt.

At this age, serving size is more important.  Babies still have small tummies and may need less than you think!  Let your child decide how much to eat.  Your job is to provide healthy foods.

Breakfast  1 cup homo milk 1 tennis ball size apple 1 piece bannock 6 cm x 6 cm x 2 cm
Lunch  1 9 volt battery size cheese 1 tennis ball size berries 1 slice of brown bread
Dinner 1 hockey puck size of cooked fish 1 hockey puck size broccoli 1 hockey puck size pasta
Snacks 1 tennis ball size yogurt or 1 cup homo milk 1 hockey puck size carrots

1 baseball size cold cereal

 For more information on the servings sizes of kids from 1-5 years old, click on this resource by Healthy U Alberta