Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition (216)844-1765 – telephone

BUILDING BLOCKS FOR BABY’S DIET

What to feed your baby:

*Feed on Demand
Breast milk: 10-30 minute feedings every 2-3 hours
Formula: 24-32 ounces/day (3-4 ounces every 3-4 hours)

Breastmilk or formula is all your baby will need for the first
few months. Your baby will be able to maintain hydration
and will not require water, juice, or any other fluids.
By 4 months of age, your infant will require either an iron fortified
formula or iron supplement if breastfed.
NO solids before 4 months of age unless directed by a physician.

Breastfeeding
Tips to remember: How much, how often?

The more baby nurses, the more Nurse newborns every 2-3 hours at first
milk that is produced Babies will feed for approximately 7-20
Baby should be held so their head is minutes until the breast is empty;
higher than their stomach however adding a few additional minutes
Burp baby one to two times during after this will satisfy the baby’s desire
feeding to suck and to help stimulate milk
Try to use both breasts at each production
feeding and change which breast Allow baby, not the clock to determine
you begin with each time the time and length of nursing
Check with the physician about Your baby should have 6 or more wet
vitamin D, iron, and fluoride diapers daily.
supplements for baby You’ll know if your infant is getting
enough breast milk if your physician says
baby’s growth is fine.
Sometimes infants require more breast
milk to grow. Nursing more often will
help to stimulate an increase in breast
milk production. It typically requires
approximately 24-48 hours for the
breast milk supply to catch up with an
increase in baby’s demand.
 What to feed your baby:
Breast milk: 4-6 feedings/day
Formula: 24-32 ounces/day (6-8 ounces 4-5 times/day)

Starting thoughts about introducing solids:

When introducing other foods, rice cereal is least allergenic and is a good first
choice
Mix cereal with breast milk or formula, not water
After cereal is accepted, may give baby commercially or home prepared strained
fruits and vegetables.
Offer 1-2 new foods each week, one at a time. Try one new food for 3-5 days and
watch for allergic reactions (rash, hives, diarrhea)
Iron stores begin to be depleted at 4 months, check with your physician about a
supplement
Introducing solids: Introduce strained foods only when the infant is able to hold
their neck steady and sit with support
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What to feed your baby:
Breast milk: 4-5 feedings a day
Formula: 24-32 ounces, 4-5 feedings a day
Iron-fortified cereal: 4-8 tablespoons
Unsweetened fruit juice: 2-4 ounces -only as an aid in stooling
Strained vegetables and fruits: 4-8 tablespoons
Strained meat: 4-8 tablespoons
Finger foods, crackers, teething biscuit, dry toast strips
Texture/consistency steps to follow:
Step 1 - 6 months: Thin Baby Food Cereals
Step 2 – 6 to 6 ½ months: Slightly Thicker Baby Food Cereals + a Thin Baby
Food Puree/Stage 1
Step 3 – 6 ½ to 7 months: Thin Baby Food Purees-Stage 1
Step 4 – 7 to 8 months: Thicker Baby Food Cereals & Thicker Baby Food
Smooth Purees/Stage 2

Again, offer new foods one at a time over 3-5 days

Use plain strained foods and avoid baby desserts and mixed dinners for better
nutritional value
Serve infant juice/milk in a cup if baby is able to sit with support
Baby’s ability to chew solid foods is being established
Teeth may erupt
Allowing for soft, mashed vegetables, or fruits (cooked carrots, sweet potato, squash,
green beans, peas, banana, soft pears, apricots, fresh or canned peaches, etc)
 What to feed your baby:
Breast milk: 3-4 feedings a day
Formula: 24-32 ounces, 3-4 feedings a day
Iron-fortified cereal: 4 or more tablespoons
Fruit: 2 or more tablespoons of soft, peeled pieces per meal
Vegetables: 2 or more tablespoons of soft, cooked vegetables per meal
Unsweetened fruit juice: 2-4 ounces -only as an aid in stooling
Protein foods: 1-2 tablespoons of well-cooked, strained, ground, or
finely chopped lean beef, pork, turkey, chicken or boneless fish, mild
cheese, cottage cheese, or egg yolk
Grains: toast strips, crackers, or unsweetened dry cereal.
Texture/consistency steps to follow:
Step 1 - 8 to 9 months: Soft Mashed Table Foods AND Table Food
Smooth Purees
Step 2 – 8 to 9 months: Hard Munchables (the goal is oral
EXPLORSTION, NOT consumption! Examples: raw carrot sticks,
frozen melons in strips, frozen pancakes/waffles, bagel strips)
Step 3 – 9 to 9 ½ months: Meltable Hard Solids (Meltables are foods
which will dissolve with spit only; no or minimal pressure needed.
Examples: graham crackers, thawing frozen pancakes/waffles/Gerber
Yogurt Melts, Baby Mum Mum, Snap Pea Crips, plain Cheerios)
Step 4 – 9 ½ to 10 months; Soft Cubes (Soft cubes turn into a puree
with up and down pressure = munching only. Examples: avocado,
overcooked squashes, kiwi, peas, Gerber Graduates fruits)

Do not add sugar or salt to table foods- baby’s food should be bland.
Whole milk may be introduced at this stage depending on the baby’s food intake,
however skim and low-fat milks are not recommended. Discuss with a doctor or
dietitian.
Look for infants to:
be interested in feeding themselves by 10 months
have mastered the munching (up and down) style of chewing
sit alone and hold bottle without help
Healthy Finger Foods for your 8-10 month old:

Cooked Vegetables Carrots, sweet potato, white potato, squash, green beans, peas,
lima beans (smashed), chopped spinach

Soft Fruits Banana, shredded apple or pear, canned or fresh peaches,

apricots, or pears (rinse of syrup if canned), applesauce

Protein Foods Cheese slices, eggs, smashed.

Grains Dry cereal, toast in bite sized pieces, noodle soup, cooked
macaroni or noodles, cooked rice
 What to feed your baby:
Breast milk: 3-4 feedings a day
Formula: 24-32 ounces, 3-4 feedings a day
Iron-fortified cereal: ¼ cup to ½cup
Fruit: ¼ cup to ½ cup per meal
Vegetables: ¼ cup to ½ cup per meal
Unsweetened fruit juice: 2-4 ounces -only as an aid in stooling
Protein foods: 2-3 tablespoons per meal 10 - 12
Bread or toast: 1-2 slices
Texture/consistency steps to follow: months
Step 1 – 10 to 11 months: SINGLE TEXTURE Soft Mechanical
(foods that break apart in the mouth very easily)*
Step 2 – 11 to 12 months: MIXED TEXTURES Soft
Mechanical/Stage 3 Foods*
*please see below for details

At 10-12 months, your infant will:

Have increased ability to chew, which will allow them to eat foods with a coarser
consistency
Experiment with self-feeding and be able to hold a cup with help
If your baby rejects a new food, try again within 2 days. It can take up to 15 times of
exposure to a new food for a child to accept the new food item
Avoid high fat or fried foods
Single Texture Soft Mechanical: fruit breads, muffins, soft small pastas, cubed lunch
meats thin deli meats in small rectangles, soft pasta, soft meat soups without broth
Mixed Textures Soft Mechanical: macaroni and cheese, microwavable children’s meals,
soft chicken nuggets, spaghetti, lasagna, thin lunch sticks (fish sticks for kids > 12 mo)

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What to feed your baby:

Grains, bread, cereal, rice & pasta: 4-6 servings per day
Vegetables: 1 cup daily
Fruits: 1 cup daily
Milk, cheese & yogurt: 2-3 servings per day
Meat, fish, poultry, beans & eggs: 2 servings per day for a
Toddlers
total of 2-4 ounces
Occasional use only of fats & sweets 1-3 years
Texture/consistency steps to follow:
Step 1 – 13 to 14 months: Soft Table Foods – as long as in
appropriately small sizes and shapes
Step 2 – 15 to 18 months: Simple Hard Mechanicals
Step 3 – 18 to 24 months: Skills Refinement (by the age of 2)
 Simple Hard Mechanicals: Cheerios, thin pretzel sticks, Ritz crackers, saltine
crackers, most other crackers, hard cookies, many other cereals, sticks of hard raw
fruits and vegetables, hamburger
Good finger foods for toddlers:
Vegetables: fresh, frozen or canned, cooked, and cut into bite sizes – potatoes,
sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, rutabaga, zucchini,
yellow squash, butternut, acorn squash, green peas
Fruits: fresh, frozen, canned, cooked, raw, and cut into bite-size – apples, apricots,
avocados, blueberries, bananas, cantaloupe, cherries (NO pits), grapes, kiwi, mango,
papaya, peaches, pears, pineapple, plums, orange, tangerines, watermelon
Protein foods: hard boiled or scrambled eggs, cut into bite-size pieces - tofu, ham
or turkey deli slices, cooked boneless & skinless chicken, cooked ground
beef/chicken/turkey/pork, cheese cubes, boneless fish, kidney beans, pinto beans,
chickpeas, black beans
Grains: whole grain crackers, bread, pita bread, muffins, rolls, bagels, unsweetened
cereals (Cheerios, Kix, Chex, Shredded Wheat), plain cookies like vanilla wafers,
animal crackers or graham crackers, cooked pasta (whole grain preferred for all!)
Spreads: hummus, nut butter (be cautious with allergy), yogurt, cream cheese
Won’t try new foods - Forcing a child to eat a particular food can cause food
resistance. About all you can do is try various methods of preparation and offer it
several times. Food temperatures can also make a difference. Foods that are too hot
or too cold will not be well accepted.
Small appetite-The growth rate slows at age one and so does the appetite. Offer
nutritious foods such as; small sandwiches, fresh fruits or leftovers as snacks. Avoid
letting them satisfy their appetite on low nutrient foods like candy, cake, chips,
cookies or juice. Try to offer food before they get tired and cranky. Overly hungry
children can be too weak and upset to eat. Ask your doctor if there may be a medical
reason for the limited appetite.

Choking hazards until the age of 4:

Whole grapes Olives Fruits with seeds, dried or under ripe
Hard candy Popcorn Peanut butter, large amount or on a spoon
Raisins Potato chips Raw carrots or celery
Gum Nuts Chewy or large chunks of meat
Fish with bones Whole hot dogs

Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition (216)844-1765 – telephone