Baby Diet Chart From Birth to 1 Year

From the moment a baby is born, their nutritional needs evolve at a breathtaking pace. Creating the perfect diet for your little one during their first year is not only a labor of love but also an essential aspect of their growth and development. Having a baby food chart can help you navigate the delicate journey of nourishing your baby through their most formative months.

In this article, we'll embark on a step-by-step exploration of your baby's dietary needs, month by month from the liquid sustenance of infancy to the introduction of solids.

Baby diet chart: From birth to 6 months

Your baby's digestive system is still under development at this age, and cannot take or digest solid foods. As a result, it's recommended to only feed breast milk or formula to the newborn until four months of age. Here is a breakdown of a newborn baby diet diet chart from 0-6 months:

0-1 month

Breast milk every 2-3 hours and formula (2-3 ounces) every 3-4 hours. Whether it is breast milk or formula, continue to feed your baby on demand 8-12 feedings/day.

1-2 months

Breast milk (8 to 12 feeds/day) every 2-3 hours or formula (7-8 feeds in a day) approximately 4 ounces.

2-4 months

Breast milk (6-7 feeding in a day) every 3-4 hours or formula, around (6 feeding a day) about 4-6 ounces.

4-6 months

Breast milk (around 7 feedings per day) every 3-4 hours or formula (6 to 7 feedings per day) around 4-8 ounces. You can start giving cereal too, if your pediatrican recommends.

Usually, solid foods can be included anytime when the baby is 4-6 months old. In the early months, solids should be pureed. Include solid food one at a time and in small quantities, like 1 or 2 tablespoons, and gradually increase the amount. Parents may start with infant cereals and introduce pureed fruit, vegetables, and meat later.

You may also like: Breastfeeding and Formula Feeding Schedules

6 Month Baby Diet Chart

As your baby reaches the 6-month milestone, they are officially ready to eat solid foods. Here's a 6 month baby food chart to help you through this period of transition:

Week-1

• Start one spoon of apple puree once a day

• Increase the number of purees to twice a day as time passes. Gradually, introduce a new solid, probably a vegetable.

• Give carrot puree a tablespoon once a day. Later increase it to 3 tablespoons twice a day.

• Stick to apple puree in the morning and carrot puree in the evening during this week.

• Follow a routine to feed milk on the baby’s demand for breast milk or formula milk.

Week-2

Now that baby has gotten used to solid foods other than milk, continue with two solid meals daily along with breast milk or formula milk. Here are a few foods that you may include in your 6 month old baby food chart:

• Carrot puree

• Rice cereal

• Apple puree

• Barley cereal

• Potato puree

• Banana puree

• Pumpkin

Week-3

Here are some foods that you may include in the next week's baby diet chart:

• Apple puree

• Barley puree

• Pear puree

• Ragi porridge

• Carrot puree

• Rice cereal

• Barley cereal

• Sweet potato puree

• Potato puree

• Breast milk or formula milk

Week-4

Here are some foods that you may include in the next week's baby food chart:

• Apple puree

• Oats cereal

• Rice cereal

• Bottle gourd puree

• Avocado puree

• Boiled dal

• Ragi porridge

• Banana puree

• Barley cereal

Besides breast milk or formula, pureed fruits, vegetables and cereals, you can start giving pureed lentils from this week.

You may also like: Baby Feeding: How much & how often should you feed solids to your 6-month-old baby?

7 Month Baby Diet Chart

Seven-month-old babies typically take three solid food meals and two snacks in between these solid meals. You can start with giving pureed dals. Breastfeeding sessions in the morning and night are also part of the routine. Here are some solid foods to include in the 7-month baby food chart:

• Fruit puree

• Vegetables

• Porridge

• Meat puree

• Egg

• Cheese

• Khichdi

You may also like: Feeding Tips and Healthy Food Ideas for Your 7-9 Month Old Baby

8 Month Baby Diet Chart

Typically, foods that are a part of the 8-month baby food chart include:

• Fruits

• Vegetables

• Fish

• Tofu/paneer

• Chicken

• Cheese

• Eggs

• Yoghurt

• Legumes

9 to 10 Month Baby Diet Chart

Besides breast milk and formula, here are the foods you can include in your baby food chart between 9 to 10 months:

• Mashed fruits and vegetables and not the pureed form

• Cheese and cottage

• Snacks like cereal puffs, biscuits or crackers and bread

• Cereals like oats, ragi and barley

• Rice, dal and pumpkin curry

• Idli

• Dosa

• Khichi and curd

• Veg pulao and curd

• Chapati and dal

• Dalia

• Fish

• Chicken broth

You may also like: 9 Month Old Baby Food Chart/Meal Plan

1 Year Baby Diet Chart

There is no need to stress about preparing exceptional food for a one-year-old. The baby may eat whatever the other family members eat. Apart from breast milk or formula, here are the foods you can include in a 1 year baby food chart:

• Soft cooked vegetables and fruit (small quantity)

• Rice and dal

• Idli

• Porridge

• Well-cooked legumes

• Small pieces of meat

• Fish

• Finger foods

• Iron-fortified cereals

You may also like: How to Gradually Incorporate New Food Items into Your Baby’s Diet?

Closing words

What to feed a baby is the primary concern for every parent. Following a baby diet chart can help you give them the right food at the right time. Most babies will respond with their actions whether they are hungry or not, so keep on eye on those hunger clues. If you have any questions or concerns, you can take help from a pediatrician.