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Feeding Your Infant: Ages 9 to 12 Months

by Editorial Staff And Contributors

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Helpful Tips

Feeding Schedule: 9-12 Months

Suggestions When Using Solid Foods

Prevent Choking

En Español

Is your baby pointing and grabbing for the food you are eating? Are you wondering if it is okay to share some of your meal? As children get close to one year old, they are getting ready to expand their tastes.

When your baby reaches 9-12 months, they may be ready to:

Use fingers to eat
Reach for a spoon
Hold a cup
Eat soft table food

Helpful Tips

To help your child get accustomed to eating table foods, remember the following:

When your baby is eating, have a quiet and calm atmosphere. Be patient and relax if meal time gets messy.
When you give your baby finger foods, be sure that the pieces are small and it is easy to chew, since most infants this age do not have molars.
Avoid foods that can cause choking.
Constantly supervise your baby when eating.
Give your baby healthy foods. Your baby has a small stomach, so it is easy for them to become full, especially on junk food.
Encourage your baby to drink water. Avoid giving your baby soda, fruit punch, and other sugary drinks, tea, or coffee.

Feeding Schedule: 9-12 Months

Food	9-10 Months	11-12 Months
Breast milk or iron-fortified formula Note: Do not give cow's milk until age one.	3-4 feedings or on demand 24-32 ounces total per day	3-4 feedings or on demand 24-32 ounces total per day
Infant cereal	4-6 tablespoons	4-6 tablespoons
Infant juice (100% fruit juice)	4 ounces	4 ounces
Fruits	6-8 tablespoons	8 tablespoons or ½ cup
Vegetables	6-8 tablespoons	8 tablespoons or ½ cup
Meat	4-6 tablespoons	8 tablespoons or 2 ounces or ½ cup

Suggestions When Using Solid Foods

Grain Products

Continue to give infant cereal until your baby is aged 12 months old. Small amounts of other types of food like fruit can be mixed in with the cereal.
For finger foods, give your baby dry cereal, crackers, or cooked macaroni.
Do not add sugar or syrups to your baby's food.

Meat

You can give your baby tender or finely chopped meat, but red meat should be limited. Other options include cooked egg, cheese, yogurt, or mashed beans.

Avoid giving your baby:

Fried meats, gravies, and sauces
Processed meats such as hot dogs, luncheon meats, bacon, and sausage

Fruits and Vegetables

Choose plain fruits and vegetables. You do not have to add any seasonings or sugar to your baby's food. When serving vegetables, cook them until they are soft and offer bite-sized pieces. Cut the fruit as well, and take out the seeds and pits.

Remember not to give your baby honey. It can contain botulism spores.

Liquids

Serve liquids in a cup rather than a bottle. Your baby should still be drinking breast milk or iron fortified formula. Water is a healthy drink for your baby at this age. Do not give your baby cola, fruit punch, or other sugary drinks. Also avoid from giving your baby coffee and tea. Limit 100% fruit juice to less than 4 ounces daily.

Prevent Choking

Choking is a major cause of fatal injury in infants. It can occur anytime, anywhere.

Follow these guidelines to prevent choking:

Wait until your baby is ready before giving solid food.
Give small portions.
Encourage your baby to eat slowly.
Be aware of the atmosphere during mealtime. It should be calm and quiet.
Always be with your baby when during feedings. Supervise closely.
Avoid propping up your baby's bottle.
Check the hole in the bottle nipple. The hole should not be too large.
Feed your baby when your baby is interested in eating. Feeding when your baby is not interested may result in overeating and increase the risk of obesity. If your baby is moving around, crying, lying down, or playing, wait before offering food.
Make sure that the food you are giving your baby is the right size and shape. For example, the food should not be too large, too slippery, or too tough to chew.

Be aware of foods that can cause choking, such as:

Tough meat
Hard candy
Popcorn, nuts, or seeds
Hot dogs or sausages
Marshmallows
Potato chips, corn chips, and other types of chips
Large chunks of cheese
Whole kernel corn
Chewing gum
Raisins or other dried fruits
Fruit pieces that are hard or have pits
Whole fruits that are round, like grapes
Cherries, berries
Whole canned fruit
Raw vegetable pieces
Fish or meat with bones

Learn how to give CPR to babies.

RESOURCES:

Healthy Children—American Academy of Pediatrics
http://www.healthychildren.org

Family Doctor—American Academy of Family Physicians
http://familydoctor.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Caring for Kids—Canadian Paediatric Society
http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca

Dietitians of Canada
http://www.dietitians.ca

References:

NHLBI integrated guidelines for pediatric cardiovascular risk reduction. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Updated February 12, 2013. Accessed March 2, 2016.

Nutrition (pediatric preventive care). EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Updated January 27, 2016. Accessed March 2, 2016.

Sample menu for an 8-12 month old. American Academy of Pediatrics Healthy Children website. Available at: https://healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Sample-One-Day-Menu-for-an-8-to-12-Month-Old.aspx. Updated December 8, 2015. Accessed March 2, 2016.

Self-feeding. Vermont Department of Health website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Accessed March 2, 2016.

Last reviewed March 2016 by Michael Woods, MD
Last Updated: 3/2/2016

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