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Daily Feeding Plan

June 19, 2012

There’s no rule as to how much food your baby should be eating. Every beautiful little baby is unique and they all have very different tummies. Here’s a daily guide to help you through the stages of feeding. The most important part is to listen to your babies cues as to when they’re hungry and when they’ve had enough.

Please consult your pediatrician or lactation consultant about nursing or providing formula. The list below is only a general chart when it comes to providing milk to your baby and toddlers.

Birth to 2 Weeks:
8 to 12 Nursings or 18-24 Oz of Formula (2-3 oz per bottle)

2 Weeks to 2 Months:
6 to 10 Nursings or 20-32 Oz of Formula (4 oz per bottle)

2 to 4 Months:
6 to 8 Nursings or 30-36 oz of Formula (5 oz per bottle)

4 to 6 Months:
5 to 6 Nursings or 32-40 oz of Formula (6 oz per bottle)

*Towards the end of this period you can start giving baby 2-4 Tbsp of Rice Cereal mixed with breast milk, formula or water

6 to 9 Months:
4 to 5 Nursings or 24-32 oz of Formula (7 oz per bottle)

1 to 3 Meals a day which consist of 2-4 Tbsp of single puree foods* (This amount will differ for every child depending on their appetite. Just make sure your little one is getting a variety of foods).

9 to 12 Months:
3 to 4 Nursings or 20-32 oz of Formula (8 oz per bottle)

3 Meals a day which consist of 3-4 Tbsp of 3 different foods* (This amount will differ for every child depending on their appetite. Just make sure your little one is getting a variety of foods).

12 to 15 Months:
2 to 3 Nursings or 16-20 oz of Formula or Whole Milk

3 Meals and 2 snacks a day, approximently 4 or more Tbsp of 3 different foods (This amount will differ for every child depending on their appetite. Just make sure your little one is getting a variety of foods).

*Fruits, vegetables, cereals, proteins and grains. Start with purees that are watery and then graduate to a thicker, chunkier puree. After you have given baby single purees, you can start combining them and prepare recipes on weelicious.com.

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  1. Sameera

    April 28, 2013 at 11:35 am

    Reply

    Wow, Great guide. My son is 12 months old and takes only 2 to 3 tbl spoon of purees at one time and 24 to 32 oz of milk and formula. I guess this gives me good idea on where he should be. I have introduced snacks like the cereal puffs, organic yoghurt, etc and he seems to enjoy it more than his meals.

  2. Emily

    April 25, 2013 at 11:24 pm

    Reply

    You should not be feeding baby rice or oatmeal until their 2nd molars come in. they do not have the digestive enzimes to process these foods

  3. Megan

    April 6, 2013 at 4:22 pm

    Reply

    It took me a long time to figure this out, so I thought I would share what I do. I have a 9 month old and he eats waaay more than “average”…usually 6-8 or more Tablespoons at a meal. We usually do a fruit/grain combo for breakfast, plus maybe some yogurt or an egg, a fruit/veggie combo for lunch, and a grain/protein/veggie combo for dinner, plus maybe a little bit of applesauce if he is still hungry. I also give him little bites of soft foods from my meals, depending on if I think he can handle it or not.

  4. taciana coppos

    February 5, 2013 at 8:48 pm

    Reply

    I am pregnant and interested in mother and baby recipes.
    Thank you!

  5. ann1010

    January 15, 2013 at 11:24 pm

    Reply

    looking for snack ideas for toddlers…anyone?

  6. Rebecca

    January 4, 2013 at 3:42 pm

    Reply

    My 10 month old is taking 6 bottles of 7-8 ounces a day plus 4 servings of 3-5 tablespoons of solids at a time. That is way more formula than what you (and other sources) suggest. Do I need to cut back on the formula?? I would appreciate your input.

    • catherine

      January 7, 2013 at 1:30 pm

      Reply

      This feeding plan is a guideline! Babies and toddlers are way better at self-regulating than adults are. If your child is eating that much and not getting sick or gaining “too much” weight, then that is probably what your child needs right now! Definitely talk to your pediatrician if you still feel nervous about it.

    • Susan

      January 4, 2013 at 7:28 pm

      Reply

      No! If your baby is eating that much, that’s what (s)he needs.

  7. tiffanywuthrich

    November 20, 2012 at 11:43 am

    Reply

    I am new to your site and love this! Can you clarify that is 3 meals, each consisting of 4 or more Tbsp of 3 different foods? So they should be getting 12 or more table spoons of food/day?
    We are very concerned about under feeding out 13 month old!

    • catherine

      November 20, 2012 at 1:17 pm

      Reply

      Yes, each meal is 4 or more tablespoons so that would be at least 12 tablespoons a day. It will vary depending on your child’s appetite and needs. Kids, even very young ones, are surprisingly good at self-regulating and know when they’ve had enough to eat!

  8. Aruna

    October 22, 2012 at 5:18 pm

    Reply

    Hi,
    I have a 12 month old baby girl. Of late, she is throwing tantrums while eating food. She used to be a good eater once upon a time. We took her to the Pediatrician to make sure she is not sick. But our doc said that she was fine and that she might be teething. We are trying to give her different foods varying from smooth puree, mashed and food we are eating(minus the spices).
    But she eats only two to three spoonfuls and is done with it. Sometimes, I feel she wants to eat our food, but she just has two to three spoons of our food and she is done with it.
    Please give me some recipes that will help babies transition from puree food to the real food and which they will like.
    Regards,
    Aruna

  9. Lindsey

    October 11, 2012 at 3:41 pm

    Reply

    I love this guide, thank you! I wanted to clarify, under the 9-12 month old, when you recommend “3 Meals a day which consist of 3-4 Tbsp of 3 different foods”, do you mean 3 different foods at each meal (which would be 9-12 Tbsp total at each meal)? Thanks for your help!

    • catherine

      October 11, 2012 at 5:41 pm

      Reply

      3-4 tablespoons total for the meal! Of course it may vary depending on the child! :)

      • Lindsey

        October 15, 2012 at 8:10 pm

        Reply

        Great, thanks for clarifying!

  10. Kate

    October 11, 2012 at 10:20 am

    Reply

    I’m wondering if I could get some advice…. I have a 2 1/2 yr old cute as a button little boy. I unfortunately have let him turn me into a short order cook. He literally only eats yogurt, peanut butter and nutella sandwiches, ham and cheese, cereal, apples and oatmeal. He will eat those puréed fruits in the pouches…. My one year old eats everything! So my question here is: do I put whatever I’m making for the family in front of him and if he doesn’t eat it then he doesn’t eat? He refuses to even try new foods. How can I break this nasty cycle?! By the way I love this website! We try recipes off here almost everyday, my daughter (and occasionally my son) loves them!

    • Emily

      November 16, 2012 at 7:08 pm

      Reply

      My mom used to say you have to try everything on your plate once, if you don’t like it then you don’t have to eat it. If we didn’t eat dinner and were hungry later she would offer the food left from our plates. She says if a kid is hungry they will eat. She never was too harsh about it, if we really hated it she wouldn’t force it, especially if we ate everything else on the plate. She also tried to make food taste good but was more focused on health. Now that I have my own I have yet to use this tacktic, I haven’t had to yet but most likely will one day! Good luck! It’s hard when you just want them to eat

  11. Michelle

    October 7, 2012 at 10:14 pm

    Reply

    I have also heard not to give babies white rice, it is like giving them sugar. oats or brown rice.

  12. Marie

    September 28, 2012 at 5:52 pm

    Reply

    Given the recent studies indicating the levels of arsenic in rice, is there any substitute to rice cereal that will still provide the same nutrients?

    • Kendal

      October 17, 2012 at 11:59 am

      Reply

      Actually if you thoroughly study all of the evidence about the arsenic in rice you will find that depending on where your rice is from these are the same levels that have been in our rice for DECADES …. this is simply mass hysteria for no reason. There is absolutely nothing you can do about some soil seepage from pesticides used while rice farming… if you get rice from an asian market or buy from a reputable source, the levels are very low….also if you look at the levels in normal rice you will find that you would literally have to eat 2 kg of rice in one sitting to have any considerable levels in your system.

  13. mel

    September 21, 2012 at 11:08 am

    Reply

    Would you eat cooking spray with Isobutane and Propane on the ingredient list? Well sadly it does contain this, I’d avoid it for your kids say if nothing else

  14. laura

    September 14, 2012 at 6:53 am

    Reply

    i love that you have included 2-3 nursings for a 12-15 month old! my daughter is 14 months old & i get questions & weird looks from people when they find out she is still nursing! she nurses three times per day & i feel like it is still really good for her. i LOVE your site & now i do even more. thank you for the encouragement!!!!

    • Ashley

      September 19, 2012 at 12:59 pm

      Reply

      I agree! My 12 month old still nurses 4 times/day and I’m already getting the “aren’t you going to wean?” comments. It’s great to find a resource that realizes this is normal 12-15 month old behavior.

      • Clarity

        November 4, 2012 at 6:05 am

        Reply

        Not to worry. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding up to 2 years of age. If you can, no reason to stop!

  15. Kelly Lovatt-Hawkins

    September 4, 2012 at 10:01 am

    Reply

    Please add me to your mailing list.

    • catherine

      September 4, 2012 at 12:36 pm

      Reply

      On the right-hand side of the homepage there is a box that says, “Sign up for free daily emails”. Put your email in there and you will be added to the mailing list!



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