Starting solid foods is a big step for your 8 to 10 month-old baby! Although breast milk or formula should still make up the majority of your baby’s food intake, they’re now ready to try new tastes and textures and expand their repertoire of solid foods.

Creating a feeding routine that adapts to your growing baby will make sure your little one gets the right foods they need, in the right amounts. Not sure where to begin? We’re here to make your life a little bit easier with simple ideas and tips to help you put together the perfect feeding plan for your 8 to 10 month-old baby.

• Establish a consistent feeding routine for your 8 to 10 month-old baby
• Introduce a variety of textured foods and finger foods to encourage self-feeding
• Ensure a balanced diet that includes essential nutrients for growth and development
• Adapt the feeding schedule to your baby’s individual needs and hunger cues
• Continue to offer breast milk or formula alongside solid foods

Whilst a regular feeding routine helps your growing baby get the nutrients they need, it also helps to make things easier for you as a parent as you can create a plan that fits around your family’s daily life and routine. 

It’s important to consider your baby’s individual needs and preferences, their growth spurts and increased appetite and their daily activities. Plus, you should consider your family’s activities and lifestyles. 

Factor in the possible introduction of new textures and finger foods for your baby and perhaps a transition to baby-led weaning. But remember that every baby is different so you’ll need to adapt to your little one as they grow and develop.

By 8 to 10 months, your baby will probably need 3 main meals and 2 to 3 snacks a day. Watch for signs your baby is hungry or full. Hunger signs include fussiness, reaching for food, or putting their hands in their mouth. Fullness signs include turning away from food, pushing it away, or getting distracted during meals.

As long as your baby is growing well and hitting milestones, they’re likely getting enough to eat.

A typical eating schedule for your 8 to 10 month old baby might be:

• Breakfast: 7:00-8:00 am
• Morning snack: 9:30-10:30 am
• Lunch: 12:00-1:00 pm
• Afternoon snack: 3:00-4:00 pm
• Dinner: 6:00-7:00 pm
• Evening snack (optional): 8:30-9:00 pm

At this point, your little one’s should be eating foods with different textures and tastes. This encourages your baby to become comfortable with eating and trying new things.

Stage 2 baby foods are great for your 8 to 10 month-old baby. They are more than just smooth purees as they have thicker textures and soft ingredients. You can also make your own baby food with small lumps for your baby to chew.

Your baby might like mashed fruits like bananas, avocados, and cooked apples or pears, soft-cooked vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash, well-cooked, mashed legumes like lentils or chickpeas and finely minced or pureed meats, fish, or tofu.

Finger foods help with self-feeding and hand-eye coordination. Choose soft, small foods that your baby can pick up easily such as soft, steamed vegetable sticks like carrots or green beans, small pieces of ripe fruit, such as banana or peach slices, lightly toasted bread fingers or soft crackers and cooked pasta shapes or small, soft pieces of cheese.

Always watch your little one when they eat finger foods to avoid choking. Organic foods offer the best quality for your baby and be sure to include different food groups to ensure your baby gets all the nutrients they need for healthy growth.

From 8 to 10 months, your baby’s diet needs to change so that they can get all the essential nutrients they need to develop properly.  With so much growing, it’s important to make sure your little one’s food intake is fuelling them well!

At 8 to 10 months, your baby needs many nutrients for growth. 

• Iron: Important for brain development and healthy blood cells. Find it in lean meats, and leafy greens.
• Calcium: Key for strong bones and teeth. Dairy like yoghurt and cheese are great sources.
• Vitamin D: Helps with calcium absorption and bone health. Sunlight and fortified dairy help to meet vitamin D needs. Make sure your little one wears suncream if they are exposed to sunlight. 
• Omega-3 fatty acids: Good for brain and eye development. Get these from fatty fish and fortified formulas.

Although every baby is unique, the schedule below offers a general guide to help you create a feeding schedule for your little one.

As your baby gets better at feeding themselves, their schedule may need to change.

Spotting your baby’s hunger and fullness cues helps with responsive feeding and it helps them to build a good relationship with food.

Hunger cues include reaching for food and pointing at snacks. Your baby might get fussy or agitated when it’s time to eat and they may also open their mouth at the sight of food or try to take the spoon from you. 

Fullness cues are also important. When full, your baby might turn away from the spoon or push food away. They might play with their food instead of eating it or close their mouth when offered more.