Mom and baby

Feeding Tips for Older Babies

Feeding Tips for Older Babies

8 to 12 months
Article
Aug 16, 2024
6 mins

Your baby is now used to eating solids and may be grabbing at the spoon or picking up food by herself. This means she is ready for more self-feeding, a whole new messy adventure! Continue to offer new foods and textures, especially a wide variety of iron-rich foods, and fruits and vegetables and remember to be patient; you may need to offer foods as many as 10 times before she accepts them.

Breast milk or infant formula is still an important source of nutrition throughout the first year and up to 2 years and beyond, or for as long as you want to continue to breastfeed or formula feed.

New flavours

Continue to offer new foods plenty of times. Building healthy eating habits now may last a lifetime. New foods are often rejected at first but by offering them a number of times prepared in different ways, many of the foods will be accepted. And why not show baby how it’s done by including healthier food choices into meals for the whole family. If you find that your baby is rejecting a new food, seeing others enjoy the food may help encourage them to try it for themselves.

Here are some foods that you can start to try if you haven’t already:

  • Whole (or homogenized) cow's milk (starting at 9-12 months)
  • Other dairy: hard, grated cheeses, soft pasteurized cheese, full-fat yogurt and cottage cheese
  • Family foods, as long as they’re mashed or chopped into bite-size pieces and light on seasoning
  • Pasta, rice, toasted breads, bagels and plain muffins
  • New fruits: mashed or finely chopped melon, papaya, peeled apricot
  • New vegetables: bite-sized, steamed broccoli and cauliflower "mini-trees"
  • Protein: cooked and finely chopped eggs, ground meat, poultry, boneless fish, tofu, legumes and beans
  • Breast milk, formula or water served in a cup

Pump-up meals with iron

As you continue to introduce baby to new foods, don’t forget to offer 2 servings of iron-rich foods each day. Meat, meat alternatives and iron-fortified infant cereals are all great choices when looking to ensure iron is included in your baby’s diet. Serving vitamin C-rich foods along with plant-based iron foods aids in iron absorption. Learn more about why is iron so important.

Whole cow’s milk

Starting at 9-12 months, you can begin to introduce whole (3.25%) cow’s milk, but avoid offering low-fat (skim or 1%) and 2% milk. Your little one needs the extra fat in whole milk at this stage in her life. 24 oz (720 mL or about 3 cups) is the maximum amount of whole cow’s milk that your little one should drink per day.

New food textures 

Continue to introduce new textures to help baby to develop her oral and motor skills. Begin to serve your baby finely chopped or minced foods and work up to offering soft foods cut into small pieces to encourage self-feeding. Learn more about which foods make appropriate finger foods.

Watch out for potential choking hazards. Learn more about which foods are appropriate for your little one and which you should hold off on, for now.

Time to eat

Your older baby should be offered 3-4 meals each day. Try to eat as many meals together as a family with your baby so that she can enjoy the social aspects of eating and learn good eating habits from others. This is also an opportunity for the rest of the family to show her how much they enjoy eating healthy foods such as vegetables. For babies aged 9-11 months old, you can expect that they will normally eat about ½ of a cup, about the size of a scoop of ice cream, at each meal. Here’s a sample of what your baby may be eating. Remember, this is only a guide.

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

  • Breast milk, formula, or whole cow's milk (at least 9-12 months old)
  • 2-4 tbsp iron-fortified infant cereal
  • 2-3 tbsp puréed, mashed or finely chopped fruit
  • Breast milk, formula, or whole cow's milk (at least 9-12 months old)
  • 2-3 tbsp meat or alternative
  • 2-3 tbsp puréed mashed or finely chopped cooked vegetables
  • 2-3 tbsp puréed mashed or finely chopped fruit
  • Breast milk, formula, or whole cow's milk (at least 9-12 months old)
  • 2-3 tbsp meat or alternative
  • 2-3 tbsp puréed, mashed or finely chopped cooked vegetables
  • 2-3 tbsp puréed mashed or finely chopped fruit

Depending on her appetite, 1-2 snacks per day should also be offered. Healthy nutritious snacks are the best way to keep your little one happy and energized until her next meal. A great snack at this age is breast milk or infant formula.

Hunger and fullness cues

Just like before you started your baby on solid foods, your little one has ways of telling you when she wants more food and when she’s done. By learning to recognize these signals, you can help your little one to develop healthy eating habits. Remember, your responsibility is to offer food and it is your baby’s responsibility to decide how much or whether she eats.

Here are some hunger and fullness cues that are common in babies from 8-12 months of age:

Hunger Cues

Fullness cues

  • Reaches for food
  • Points to food
  • Gets excited when food is presented
  • Expresses desire for certain foods with words or sounds
  • Starts eating more slowly
  • Clenches mouth shut or pushes food away
  • Shakes head to say “no more”

Introducing a cup

Whether you’ve been breastfeeding or bottle-feeding you may want to consider introducing a cup. While it is ideal to get your little one drinking out of an open cup, many parents opt to introduce a sippy cup for when you and your little one are on the go. Learning to drink from an open cup is challenging and will require you to assist in holding the cup at first. Your patience will be worth it, as babies enjoy learning new skills and healthcare experts recommend this progression to a cup early in life, in order to help prevent early dental cavities.

This new skill can also be messy, and wet. When offering an open cup, put enough liquid for a few sips so that less goes down her face and on the floor. Another good tip is to put water in an open cup and leave other beverages for the sippy cup so that when it ends up on the floor, high-chair and your baby, it won’t be a sticky mess. Be patient and positive.

Feeding tips

  • Introduce new foods one at a time - waiting 2 days before trying another food - to make sure your baby doesn’t have an allergic reaction.
  • Choking is still a danger. All foods have the potential to cause choking, so ensure that your child is seated and well-supervised while eating. Learn more about choking hazards and making safe food choices for your little one.
  • Eat as a family whenever possible and set a good example by incorporating healthy foods on everyone’s plates.
  • Learn your baby’s hunger and fullness cues and trust that she knows when she is hungry or full.
  • Transition to an open cup in a controlled environment, such as at the dinner table.
  • Encourage self-feeding with finger foods. For finger food ideas for your little one, see Changing Food and Nutrition for Your 8-12 Month Old.

Related articles

View details Baby Feeding and Nutrition: The Guide
Article
Breastfeeding

Baby Feeding and Nutrition: The Guide

How will you feed your newborn?

7 mins to read

View details Becoming an independent eater
Article
Keeping up diet variety_02_LEARN_Becoming an independent eater

Becoming an independent eater

Now that your 10-12-month-old is really getting the hang of feeding themself, keep offering them a wide variety of foods and textures to establish good, healthy eating habi

4 mins to read

View details Signs your baby is full | Old’s hunger and fullness cues
Article
Signs your baby is full | Old’s hunger and fullness cues

Signs your baby is full | Old’s hunger and fullness cues

Is your hungry baby eating enough? Here are some hunger and fullness cues to watch out for during your toddler's development.

2 mins to read

View details Baby Teething: Signs and Relief
Article
Baby and mommy

Baby Teething: Signs and Relief

Teething begins at different times for different babies, although most have already started by six months of age.

2 mins to read

View details Sharing meals teaches healthy eating
Article
Benefits of Eating Together – Build Strong Habits for your Baby

Sharing meals teaches healthy eating

Did you know? Studies show that the more often families share mealtimes, the more likely children are to have healthy diets and stay at healthy weights as toddlers.

2 mins to read

View details Your baby is growing by leaps and bounds
Article
Your baby is growing by leaps and bounds

Your baby is growing by leaps and bounds

Your baby is growing fast! The first year, a baby multiplies his weight by 3 and his length increases by 50%! Follow month-by-month.

1 min to read

View details The importance of family mealtimes and letting your baby lead the way
Article
The Importance of Eating Together | Nestlé Baby & me

The importance of family mealtimes and letting your baby lead the way

Research has shown that shared family meals—no matter the size of your family—provide benefits for your baby beyond the joy of simply eating dinner together.

3 mins to read

View details Safe first finger food for babies
Article
Safe first finger food

Safe first finger food for babies

By now you've noticed that everything seems to make its way into your little one’s mouth. Once he’s able grasp small objects, eating those little goodies is exactly what he'll try to do.

5 mins to read

View details Mix up the menu!
Article
Keeping up diet variety

Mix up the menu!

It’s easy to fall into the habit of offering your baby the same foods every day, especially if you know they’ll happily eat them.

3 mins to read

View details Snack ideas for kids | Ready for baby finger foods?
Article
Snack ideas for kids | Ready for finger foods?

Snack ideas for kids | Ready for baby finger foods?

The food you give your kids will help them grow in so many ways beyond the physical. It will expose them to new smells and textures.

3 mins to read

View details Food Allergies in Babies
Article
baby feeding

Food Allergies in Babies

There is growing evidence that many factors in the environment play a role in allergies developing in babies.

3 mins to read

View details Healthy baby development | Make every bite count
Article
Healthy baby development

Healthy baby development | Make every bite count

Starting your little one on solid foods is quite a milestone!

3 mins to read

View details When to start solid food for babies
Article
When to start solid food for babies

When to start solid food for babies

Starting solid foods is a new and exciting step in your baby’s eating development, but it often comes with many questions.

7 mins to read

View details 3 tips for your baby’s happy, healthy tummy
Article
Baby tummy time

3 tips for your baby’s happy, healthy tummy

By Dr. Ted Jablonski, family physician

3 mins to read

View details Benefits of probiotics for babies
Article
Benefits of probiotics for infants

Benefits of probiotics for babies

This article includes contributions from Dr. Dina Kulik, pediatrician, and Charlotte Geroudet, GD.

5 mins to read

View details Did you know?
Article
Baby self-feeding

Did you know?

During babies’ first year of life their nutritional needs are higher than those of adults

1 min to read

View details How to Switch From Breastfeeding to Bottle-feeding
Article
How to move from breastfeeding to bottle-feeding: A parents’ guide

How to Switch From Breastfeeding to Bottle-feeding

Whether you want to express breast milk or you’re thinking of supplementing with baby formula, try these 13 tips on how to switch from breastfeeding to bottle-feeding.

7 mins to read

View details How to strengthen your baby's immune system
Article
How to strengthen your baby's immune system

How to strengthen your baby's immune system

By Dr. Ted Jablonski, family physician

3 mins to read

View details Adventures in feeding: new tastes, new textures, new techniques
Article
Feeding Milestones – Count Every Victory!

Adventures in feeding: new tastes, new textures, new techniques

Now that your baby is eight to 10 months old, has enjoyed their first tastes, and is becoming more experienced at eating, it’s time to move on to lumpy foods and helping them learn to feed themself

6 mins to read

Join



<!-- THEME DEBUG -->
<!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' -->
<!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS:
   * field--block-content--field-title--mvp-block.html.twig
   * field--block-content--field-title.html.twig
   * field--block-content--mvp-block.html.twig
   * field--field-title.html.twig
   * field--string.html.twig
   x field.html.twig
-->
<!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/consumer/templates/field/field.html.twig' -->
  Join

<!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/consumer/templates/field/field.html.twig' -->

Your parenting instincts, our support

Super-sized Savings

SIGN UP & GET A CHANCE TO WIN

Sign up for Nestlé Baby & me and automatically be entered for a chance to win a $100* gift card!

For full details, please visit the Terms & Conditions.

EMAILS & SUPPORT

PERSONALIZED EMAILS & SUPPORT

Receive customized emails with useful info, special offers, & more to help guide you through each parenting phase.

Helpful Resources

HELPFUL TOOLS & RESOURCES

Get access to our helpful and interactive parenting tools & resources in one convenient hub.

EXPERT GUIDANCE

We offer science-based advice & specialized nutritional guidance for every stage of the parenting journey—from preconception to toddlerhood.