This guide is based on recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), CDC, and other authoritative sources.
By 9 months, feeding has a real rhythm. Your baby is sitting up at mealtimes, reaching for food, and starting to make it very clear what they like and what they don't. The months ahead bring three big shifts: food textures become more varied, self-feeding takes center stage, and the balance between milk and food begins to tip toward solids.
If your baby is trying a new food or food combination for the first time, introduce it gradually and watch for any reaction before adding the next food. Watch for any signs such as hives, swelling of the face or lips, vomiting, difficulty breathing, or extreme fussiness. If you notice these, call your pediatrician immediately.
By 12 months, most of your baby's nutrition will come from food rather than milk. Getting there is gradual, and it'll be messier, more exploratory, and more fun than the early weeks of solids.
9–10 month feeding guide
Most babies are eating two to three meals a day by 9 months, with milk remaining a significant part of their diet.
The pincer grasp is developing, which opens the door to finger foods — both for nutrition and for building the fine motor skills your baby will use for years to come.
10–11 month feeding guide
Three meals a day with snacks is now the norm. Solid food is taking up more space, and milk feeds naturally begin to decrease — this is expected.
Self-feeding with fingers should be actively encouraged because it builds independence and helps babies learn to regulate how much they eat. Some babies begin experimenting with a spoon, though accuracy is still very much a work in progress.
11–12 month feeding guide
Your baby’s diet is approaching what the rest of the family eats — soft, chopped versions of table foods. Formula and breast milk intake continues to decrease naturally as solid food volume grows.
By the first birthday, the AAP recommends transitioning off formula and onto whole cow's milk, and most of your baby's nutrition should now be coming from food.
Texture progression
This is the age when textures start to play an important role. Trying new textures isn't just about what your baby can physically manage — it also supports chewing development, speech development, and the range of foods your baby will accept later in childhood. Research suggests that delaying texture progression beyond this window is associated with feeding difficulties and food refusal later (Coulthard et al., 2009).
- 9 months: Soft mashed foods with some lumps; soft finger foods (small pieces of banana, cooked vegetables, soft cheese)
- 10 months: Finely chopped or minced foods; soft pieces that require some chewing
- 11–12 months: Small pieces of most soft family foods — chopped, not pureed. By 12 months, most babies can manage a wide variety of textures across a meal
Don't rush textures, but don't hold back unnecessarily either. Your baby will show you when they're ready — gagging on a new texture is normal and protective; consistent refusal is a signal to slow down and try again.
Finger foods and self-feeding
The AAP recommends letting your baby try feeding themselves as soon as they're ready, usually around 8 or 9 months. Self-feeding supports the pincer grasp, builds food self-regulation, and gives your baby agency at mealtimes.
Good starter finger foods:
- Small pieces of ripe banana, soft pear, or peach
- Cooked and diced carrot, peas, sweet potato, broccoli
- Small pieces of soft cheese
- Well-cooked pasta or rice
- Scrambled egg in small pieces
- Toast fingers or soft crackers
Let it be messy. Touching, squishing, and exploring food is how babies learn about what they're eating. A mat under the high chair and a long-sleeved bib make this stage easier.
How much breast milk or formula?
Breast milk and/or formula remain an important part of nutrition through 12 months, but their role is shifting. Formula-fed babies need around 16–24 oz of formula per day at this stage.
Breastfed babies typically feed 3–4 times per day. As solid food volume grows, milk intake naturally decreases. Your baby may drink a smaller amount of a bottle or breastfeed for less time — this is expected and healthy.
At 12 months: Whole cow's milk can replace formula — up to 16–24 oz per day (aim for the lower end if your baby isn't eating many iron-rich foods), ideally offered in a cup as you phase out the bottle. Breastfeeding can continue as long as you and your baby wish.
Off the bottle by 12–15 months: The AAP recommends phasing out the bottle by 12–15 months (18 months at the latest). This window is the time to start offering breast milk or formula in a cup at some feeds, which makes the eventual transition easier.
Meals and snacks
By the end of this window, aim for:
- 3 meals per day — breakfast, lunch, dinner
- 1–2 snacks per day — starting around 9 months
- 2–3 breast milk or formula feeds per day — decreasing naturally as solids increase
A predictable mealtime routine helps. Sitting together at a table, without screens, gives your baby the social context they need to learn about eating. Watching you eat is one of the most effective ways babies develop food preferences and habits.
Logging meals and milk feeds in the Nara Baby app makes it easier to track the milk-to-solids balance as it shifts — and gives you a useful record to bring to the 9-month and 12-month well-child visits.
What to serve, and what to avoid
Continue offering iron-rich foods at every meal — iron remains critical throughout the first year and beyond. Variety is the other key goal: expose your baby to as many different vegetables, proteins, and grains as possible. Babies who experience a wider variety of foods in the first year are more likely to be adventurous eaters later.
Foods still to avoid at this age:
- Honey: Botulism risk until 12 months
- Whole grapes, cherry tomatoes, large chunks of meat or cheese, raw hard vegetables — choking hazards
- Juice: The AAP recommends no juice before 12 months
- Added salt or sugar
- Cow's milk as a drink until 12 months
How and when to introduce water
Water can be offered at meals and snacks from around 6 months, once solids begin. At 9–12 months, the AAP recommends up to 8 oz (1 cup) of water per day — offered at mealtimes rather than between feeds to avoid displacing breast milk or formula.
- Use fluoridated tap water when available — fluoride supports healthy tooth development
- Offer water in a cup, not a bottle — this reinforces the cup skills your baby is developing and avoids the bottle becoming a water habit
- No juice before 12 months — juice offers no nutritional benefit at this age and can crowd out more important foods and fluids
At 12 months, when whole cow's milk replaces formula, water becomes the main drink alongside milk. Keeping water as the default non-milk drink from the start makes this transition easier.
