A complete feeding schedule for 8, 9, and 10 month old babies. Plus tips for transitioning to finger foods for an eating schedule with formula or breastmilk.
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Your baby is getting bigger, and they are approaching their first birthday. So… what, when, and how much should they be eating at this point?
What should the feeding schedule for an 8 month old look like? Well, actually, not too much should change from their 6-7 month old schedule, in terms of timing, at least. And, this feeding schedule will continue for 9 and 10 month olds, too.
Hopefully, by the time your baby is 8 months old, you are getting into a bit of a routine and having regularly scheduled meals. However, that doesn’t mean that your baby is necessarily consuming large amounts of either baby food or table foods.
Some babies are still warming up to this eating thing, and breast milk/formula continue to provide the bulk of their nutrition. It’s important not to focus on the volume of solid foods, but to have a positive experience around eating.
For my third son James (11 months), the pureed baby foods were done half way into the 8th month except for everyday pureed foods like yogurt and applesauce and the occasional pouch while we were out.
From that point on, he was completely on table/finger foods. I know that may sound shocking to some of you, because many American parents like the safety net of baby food. While I get that line of thought, as an OT, I strongly encourage you to not rely too heavily on baby food.
It is one of the biggest mistakes I see parents make. Sometimes parents are worried about the risk of choking or don’t like seeing that occasional gag. Other times parents keep offering the baby food because they can really quantify how much finger foods their child has actually eaten.
Although this may seem harmless, in my practice, I have many times seen children end up transitioning poorly to table foods because parents pushed baby foods for too long.
And by the time your baby is 11, 12, and 13 months, things will change. Read more on our 11-month-old and toddler feeding schedule
Having said that, there certainly are times when babies are having difficulty transitioning to table foods despite their parent’s best efforts.
If you need help with this process, I highly recommend checking out our free 1 hour workshop about what to do (and what not to do) when feeding your baby finger and table foods.
The schedule that you find below is created with the assumption that your child is transitioning well. If they are not quite at this point, you will want to see the 6-7 Month Feeding Schedule for the foods I suggest for that age, but the timing of meals listed here will still be appropriate.
8, 9, &10 MONTH OLD FEEDING SCHEDULE
The sample schedule you see here may look a little different for you, that’s okay, but you want to see some similarities and patterns similar to this one because this sets the stage for that easy transition to eating meals with the family.
Don’t get too focused on specific amounts of times, the intervals are what’s important. You’ll find more of my best tips for nailing a feeding schedule for your 8 (or 9 or 10) month old below the actual schedule
6:30-7:00 AM: Wake-Up – Breastfed/Bottle upon waking
7:00-7:30 AM: Breakfast – Water available in a straw cup**, table foods (include a fruit/veggie, carbohydrate, and protein), and optional side of baby food
9:30 AM: Nap
11:00 AM: Breastfed/Bottle upon waking
11:30-12:00 PM: Lunch – Water in a straw cup, table foods (include a fruit/veggie, carbohydrate, and protein), and optional side of baby food
1:30-2:00 PM: Nap
3:30 PM: Breastfed/Bottle upon waking, immediately followed by an optional small snack such as fruit and crackers/dry cereal/rice cake. (If your child takes a longer nap, there will likely not be time for this, this snack time will probably only happen occasionally.)
6:00 PM: Dinner – Water in a straw cup, table foods (include a fruit/veggie, carbohydrate, and protein), and optional side of baby food
7:30- PM: Breastfed/Bottle before bed
7:45-8:00 PM: Sleeping for the night
*Times are given in a range of possible start times, not duration. Also, note that by the end of this age range, your child will mostly, or totally, be eating table foods and solid food meals.
In most instances, they will still not need baby food any longer by their 10th month. If you are concerned about how much your baby needs to eat, see this post on what Portion Sizes your kiddo needs.
**Babies are capable of being taught how to drink from a straw cup at 9 months of age, sometimes earlier. Start giving your baby opportunities to drink out of one at least once a day while they are learning.
If you aren’t sure what straw to use, go with a thinner straw so they don’t get too much liquid at one time. I love the Munchkin Weighted Straw for the older baby crowd!
Feeding Your 8 – 10 Month Old
Your baby may start to show some preferences for certain types of food, that is normal. Although, you’ll want your child to eat something, you also have to be careful to balance not over catering to them either.
Make sure you have one preferred food at each meal and continue to offer new ones. It can take many times and many different presentations for a child to try something. Don’t let this discourage you.
There will be meals, even at 10 months old, where your baby just has a few bites of food. That is okay, and it can happen for a variety of reasons.
If you’re nervous at all about this transition I highly recommend grabbing our free guide for How to Teach Your Baby to Eat Table Foods!
What to Feed Your 8 – 10 Month Old
If it’s possible, start to get in the habit of feeding your baby what you’re eating! Or plan meals ahead of time so that they can eat some of what you’re eating.
If you need some inspiration, we have some helpful lists of food ideas and recipes that are perfect for babies that are new to table and finger foods:
- The Best 9 Month Old Baby Food + Table Food Ideas
- Mega List of Table Food Ideas for Babies
- Easy Meals Ideas for Babies and Toddlers
- High Calorie Foods for Babies.
While you feed your baby, try to eat at the same time. Eating together is so valuable for your baby learning to chew, explore foods, and that eating is fun. Your baby needs to have a sense of a meal being an event, not something that has to get squeezed in.
And as they eat, don’t forget to let your baby get messy while eating, especially when they feed themselves, which should be as much as possible. Most babies will still need a lot of help using a spoon by the end of 10 months old, but let them try.
I start giving a fork with rounded prongs and pierce the food for them. They should be mostly finger feeding, but self feeding is a good habit and skill to promote.
One last thing…
Start thinking about weaning. Babies may start taking less milk in this period if they begin to eat more at meals. Follow their lead. However, you should continue to use formula or breast milk until their first birthday, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
If you want to have an idea of what steps to take, check out How to Wean from the Bottle and How to Wean from the Breast.
What if Baby Won’t Eat?
If you feel like your baby won’t eat, isn’t getting the hang of table foods or is consistently eating very small amounts of food or ignoring all attempts at new foods at 10 months of age, then I would strongly suggest scheduling an evaluation through early intervention (if you live in the states) or seeking out a private or outpatient therapist.
Unfortunately, many times pediatricians advise to wait it out, but trained feeding therapists (usually OT’s and SLP’s) are able to catch early signs of underlying sensory or motor difficulties. The earlier these problems are addressed, the easier they are to overcome.
Talk to your child’s doctor and seek out feeding therapy, if you have concerns about how your child is eating.
If you want help now, check out our online course, Table Food School, where I teach you how to use feeding therapy strategies to help your child learn to eat, when they are gagging or refusing to eat!
More about Feeding 8, 9, and 10 Month Olds
What You Need to Know About Baby Gagging
The Ultimate Guide to Feeding Milestones for Babies and Toddlers
When Can Babies Eat Puffs, Cheerios, and Other Foods Safely?
8 Feeding Red Flags for Babies and Toddlers
Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 19 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.
I just stumbled upon this as I searched for a feeding schedule for me 9, almost 10 month old. I’m an S.I. peds OT too, trained in SOS so I am really vibing with your recommendations about transitioning off baby foods 🙂 The schedule you laid out is LITERALLY our schedule to the T! My biggest question for you is– she is SERIOUSLY over her milk (formula). She will take her full bottle in the AM upon waking at 7, and will usually take most of it at 7:30 before bed… but the middle of the day bottles, feels like we are fighting her. I offer it always when she wakes up from her naps, but it takes us 2-3 times of offering it for her to drink 3 oz. She is just wanting real food. She is on all table foods now, with purees to help with her BMs. Do you think it’s okay if she’s only taking 8-12 oz formula/day???Or should we prioritize her formula first before feeding her anything?
I’m so glad you’re here! I love to have other therapists reading. I hope you signed up for the newsletter, I think you will like a lot of my other stuff too! I think it’s a bit of a personal call, but i’m sure you’re aware, the AAP recommends not reducing for a year. So, I’d check with your doctor for their take. I hope that helps.
My little one is 9 months and can feed herself soft things like pears, puffs and avocado. When we do other things like very soft chicken so far she just sucks the juice out of it and it hangs out in her mouth. She chews infrequently, just squish things against the roof of her mouth. she has no teeth yet and I’m wondering if that is contributing. She will take a loaded spoon and put it in her mouth. Should I start just letting her explore with a spoon?
It sounds like she might not be quite ready for chicken just yet. Maybe try again soon, but I love the idea of letting her explore with the loaded spoon.
My baby is 8.5 mo about to turn 9 next week. He used to take spoon bites of puréed food in the beginning at 6 months and if he didn’t like it he would just make a face. Now, it’s frustrating because his way of refusing food is by gagging before he even takes a bite of the food. If it takes a small bite and hasn’t necessarily had the chance to taste it, he’ll immediately gag. All the time! His reflexes lately have been so strong that he’s thrown up. If I give him a spear of cucumber to play with, he doesnt put any of it in his mouth. He throw it’s around his tray but doesn’t think to eat it. I’m becoming concerned because he’s nearly 9 months and we haven’t gotten the solid foods down.
I know it’s so frustrating, I’ve worked with so many babies for similar things, trust me, you’re not alone. I actually have two posts that are specifically for what you’re facing. Check out My Baby Won’t Eat and How to Transition to Table Foods. Take a look at those and let me know if you have any questions!
My baby is 7, going to 8 months but she doesn’t want me to spoon feed her, she grabs at the spoon and at the food and sometimes refuses to let go of the spoon in her mouth during feeding. In the end, she only takes a little food. she majorly depends on breast milk for her nutrition, and she doesn’t like to take baby formula. I am concerned that the breast milk she takes might not provide with adequate nutrition, considering that she is now bigger…
This is so normal for this age! I’d give her a spoon to use during the feeding as well. You’re doing great!
I am exactly going through the same for my 8 month old daughter.. need sm advice plz
So I think I’m a little behind on the feedings, as I didn’t start feeding until he was 6 months.(now almost 9 months) I’m now giving him 3 meals a day. I just feel like he’s not getting enough breast milk. I breast feed before breakfast before each meal, then in between. It’s hard not knowing how many oz they. ESP for when I’m at work
That’s okay, you’re right on track. If he’s going well then you’re all good!
Hi Alisha,
I love this schedule! I am wondering what times you would suggest to fit in a snack in replacement for a feeding. I am trying to cut out two feedings this month so he is feeding 4 times and not 6. I was going to do before his nap time. Thanks so much! 🙂
I think that’s great Tabitha. I’m going to point you to the next schedule for 11 months old so you can see how it evolves with less feedings. Check it out here.
Hi, is there any particular reason why solids meals are spaced 30 mins to 1 hr after nursing/ bottle.
Good Question,
So we want to make sure that they do have some sort of appetite and are not completely full when attempting to provide the solids so they can start to relate the food to hunger as well. Doing the spacing allows them to not be overly full and able to be more interested in solid foods. Hope that helps!
Best,
Desiree
Hi! This post is awesome, but all of the links takes me to a “no results found” page?
Hi I just saw this post. and following your schedule. but when it comes to naps. my Lo usually have her naps for 30minutes or an hour only. do I need to give her formula immediately after she wakes up?
Not necessarily, if its been 2-3 hours then yes. It’s okay if she sleeps differently, you just want to stick to the same interval!
Hi Alisha,
This is a question about sleep/awake times. I’ve been trying to transition my 9-month old over to 2 naps, however, he has always been a cat-napper. I see your schedule shows the last awake time is 4+ hours. Is that standard?
Hi Sara, not necessarily! Ideally in the next month or so he’ll have more solid naps, but it may be appropriate for him to have 3 naps right now. He’ll likely drop that though soon!
Hi my DS is almost 8 months and i am a working mom, however, below is my feeding schedule but he is not a fat or a underweight baby he is healthy and active.
6.30 am – 7 am – wake up (breast feed)
8 am – 6 ounce of formula
10 am – fresh juice or mashed avocado, banana, yogurt .etc
11.30 am – 4-5 ounce formula
1 pm – Lunch veggies with a meat
3 pm – pureed fruit or yogurt (not more than 4 tbsp)
4 pm Brest feed (10 mins)
5.30 pm – dinner (mostly chicken soup with 1 tbsp brown rice) or a mashed vegetable.
7.30 pm – 8 pm – 5 ounce formula then bed
(in between he drinks milk from me but not for long )
Thanks so much for sharing this Avasha! It’s working for you guys and that’s perfect!
Hi!
I love your schedule. I am struggling because I am transitioning from breast to bottle and I am unsure how many ounces to offer my baby. I also feed my baby a bottle before naps (usually she eats 2-3 oz) then I do not know when to offer the bottle again. Do you have any recommendations on how to stop feeding my baby before naps?
I do! You can find those in how to stop breast feeding!
As for the ounces, it really varies by the baby. It will be best to follow her lead, at this age babies usually need to have milk every 3-4 hours. Offer 6-8 ounces at the most and see how much she takes:)
Hi Alisha!
Thanks so much for the quick response. I loved the breastfeeding article!
My baby refuses puree if it’s so close to her milk so I tried the following. Please let me know what you think, I feel that I might be feeding my baby too much or maybe should be keeping feedings closer together. This is what I did:
6:30 wake up and breastfeed
8:00 breakfast about 2 oz puree
9:00 nap (no need to nurse!)
11:00 4 oz bottle upon waking
1:00 lunch about 2 oz puree
2:00 nap
3:30 4 oz bottle
5:45 dinner
7:15 breastmilk
7:45 asleep
Am I feeding my baby too close together? She seems happy but I am unsure that I am doing the right thing for her and her tummy, not letting her digest fully
Sorry for just getting back Alice, but this looks great!
Hello, for a 9 month old baby do you recommend doing a full 7-8oz bottle & then meals immediately to follow. Or are 4-5oz half bottles recommended with 4-5oz meals immediately following? Thanks!
I do recommend giving them whatever their full feeding is and then it depends on the meal. Check out the schedule, you’ll see some notes after each time. For instance after they wake up from an afternoon nap you may nurse then give a snack right away, but dinner would be a couple of hours of later without another bottle.
what amount of water must l give to 8 month baby per day.
They don’t actually need to drink any amount in particular, just give them the chance to have some sips throughout the day.
Why should I start to think about weaning at this age? Where does this piece of advice come from? Some respectable resources encourage breastfeeding up until 2 years of age and beyond. The America Academy of Pediatrics says for a year or longer as mutually desired. Given that I see no point at telling women that they should start thinking about weaning at any particular point. What is written here only makes sense for women who plan to wean at one year.
Yes, you are totally right, I follow the AAP too, its just something to start thinking about if you’re planning on weaning at one. The World Health Organization says 2 years, its really a personal choice and I think nursing is wonderful if you want to do that longer- my only suggestion is to have a game plan (when the time comes) for what nursings will be like after 1, because food will be really important at that point.
Otherwise, I like this schedule – it is actually what we do now. I just found it a bit odd because with 4 or more feeds during the day (and night feeds too) I feel nowhere close to weaning.
I get it, its a process! You’re closer than you think if you’re already thinking about it. Just take baby steps, you’ll get there!
You’re right! I was wondering the same thing! It doesn’t make sense to me….It almost make it seem like that is what we are “supposed” to do. I wish they discussed the health benefits of breastmilk/ pumped breastmilk vs cows milk for a 1 year old….for those that want to offer it. So many good benefits! Yes, that’s what the AAP and WHO recommend too…
Can you please list recommendations for carbohydrates and proteins for this age? Veggies and fruits in small pieces I’m guessing? Thanks so much!