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From those first tastes and textures to yummy finger foods at 6 months, keeping up with your baby’s feeding schedule can be a little tricky - especially when life gets busy.
That’s why we’ve created this handy guide, packed with timings and tasty meal suggestions. So, whether you’re looking for a 7-month eating schedule, a meal schedule for your 9-month-old, and everything in between, we’ve got you covered.
Weaning your baby at 7, 8, and 9 months: sample feeding schedules
Below you’ll find easy-to-follow feeding schedules for your baby at 7, 8, and 9 months, whether you’re spoon-feeding or baby-led weaning.
Sample feeding schedule for your 7-month-old: something yummy for their tummy
From around now, your baby will move towards eating 3 meals a day. You might want to mix up our recipe ideas or adjust the timings to suit your little one; however, your baby’s 7-month eating schedule could look a little like this:
Time | Meal or milk feed |
|---|---|
| 7 am | Milk feed Let your little one rise and shine with their first breastfeed or formula feed of the day. |
| 8.30 am | Breakfast Breakfast will be a staple of your baby’s 7-month eating schedule. Yummy banana porridge is a great way to start the day. If you’re baby-led weaning, try our banana porridge fingers instead. |
| 10.30 - 11 am | Milk feed Offer your baby another breast or formula feed to keep their tummy topped up. |
| 12.30 - 1 pm | Lunch Offer your baby some soft-cooked cauliflower or broccoli florets and 2-3 sticks of full-fat, pasteurised cheese. You can also follow our recipe for a cauliflower cheese puree. |
| 2.30 - 3 pm | Milk feed Your baby’s 7-month eating schedule is likely to include a mid-afternoon milk feed. |
| 5 - 5.30 pm | Dinner A hearty carrot and lamb hotpot will make for a delicious dinnertime. Or offer your baby some pasta to dip in a family-friendly bolognese sauce. |
| Bedtime | Milk feed Before your baby settles for the night, offer them their final breast or formula feed of the day. |
Sample feeding schedule for your 8-month-old: Have some fun with finger foods
If you haven’t already, now’s a good time to start introducing some finger foods as well as lumpier textures into your baby’s weaning diet. You can use our 8-month feeding schedule below for guidance and ideas.
How much milk should my 8-month-old drink?
Whilst they’ll most likely be eating more solids, breast or formula milk will still be your baby’s main source of energy, so keep offering milk feeds as you usually would. Formula-fed babies will need around 600 ml of formula milk a day.
Time | Meal or milk feed |
|---|---|
7 am | Milk feed |
8.30 am | Breakfast Baby porridge with chopped fruit such as strawberries and banana. |
10.30 - 11 am | Milk feed |
12.30 - 1 pm | Lunch Homemade soups are always a winner, and can be batch-cooked too! (Learn more about storing weaning foods). Try lentil and vegetable combos (made with low-salt stock) and serve with slices of wholemeal bread or pitta. |
2.30 - 3 pm | Milk feed |
5 - 5.30 pm | Dinner Try mashing or blending some cooked chicken with potato and broccoli. Serve some soft-cooked carrot sticks on the side. |
Bedtime | Milk feed Snuggle up with your baby as you give them their bedtime breast or formula feed. |
Sample feeding schedule for your 9-month-old: A growing appetite!
Your baby is likely to be enjoying a wide variety of foods, textures, and flavours. They may well be eating more solid foods, and becoming more confident with finger foods, and purees may be a thing of the past.
If you need inspiration, our meal schedule for 9-month-old babies is here to help:
Time | Meal or milk feed |
|---|---|
7 am | Milk feed |
8.30 am | Breakfast Natural yoghurt with fresh fruit is a firm favourite with babies. Opt for sliced banana, soft-cooked apple or pear. |
10.30 - 11 am | Milk feed A meal schedule for 9-month-old babies should continue to include milk feeds. |
12.30 - 1 pm | Lunch Try some scrambled eggs with strips of soft toasted muffin or wholemeal bread - scrummy! |
2.30 - 3 pm | Milk feed |
5 - 5.30 pm | Dinner As long as you’re not adding salt or sugar to the meals you cook, your baby might now be able to eat some of the meals you and the rest of the family eat - just in smaller bite-sized portions. |
Bedtime | Milk feed |
How much milk does my baby need?
If you’re breastfeeding, continue to offer feeds as and when your baby wants them, as your baby will naturally adjust the amount of breast milk they take1.
If they’re formula-fed, your little one will need around 600 ml of formula milk a day as they wean. For now, milk will remain their main source of energy and nutrition, so if you’re looking around thinking that there’s more food on your floor than there is in your baby, that’s OK.
Between the ages of 7 months and 1 year, your baby will gradually increase the amount of solid foods they eat throughout the day, and they may drink less milk - your baby might even drop one of their feeds altogether.
Follow this top tip from Seb’s mum: ‘I started offering my baby solid foods before his milk feeds. I’d tried giving them before, but this seemed to fill him up so that he wasn't interested in his food. Keep trying different things until you find what works for you.’
Can I give my baby water?
Yes, you can. When your baby is weaning, you should offer your baby sips of cooled boiled water from a sippy cup with every meal1, so make sure you’re adding this to your baby’s 7, 8, and 9-month-old feeding chart and schedule.
Introducing lumpy textures and finger foods
Once your little one is used to smooth purées, their next step is learning to chew (if you’ve been baby-led weaning, they’ll already be working on this). Now, it’s all about introducing foods with a little more texture - think mashed rather than fully blended, so that your baby can get used to chewing rather than simply swirling and squishing food around their mouth.
Finger foods should also be part of your baby’s 7-month eating schedule. Fresh fruit pieces, strips of vegetables, cheese, or toast will not only help them learn to chew but also support the development of their hand-eye coordination2.
Make sure that all finger foods are soft-cooked and cut into pieces about the size of your finger. Also, avoid any foods with stones and pips, and remove any skins1.
Do not leave your little one unattended when eating and drinking
Tasty meal ideas for your baby’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner
This is the perfect time to excite your baby’s very curious taste buds! There’s evidence to suggest that doing so can help them enjoy a wide variety of foods and avoid becoming too ‘fussy’ about trying new things3.
Remember, you don't need to be a Michelin-starred chef. All your baby needs is food that’s healthy, nutritious and tasty. On that note, here are some delicious and nutritious ideas for your baby’s 7 to 9-month feeding schedules:
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
|
● Chopped omelette with avocado strips ● Mashed avocado with toast fingers | ● Macaroni cheese with broccoli florets ● Baked potato and tuna with yoghurt mayo ● Cooked roast chicken strips with carrots ● Cauliflower cheese and wholemeal pitta |
● Spaghetti bolognese ● Beef and vegetable curry with rice ● Ham and veggie pasta bake |
Why your baby’s diet is different to yours
There are also a few things you can eat that your baby can’t just yet, for example, honey, raw shellfish, and certain cheeses. And it will be quite some time until they join you for a cup of tea or coffee!
Other things to bear in mind include4, 5, 6:
- Salt: Your baby’s kidneys can’t handle salty foods, so avoid things like crisps, sausages, and ready meals. There’s also no need to add salt to the cooking water when preparing your little one’s meals.
- Sugar: Avoid giving your baby biscuits, cakes and other sweet treats, as the sugar can damage their growing teeth.
- Fats: Fats provide energy and essential vitamins. It’s best to opt for whole milk and full-fat yoghurts and cheeses until your little one reaches 2 years of age.
- Snacks: As adults, we sometimes need the odd snack to keep us going during the day, whereas snacks should be avoided for babies under 12 months.
Different food groups and their benefits⁶
| Starchy foods | Fruit and vegetables | Milk and dairy | Meat and other proteins |
|---|---|---|---|
Including breads, cereals (including oats and rice), pasta and potatoes. Starchy foods provide your baby with energy, nutrients and fibre. However, try not to introduce too many wholegrain foods until your baby reaches the age of 2. This is because they contain a lot of fibre, and can fill up tiny tummies before they’ve got the nutrients and calories they need. | Fresh, frozen, tinned and dried fruit and veg. Fruit and vegetables are packed with a whole range of vitamins and minerals, so be sure to offer them with every meal. | Including cheese and yoghurt Dairy products are rich in protein, calcium and some vitamins and minerals, and help to keep your baby’s bones and teeth healthy. Choose pasteurised, full-fat versions. Breast milk or formula milk is the only milk your baby needs until they reach 1 year. If you think your baby may have a lactose intolerance or cow’s milk allergy, always speak to your healthcare professional before making any changes to their diet. | Including fish, eggs, beans and pulses, and nuts (either crushed, ground or served as nut butters) These are valuable sources of protein, iron and omega-3 fats. Oily fish and eggs are also a good source of vitamin D. If your little one is following a vegetarian or vegan diet, learn more about helping your baby get the right balance of nutrients. |
The right balance for your baby
When creating meal schedules for 7, 8, and 9-month-old babies, no single food group can give them all of the nutrients they need. Variety is the name of the game when making sure they get a good balance of vitamins and minerals, as well as the energy they need for all that growing, playing, and exploring.
Offer a wide variety of foods, for example:
- Cereal and dairy, such as your baby’s usual milk, at breakfast
- Plenty of protein and vegetables for their main meal
- Fruit and dairy, such as an unsweetened yoghurt, for dessert.
- NHS. Your baby's first solid foods [online 2022]. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/baby/weaning-and-feeding/babys-first-solid-foods/. [Accessed December 2025]
- NHS Best Start in Life. From around 6 months [online]. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/baby/weaning/what-to-feed-your-baby/from-around-6-months/#start. [Accessed December 2025]
- Harris G, Coulthard H. Early Eating Behaviours and Food Acceptance Revisited: Breastfeeding and Introduction of Complementary Foods as Predictive of Food Acceptance. Curr Obes Rep. 2016 Mar;5(1):113-20. doi: 10.1007/s13679-016-0202-2. PMID: 26956951; PMCID: PMC4796330.
- NHS Best Start in Life. Foods and drinks to avoid [online]. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/baby/weaning/safe-weaning/food-and-drinks-to-avoid/#:~:text=bacon,Fresh%20p%C3%A2t%C3%A9. [Accessed December 2025]
- NHS Best Start in Life. 10-12 months [online]. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/baby/weaning/what-to-feed-your-baby/10-to-12-months/. [Accessed December 2025]
- NHS. What to feed young children [online 2023]. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/baby/weaning-and-feeding/what-to-feed-young-children/. [Accessed December 2025]
Last reviewed: November 2026
Reviewed by Nutricia’s Medical and Scientific Affairs Team
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