Daily Guidance
What Your Baby or Toddler Needs to Eat Each Day These are general feeding recommendations meant to assist parents in planning healthy meals.
Birth to 4 months:
5-10 feedings of breast milk or 16-32 oz of infant formula
4 to 6 months:
4-7 feedings of breast milk or 26-40 oz of infant formula
Infant cereal (rice, oatmeal, or barley) and infant juice can be introduced.
6 to 8 months:
3-4 feedings of breast milk or 24-32 oz of infant formula
Strained mashed food, including cooked vegetables (avoid corn and peas), such as carrots and green beans, and fresh or cooked fruit
Infant juices in a cup
8 to 10 months:
3-4 feedings of breast milk or 16-24 oz of infant formula
Cereal and bread-type foods (2-3 servings daily): infant cereal,
Cream of Wheat, oatmeal, toast, bagels, crackers
100 percent juice (4 oz. daily): orange, tomato, pineapple, or infant juices.
Cooked or mashed vegetables (1-2 servings daily)
Ripe fruit (fresh or cooked) (1-2 servings daily)
Meat, chicken, fish, egg yolk, plain yogurt, beans, cottage cheese
(1-2 tbsp. daily)
Vitamin C-rich juice (4 oz. daily): orange, grapefruit, pineapple
Cooked or raw vegetables (1-2 servings daily)
Fresh or cooked fruit (1-2 servings daily): ripe peaches, pears, and oranges are good choices
Protein-rich food (1-2 tbsp. twice a day): lamb, beef, pork, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, yogurt, beans, tofu, peanut butter
12 to 24 months:
Cow’s milk and cow’s milk products can replace some or all of the formula or breast milk feedings after 1 year of age
2-3 feedings of breast milk or 16-24 oz. of formula or 2-4 servings of milk or other calcium-rich food: yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, and green leafy vegetables.
Cereal, bread, rice, pasta, noodles (4 or more servings about 1/3 of an adult-size portion)
Vitamin C-rich juice (4 oz. daily)
Vegetables, raw or cooked (2 or more servings)
Fruit (2 or more servings) — offer at least one citrus fruit daily
Meat, fish, or poultry, eggs, nut butters; beans; tofu (2 servings daily, each portion at least 1/2 ounce)
