Baby feeding chart: their first year

Whether you’re breastfeeding for the first time, formula-feeding, or starting solids, keeping track of your baby’s feeding schedule can feel like a full-time job. That’s where a baby feeding chart comes in very useful, to help take the guesswork out of when and how much your baby should be eating, and giving you confidence that they’re getting the nutrition they need.

Using a feeding chart is also a great way to spot patterns, track growth, and make mealtimes smoother for both you and your little one. Plus, as your baby moves through different feeding stages, a chart can help to guide you through key weaning milestones at the right time.

Whether you're navigating those early newborn feeds or introducing exciting new foods, a baby feeding chart is a simple yet essential tool to support your parenting journey, helping you stay organised, stress less, and focus on what matters most: bonding with your baby.

According to Healthy Children, they say: "One of the most common questions new parents have is how often their baby should eat. The best answer is surprisingly simple: in general, babies should be fed whenever they seem hungry. For babies born prematurely or with certain medical conditions, scheduled feedings advised by your pediatrician are best. But for most healthy, full-term infants, parents can look to their baby rather than the clock for hunger cues. This is called feeding on demand, or responsive feeding.

They also say that, "Breastfed newborns usually nurse every 2 hours from the start of the feeding to the next feeding so 10-12 sessions in 24 hours is the norm. Over time the feedings space out but this is a slow process. If bottle-fed, most newborns eat every 2 to 3 hours; 8 times is generally recommended as the minimum every 24 hours. Babies might only take in half ounce per feeding for the first day or two of life, but after that will usually drink 1 to 2 ounces at each feeding.", says Healthy Children.

Baby feeding chart: what to expect at every stage

1 - 3 months: the newborn stage

In the first few months, your baby’s tummy is tiny, and their main source of nutrition will be breast milk or formula. Newborns typically feed every 2-3 hours, which means around 8-12 feeds per day. As they grow, their stomach capacity increases, and they may start feeding every 3-4 hours. Signs that your baby is getting enough include steady weight gain, at least 6-8 wet nappies a day, and a happy, satisfied baby after feeds.

4 - 6 months: getting ready for solids

At this stage, your baby is still thriving on breast milk or formula, usually feeding every 3-4 hours. However, some little ones may start showing signs they’re ready for solids, such as sitting up with support, showing interest in food, or losing the tongue-thrust reflex. If your baby is ready, you can introduce single-ingredient purees like mashed banana or sweet potato, starting with just a teaspoon once a day. But don’t worry if they’re not interested yet—milk is still their main source of nutrition.

6 - 9 months: exploring new tastes

This is an exciting time as your baby starts to explore a variety of flavors and textures! Alongside breast milk or formula (which they’ll still need around 4-6 times a day), they can now enjoy two to three small meals a day. Soft, mashed foods like avocado, porridge, and steamed veggies are great options. Finger foods, such as soft fruits or well-cooked pasta, can also help develop self-feeding skills. Be prepared for mess - it’s all part of the learning process!

9 - 12 months: more solids, less milk

By now, your little one is getting more confident with eating and can enjoy three meals a day, along with healthy snacks. Breast milk or formula remains important, but many babies start reducing milk feeds naturally to around 3-4 times per day as they eat more solids. At this stage, they can start enjoying a wider range of textures, including soft meats, scrambled eggs, and yogurt. Offer a mix of iron-rich foods and encourage self-feeding to build their confidence.

After 12 months: transitioning to family foods

Congratulations! Your baby is now officially a toddler! By 12 months, they should be eating three main meals and two snacks a day, enjoying a wide variety of foods alongside whole milk or breast milk (around 2-3 cups per day).This is the perfect time to introduce them to family meals, encouraging healthy eating habits from an early age. If you haven’t already, you can now transition from bottle to cup and offer water with meals. Keep an eye on portion sizes and let your toddler explore different textures, flavours, and finger foods—mealtime should be fun.

According to Dr Deborah Lee, Dr Fox Online Pharmacy, they say:

"The NHS recommends babies have their first introduction to solid foods at 6 months of age. Up until this time, they get all the nutrition they need from breast or formula milk.

Weaning babies too soon has been found to increase the risk of food allergies, obesity, type-1 diabetes and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Sometimes parents mistake some of the signs, thinking their baby is ready for food. Chewing their fists and waking up at night wanting a feed are just part of normal development.

To be ready for food a baby needs to be able to sit unsupported, hold their head up, coordinate holding something and putting it in their mouth and be able to swallow., says Dr. Lee.

Breastfeeding has many advantages and if it works for you and your baby, that's great news. Research has shown breastfed babies have fewer infections and hospital admissions, are less likely to have diarrhoea and vomiting, and are less likely to suffer from SIDS, childhood obesity or cardiovascular disease in later life. Babies can continue to be breastfed to the age of 2. Bottle

However, breastfeeding is not for everyone and bottle feeding is a very successful alternative. Bottle fed babies can stop formula and drink cow’s milk from 12 months of age. From 6 months of age, cow’s milk can be added to a baby’s food such as mashed potato or porridge. However, it should not be given instead of formula as a drink until the baby is 12 months old.

Breastfeeding

With breastfeeding, a newborn will need to be put to the breast often, perhaps once an hour. They will only take 5-10 ml per feed but this will gradually increase as the baby's stomach size increases and the mother's own milk supply increases too. After the first few days, the baby will need regular feeding, every two to three hours. Bear in mind that a newborn has a stomach the size of a cherry! It’s not possible to overfeed a breastfed baby.", says Dr. Lee.

When weaning starts the breastfeeds will slowly diminish. A 1-year-old will usually still be breastfeeding 3-4 times a day. Eventually, it may just be night-time breast feed, but this can be swapped for a cup of warm cow's milk when the time seems right. Some mums breastfeed to age 2 or beyond. Each baby/ toddler is different.

Bottle feeding

A newborn takes around 1-3 oz (45-90mls) every 2-3 hours.

By 8 weeks this will have increased to 4-5 oz (120-150 mls) every 4 hours.

By 3-4 months, a baby will be having 6 oz (180 ml) five times a day.

By 6 months, a baby will be having 7 oz (210 ml) five times a day.

By 7-12 months a baby should be having  7 oz (210 ml) in a beaker, 3 times a day.

At 1 year a baby should be having 5 oz (150 ml) in a beaker twice a day. This can now be changed to cow’s milk.

A newborn has a tiny stomach the size of a cherry. By day 3, this has grown to the size of a walnut. By the end of the first 7 days, the stomach is the size of an apricot. By 4 weeks, a baby’s stomach is the size of a hen’s egg. This is big enough to hold 150 ml of milk, says Dr. Lee.

Babies have an immature digestive system. It takes 4-6 months for this to fully function. It’s not surprising babies often dribble, regurgitate milk, vomit, or get colic.

Mums can help their babies by feeding them slowly, not rushing feeds. Sitting them reasonably upright for feeding. Burping them well as they go along, and never insisting they finish every feed.

Cow’s milk allergy affects 7% of UK babies. It can be hard to diagnose. The most common symptoms are skin reactions (hives), vomiting, diarrhoea, respiratory symptoms (runny nose, cough, wheezing), being miserable, and refusing to feed. If you have concerns, speak to your GP or health visitor. Most babies grow out of it by the age of 3-5 years.

See above

Start at 6 months by offering your baby a teaspoon full of pureed vegetables (for example, courgette, carrot, spinach, or potato)  or fruit (apple, pear or banana).  Gradually increase this to about 6 teaspoons full at a time. Introduce one new food every 2 or 3 days. This should be once a day initially, then gradually increase it to two, then three meals a day. In due course, increase the amount up to 10 teaspoons per meal. Don’t add salt or sugar to a baby’s food.

By 9 months a baby can manage slightly thicker textures and more lumpy food. They can also have finger food such as slices of cheese, beans, avocado or strawberry. They can also eat well-cooked eggs. They should be having 3 meals a day of around 4-6 tablespoons in size, continues Dr. Lee.

By 12 months a baby can eat mostly what the family is eating but still no added salt or sugar – or gravy (this is often high salt). They should have 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. Drinks should now be from a beaker.

Healthy snacks for a 1-year-old should be low-sugar, and low-salt – such as fruit (peeled and sliced, apple or pear, or banana), toast and peanut butter, or an unsweetened yoghurt. (Babies from 6 month’s of age can be given peanuts so long as they are crushed in peanut butter and not given whole  – unless there is a strong family history of peanut allergy.)

Babies up to 12 months of age should only drink breast or formula milk or cooled boiled water.

Choking is common in babies at weaning. In one study, 35% of parents had seen their child choke at least once during weaning. Only giving babies finger foods occasionally increases their risk of choking. So they should be given finger foods. St John’s Ambulance has a free online training resource about how to help a baby, child or adult who is choking.

As a rule of thumb, a toddler should eat 1 tablespoon of food from each food group per meal per year of life. So an 18-month-old should eat 1.5- 2 tablespoons of protein, carbs, fruit and veg per meal. They should also have 2 healthy snacks per day.

Note that many baby/toddler snacks have misleading labels and contain too much sugar – some as much as 2 teaspoons of sugar per biscuit. This is dangerous for a baby’s health as excess sugar in childhood is linked to childhood obesity and dental caries, says Dr. Lee. says Dr. Lee.

Meet the expert:

Having worked for many years in the NHS, mostly as Lead Clinician within an integrated Community Sexual Health Service, Dr Deborah Lee now works as a health and medical writer, with an emphasis on women's health, including medical content for Dr Fox pharmacy. She has published several books and remains passionate about all aspects of medicine and sexual health. After completing her Medical Degree at University of Southampton Medical School in 1986, Dr Lee trained as a GP and after a number of years specialised in Sexual & Reproductive Health (S&RH).

About the author

Mummy to a little girl, Adejumoke Ilori is Commercial Content Writer for Mother&Baby. With a BA hon in Creative Writing, she has worked for digital platforms, where she has empowered women from the inside and out, by sharing real life stories based on relationships and loving yourself.