Portion sizes for your baby during the first 6 months of weaning

Babies don’t need much solid food when they start weaning at about six months old. They get most nutrients from breast milk or formula, so it’s more about building food confidence. We recommend following these NHS guidelines.

Get your baby used to eating

The most important thing is getting babies used to new tastes and textures, and learning how to move solid foods around their mouths and how to swallow them.

  • Start by offering just a few pieces (or teaspoons) of food, once a day.
  • At the beginning, getting used to eating is more important than how much your food your baby takes.
  • Remember: babies don’t need three meals a day right away.
  • Offer foods at times that suit you both.
  • Slowly increase the amount and variety your baby eats.

As your baby grows, you can start to introduce more tastes. The NHS website has advice for babies seven to nine months old, and 10 to 12 months.

happy childhood icon

This advice was written by our experienced Parent Talk coaches. Parent Talk is a free online service for parents and carers, provided by the charity Action for Children. For more advice, message our parenting coaches with our online chat.

More on feeding

More on feeding

Talk to us

Talk about the issues that are worrying you with a parenting coach. Use webchat or WhatsApp to have a free and confidential chat.

Talk to us