How much should a baby eat at 6 months? Portion sizes for the first we

7 min read

Quick answer: At around 6 months, a first portion is a few teaspoons of food or a few small pieces of finger food, once a day. Over the next few weeks, slowly offer more food and more kinds of food. Let your baby decide how much to eat, and keep breast milk or first infant formula as their main food.

What parents need to know

In the first weeks, your baby is learning how to move food around their mouth, chew it and swallow it. Most of what you offer may end up on the bib, the tray or the floor, and NCT notes that eating very little at this stage is normal.

Pick a time of day when neither of you is rushed. Before each meal, make sure your baby is strapped into the highchair and sitting upright so they can swallow properly.

What a first portion looks like

The NHS says that at first your baby only needs a small amount of solid food, once a day, at a time that suits you both. NCT suggests starting with a few pieces or teaspoons of food, once or twice a day, and building up slowly.

If you're spoon feeding, that means a few teaspoons of mashed or blended vegetables or fruit, or unsweetened porridge. If you're doing baby-led weaning, it means a few soft, finger-sized pieces, such as a stick of cooked broccoli. Many families do a bit of both.

Begin with vegetables that aren't sweet, such as broccoli, cauliflower and spinach. Your baby gets used to bitter tastes as well as sweeter ones like carrot and sweet potato, and the NHS says this can help prevent fussy eating later.

Why milk still does most of the work

When your baby starts solids, most of their energy and nutrients still come from breast milk or first infant formula. Keep offering milk feeds whenever your baby wants them. The NHS points out that a baby's tummy is tiny and fills up quickly, so give milk feeds after solids rather than before.

Babies under 12 months don't need snacks. If your baby seems hungry between meals, the NHS advises offering an extra milk feed instead.

Infant, feet, father, mother, small child, toes, baby feet, newborn, small, child, children's feet, cute, offspring, live new, family, love, sole of the foot, family, family, family, family, family, love

How to tell your baby has had enough

A baby who has had enough will usually close their mouth firmly or turn their head away. The NHS advises responding to these cues the same way you would during a breast or bottle feed. Stop when your baby shows them, and never force them to eat.

How much your baby eats will change from day to day. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and some days they'll turn everything down. It can take 10 tries or more before a baby gets used to a new food, flavour or texture, so keep offering a food even if it was rejected last time.

Gagging is a normal reflex while your baby learns how much food they can manage in one go. It's loud, and their eyes may water. Choking is quiet. The NHS explains the difference and what to do if your baby is choking. Stay with your baby for the whole meal.

How portions grow over the first weeks

Week by week, the NHS advises slowly increasing both the amount and the variety of food. That includes vegetables, fruit, starchy foods, protein foods such as beans, lentils, eggs, fish and meat, and pasteurised full-fat dairy. Your baby's appetite sets the pace, not a fixed amount.

Texture should change too. Move on from purées to mashed and finger foods as soon as your baby is ready, and keep offering lumpy textures from around 6 to 7 months. This is how babies learn to chew and swallow solid food.

Allergens such as egg, peanut (crushed or ground) and foods containing gluten can be introduced from around 6 months. Offer them one at a time and in very small amounts so you can spot any reaction. There's more on this in Introducing allergens to babies.

Freezing and serving small portions

When portions are this small, cooking one batch and freezing it in small amounts saves time and wastes less food. The NHS lists ice cube trays as very useful for batch-cooking and freezing small portions. At each meal, take out only what you think your baby will eat. You can always offer more.

Rice has stricter rules than other foods. Cool it within 1 hour, keep it in the fridge for no more than 24 hours and reheat it only once.

Try this. To cool a batch quickly before freezing, put it in an airtight container and run cold water over the outside, stirring so it cools all the way through.

From Infatot

Fruit Feeder & Tray Set

It comes with a freezer tray made for portioning homemade food, so you can freeze a batch in small amounts and defrost only what one meal needs.

See the product

The Crib

Storing and reheating your baby's portions

Based on the NHS advice on storing and reheating food

Cool batch-cooked food (except rice) within 1 to 2 hours, then freeze it or put it in the fridge

Use food kept in the fridge (except rice) within 2 days

Rice: cool within 1 hour, put it straight in the fridge or freezer, eat fridge-kept rice within 24 hours and reheat it only once

Defrost frozen portions fully, in the fridge or on the microwave's defrost setting

Eat defrosted food within 24 hours

Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, stir, then let it cool and check the temperature before serving

Reheat already-cooked food only once

Never save, store or reheat a half-eaten portion

Source: nhs.uk. General information, not medical advice.

Practical checklist

Start with a few teaspoons or a few pieces of food, once a day
Offer milk feeds after solids, and whenever your baby wants them
Stop when your baby closes their mouth firmly or turns away
Slowly increase the amount and variety of food week by week
Move from purées to mashed and finger foods as soon as your baby is ready
Freeze batches in small portions and defrost only what one meal needs

Frequently asked questions

Will starting solids help my baby sleep through the night?

No. The NHS says starting solids won't make a baby more likely to sleep through. Waking more at night, chewing fists and wanting extra milk are normal baby behaviours, not signs your baby is ready for food.

Can I use pouches or jars to get portion sizes right?

The NHS suggests using them only occasionally, not every day. If you use a pouch, squeeze the food onto a spoon rather than letting your baby suck from it, and choose the option with the least sugar.

My baby was born early. When should they start solids?

Ask your health visitor or GP. The NHS advises that parents of premature babies get individual advice on when to start weaning.

What should my baby drink with meals?

Offer sips of water from an open cup or a free-flow cup without a valve. NCT notes that for babies over six months who are eating solids, this water doesn't need to be boiled.