Feeding Adelaide: 9-12 month Sample Baby Feeding Schedule

This 9-12 month sample baby feeding schedule and menu ideas is a post has been sponsored by Gerber. All thoughts and opinions are my own, just like always.

 

I am so grateful that for the first six months of their life babies only need milk. There is enough new to learn without having to add in balanced meals and menu planning. Who’s with me?

With Lincoln, my first, starting solids and planning “meals” and a baby feeding schedule for him felt so overwhelming. Was he getting enough iron? Did he have a good balance of vegetables? Was he experiencing enough new textures? Had it been the three days since I introduced the latest new food?

It could be overwhelming for anyone, but especially a new mom trying to balance a lot of firsts on only a little bit of sleep.

I’ve put together a sample weekly menu and a good general formula for feeding your baby from 9-12 months. I’m not always perfect at following it, but keeping track of what Adelaide is eating, sticking to the general formula, and incorporating Gerber’s Lil Bits Cereal into her feeding has made the whole experience of transitioning to food a lot less stressful this second time around.

Easy formula for well balanced baby feeding schedule for 9-12 month olds:

Fruits + Grains + Proteins + Veggies

 

Make sure you’re picking something from each category every day and make sure you’re introducing a variety of textures. At this age, what they’re eating is just as much about learning and developing healthy habits + preferences as it is about nutrition.

This baby feeding schedule is what I’ll try and feed Adelaide in a typical week although I find I rely more heavily on the snack list for weeks when we’re traveling, having company, or things are just a bit crazy.

I remind myself that the types of food she gets over the course of a day are a lot more important than keeping meals balanced and I focus on exposing her to a variety of tastes and textures.

I balance a basic baby led weaning schedule, serving soft whole foods she can feed herself (some of the time), with two servings of Gerber’s Lil’ Bits Cereal most days.

I love that just two servings of infant Cereal meets 90% of your baby’s daily iron (and did you know iron supports learning development?). The Lil Bits Cereal comes in a few different flavors Adelaide likes and is packed with nutrients like calcium for healthy bones and teeth and vitamin E to help support her immune system.

You can pick them up for a great value at Walmart while doing the rest of your shopping. They’re in the baby aisle and I usually pick up puffs, yogurt melts, and a few pouches while I”m there for snacks when we’re on the go as well.

When it comes to the foods I serve along with Lil Bits Cereal, the preparation depends on your baby. I serve things like broccoli and zucchini cooked so they’re very soft but at 10 months Adelaide could eat raspberries and apples cut into small pieces on her own.

 

(PDF version here) 

What are your favorite foods to feed your babies from 9-12 months? What should I introduce Adelaide to next?