Baby Food Introduction Schedule: 6–12 Months

A baby food introduction schedule should follow readiness and developing skills, not a deadline to finish a list of foods. For most babies, complementary foods begin around six months alongside breast milk or infant formula. This guide explains what changes across the first year and how to turn that guidance into a manageable routine.

Before solids: what to consider at four to six months

Four months is not an automatic starting date. Watch for coordinated eating skills rather than interest in your plate alone. A baby needs steady head and neck control, an upright supported sitting position, and the ability to move food back and swallow it. Discuss timing with a clinician if your baby was premature, has feeding difficulties or has been advised to start a particular food early.

CDC: when and how to introduce solid foods recommends starting around six months and not before four months. If severe eczema or egg allergy makes early peanut introduction relevant, that is a separate clinician-guided decision; see our allergen introduction guide.

A flexible introduction schedule

Before readiness

What to focus on: Continue milk feeds; discuss individual timing rather than offering a calendar-based menu.
Example meal opportunity: No routine solids plan before the baby is ready.

Around six months

What to focus on: Start with small amounts and a manageable texture; include iron-rich choices.
Example meal opportunity: Iron-fortified infant cereal from a spoon; soft cooked vegetable to explore when ready.

Seven to eight months

What to focus on: Build variety and move toward thicker, mashed or lumpy foods as skills allow.
Example meal opportunity: Mashed lentils with soft vegetables; appropriately prepared finger foods.

Nine to eleven months

What to focus on: Offer more family ingredients with adapted texture; practice self-feeding.
Example meal opportunity: Moist finely minced meat or mashed beans with soft grains and vegetables.

Around twelve months

What to focus on: Move toward a family meal and snack routine, keeping choking precautions.
Example meal opportunity: A small portion of a shared dinner with the child’s texture and allergy adaptations.

These stages overlap. A baby does not need to remain on smooth puree until a particular birthday, and finger foods do not make spoon-fed foods off limits. If textures consistently cause difficulty, ask for support instead of repeatedly advancing the size of pieces.

What should first meals include?

Build your shopping list around a few foods you already use: an iron-containing option, vegetables, fruit and a grain. Examples include well-cooked mashed lentils, iron-fortified infant cereal, soft cooked broccoli and mashed pear. Offer foods in a form your baby can manage. This is about expanding the diet alongside milk feeds, not replacing milk with a large bowl of puree.

Health Canada: nutrition from six to 24 months emphasizes iron-rich complementary foods and progression toward family foods. Its infant-feeding guidance is under revision, so check with your local care team for advice specific to your child.

Build a first-week routine without rushing

Choose a time when you can sit with the baby and prepare a small amount. Put one simple food on offer, notice how they manage it and stop when they signal they are finished. Record ingredients, texture and any concern. The next opportunity can repeat the same food or add another appropriate choice.

For example, prepare plain lentils for the family and reserve a mashed portion; another day, offer softened infant cereal or a cooked vegetable. There is no need to buy a special ingredient for every day. A record helps distinguish a texture preference from a possible reaction, but a parent’s log cannot diagnose an allergy.

Where do common allergens fit?

Do not treat allergens as foods that must all wait until the first birthday. Introduce a new allergen separately from other new allergens, with guidance appropriate to your baby’s risk, and continue tolerated foods in the diet. A mixed dish containing several untried allergens makes a reaction harder to interpret. Use the detailed allergen guide rather than treating this general schedule as an allergy protocol.

Foods and preparation that need extra care

Avoid honey before twelve months and do not use cow’s milk as the main drink before that age. Cook hard produce, remove bones and pits, and use suitable textures. A food being healthy for an adult does not make its original shape suitable for a baby. For food-by-food examples, read the choking prevention guide.

Common questions

Do I need to choose between purees and baby-led weaning?

No. Your family can combine responsive spoon-feeding with suitable finger foods. Pick methods your baby can manage and that caregivers can supervise consistently.

How much should my baby finish?

There is no required bowl size in this schedule. Offer a little, observe appetite and skills, and discuss intake or growth concerns with your clinician.

Can I use family meals?

Often, with ingredient, texture and seasoning changes. Reserve the baby’s serving before adding salty sauces or unsuitable toppings. Check allergens even in familiar packaged ingredients.

Next, use our two-week BLW starter menu, choking prevention guide, or one-year-old weekly meal plan for practical examples.

Sources and editorial review

Sources checked September 7, 2026. Written by the Meal Sprout Team. General feeding information, not an individualized medical or nutrition plan. MealSprout is not a clinical service. Ask your child’s clinician about allergies, growth concerns, prematurity or feeding difficulties.