How much should your baby or toddler be eating? Short answer: it varies a lot, and that's okay. It all depends on when you started solids, and where your bub is at in their feeding journey right now. Some babies spit their first spoonfuls of baby puree out and some might eat their little hearts out. We have provided guidelines below for how often to offer meals and how much bub might eat from babyhood to toddlerhood.

Is There A Magic Number For How Much Babies and Toddlers Should Eat?

Not really, how much bub eats is going to vary from baby to baby and toddler to toddler. It can even vary day to day for the same child. The most useful thing you can do is stay guided by your own bub and your own instincts, rather than comparing to what a friend's baby is eating or what you've seen online. Offering a meal counts as a meal, whether bub eats the whole thing or just has a taste. This is especially true in the early months of starting solids, when bub is getting used to the concept of food.

What Age Should I Start Solids?

Solids should start when bub is showing signs of developmental readiness, generally around 6 months, and not before 4 months. Readiness signs include being able to sit with support, hold their head steady, and swallow food rather than push it back out with their tongue, along with showing genuine interest in food and reaching toward it.

If you're starting before 6 months (only appropriate once bub hits the 4 month mark and is showing those readiness signs), smooth baby purees are the way to go. Baby led weaning style finger foods are more appropriate around 6 months, since bub needs the sitting and coordination skills that come with that stage. Whichever path you're on, solids should never replace breastmilk or formula at this early point.

Prioritise Iron Rich Foods For Babies

Bub's iron stores, built up during pregnancy, start to naturally decline from around 6 months, which lines up closely with when solids are introduced. That's why it's worth prioritising high iron foods for infants right from the start, rather than leading with fruit or veg alone. Iron fortified baby cereal, pureed red meat, and legumes are all solid options to have in the early rotation. Getting iron rich foods for babies into the mix early helps support bub's rapid growth and development during this stage, and it's a good habit to build into meals well beyond just the first few weeks.

How Much Will Bub Actually Eat When Starting Solids?

This is where a lot of parents get caught up comparing, so it's worth having a rough idea of what's normal. When bub first starts solids, they might only take about 1 to 2 teaspoons of baby puree per sitting. That's genuinely all that's expected at this stage.

From there, it can take up to around 6 weeks for bub to build up to taking half a cup of baby puree, at a meal. Some bubs get there faster, some take longer, and both are completely normal. The number matters far less than the trend, as long as bub's showing some progress over time and continuing to grow well, you're on track.

How Much Should Bub Eat From 5 to 7 Months?

At this stage, offer 1 to 2 solid meals a day. You can start with smooth baby purees, move into chunkier textures and soft finger foods if you're doing baby led weaning, or mix the two, whatever feels right for you and bub.

Don't expect much volume here, think 1 to 2 teaspoons to start. Some days bub might eat a few spoonfuls, other days barely anything. Both are completely normal. This stage is about learning what food even is, how it tastes, how to move it around their mouth, and how to swallow it. Breastmilk or formula is still doing a lot of the heavy lifting nutritionally, just ensure the foods you are offering are iron rich.

How Much Should Bub Eat From 7 to 8 Months?

By 7 to 8 months, you can move up to 2 to 3 meals a day. Bub should have a well established swallow reflex by now and you may notice they're starting to eat more. They might be eating half a cups worth of food at a meal time. Or it could be a little less or much more. What matters is their growth over time.

In terms of what to try, this is a good stage to introduce things like yoghurt, egg, nut butters, and cooked boneless fish or mashed canned fish. Meal sizes are still building gradually. Appetite is going to be all over the place too, bub might polish off breakfast and barely touch lunch, or the other way around. That inconsistency isn't a sign anything's wrong, it's just bub figuring out their own hunger and fullness cues, which is actually a great skill to let develop naturally rather than override.

How Much Should Bub Eat From 8 to 10 Months?

This is when you can move to 3 solid meals a day, alongside around 3 milk feeds. Meal sizes generally keep increasing from here, though how much varies hugely from bub to bub. Around 8 months is also when you can start offering bub solid food before milk feeds. You may notice bub will eat more once food is offered first.

A few things tend to show up around now. Many babies start refusing the spoon altogether in favour of self-feeding, which is a completely normal developmental shift, not a sign of fussiness. Bub's pincer grip starts to develop around 9 months also, so you can begin to offer smaller bite sized pieces of food to help them work on this skill.

Teething often shows up in this window too, and it can genuinely put bub off eating for a bit, with a stronger preference for breast or bottle over food.

How Much Should Bub Eat From 10 to 12 Months?

From 10 months, you can continue with 3 solid meals a day, and this is the point where snacks become optional. You will probably have a feel for how much your bub eats by now. You'll know if they are eating enough by from their growth and development and can raise any concerns with your maternal health nurse or GP. Some parents like to introduce a snack around now, others prefer to wait until 12 months and simply increase meal sizes instead.

Meals should be starting to resemble proper family meals by this stage, and bub should be consuming a wide variety of foods and textures rather than mostly baby purees. Some meal ideas that work well here include fruit, vegetables, nut butters, seeds (offered safely) and yoghurt, along with things like meatballs using different mince varieties, rissoles, fritters, frittatas, fish cakes, savoury muffins, and homemade pizza with toppings.

How Much Should Bub Eat From 12 Months?

From 12 months, food takes priority over breastmilk or formula, and the general structure is 3 meals plus 2 snacks a day. Meals should look like a smaller version of what the rest of the family is eating, with the usual choking hazard adjustments (think whole grapes cut in half, no whole nuts, that sort of thing).

Meal sizes should keep growing from here, and routine tends to settle into something more predictable around this age. Remember, their tummies are still only very small so don't expect them to eat adult sized meals. What matters is their growth trend and general health and energy levels.

Formula is no longer required after 12 months. Breastfeeding can continue as long as it suits you and bub. Kids are also naturally pretty in tune with their own hunger cues, so don't be alarmed if appetite goes through phases, some days they eat everything in sight, other days barely anything. It evens out.

What Should A Meal Size Actually Look Like?

Honestly, we're not fussed about exact portion sizes at any stage, and you shouldn't be either. It's more about offering a balance of high fibre carbohydrates, healthy fats, protein, veggies and iron rich foods for babies and toddlers to ensure they meet their nutritional needs. You want at least one source of carbs, healthy fats and proteins in each meal. High iron foods for infants and toddlers are worth keeping front of mind here in particular, since iron needs stay elevated well past the first few months of solids.

You choose what's on offer and it's up to your bub or toddler as to how much they will eat. Try not to serve a really large portion because this can be overwhelming for little ones. Instead offer a smaller amount and top them up if they are still hungry. You'll get a feel for how much your little on typically eats the more meals you offer, and that's a far more useful guide than any generic serving size chart, or than comparing to another child's plate.

What If I'm Worried Bub Isn't Eating Enough?

If you're feeling unsure, a few things can help:

• Space out milk feeds. Wait around 30 minutes to 1 hour after a breast or formula feed before offering solids, so bub's actually got some appetite for food.
  

• For toddlers, ensure meals are at least 2-3 hours after snacks to build hunger.
  
  

• Cut the distractions. Screens, toys, and a chaotic environment all make it harder for bub to focus on eating.
  
  

• Keep mealtimes low pressure. Let bub eat at their own pace and explore food without being coaxed or coerced, this actually supports healthier eating long term.
  
  

• Model it yourself. Bub picks up on eating behaviour from watching you, so eating together as a family helps.
  
  

• Mix up what's on offer. Variety in flavours and textures keeps mealtimes interesting and builds acceptance of new foods over time.
  
  

• Track growth, not just intake. Regular growth checks with your GP are a much better indicator of whether bub's getting enough than counting spoonfuls or millilitres.
  
  

• Ask for help if you need it. Your GP or a paediatric dietitian can point you in the right direction if you've got ongoing concerns.
  
  

As long as bub is growing, developing, and generally happy, they're eating enough, even on the days it doesn't feel that way.

Why Choose Nourishing Bubs For Bub's Solids Journey?

Wherever bub is at in this process, having food on hand that's actually designed for their stage makes life easier. At Nourishing Bubs, our range is built around exactly the progression above, from first smooth baby purees for those early 5 to 7 month starts, through to finger foods for older bubs and toddlers.

Every product is made with real ingredients, blast frozen at peak season to lock in nutrients, and completely free from added sugar, salt, preservatives, fillers, thickeners, colours or flavours. Whether you need something for those early exploration meals or want to top up variety once bub's on family food, our baby purees take the guesswork and the kitchen admin out of getting solids right.

If you're just starting out, our Iron-Rich collection is a great place to begin, packed with high iron foods for infants to help support bub right from that first spoonful.

Shop the full range of baby purees for every stage, or start with our starting solids collection if bub's just getting going.

References:

REF: Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), Guideline: Infant Feeding for Food Allergy Prevention, published January 2026.

REF: ASCIA, How to Introduce Solid Foods to Babies for Allergy Prevention, FAQ, updated 2026.

REF: The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Guide to Foods for Baby's First Year.