Feeding Your Baby - Independent Sitter

These instructions are for caregivers of infants who can sit without help. They explain how to feed your baby and support their nutrition.

Important information feeding independent sitters:

• Independent sitters can sit without help and reach for small objects like toys or food. For most babies, this happens between 6-9 months old.

• If your baby eats Stage 1 foods, they may be ready to advance from pureed Stage 1 baby foods to Stage 2 baby foods, which have larger pieces of food in them. They may also be ready to eat some of the same foods as adults, if those foods are mashed or chopped into very small pieces. If you are not sure if your baby is ready for new foods, ask your healthcare provider.

• Breast milk or formula will still be a large source of your baby's nutrition. Independent sitters may take 6 to 8 ounces at a time and 24 to 32 ounces each day.

Instructions for feeding your independent sitter:

• Feed your baby while they are sitting down to prevent choking.

• Mash or chop table food into small pieces.

• Begin to offer a closed (sippy) cup. Your baby will usually need help holding it.

• Independent sitters are ready to start drinking some water. Water is better than juice. If you choose to give your child juice:

  • Choose 100% fruit juice.

  • Limit juice to no more than 4 ounces per day. You may mix the juice with water.

• The amount of food your baby eats will be different at every meal and every day. Serving sizes for babies are estimates. Do not force your baby to eat.

Watch for signs from your baby that will tell you if they are hungry or full:

If your baby is drinking from a bottle:

Signs of being hungry

• Crying

• Flailing arms and legs

Signs of being full

• Stops sucking

• Slows down on sucking

• Moves head away

• Falls asleep

If your baby is eating solids:

Signs of being hungry

• Opens mouth and moves towards spoon

• Tries to grab at food or spoon

• Points or nods to food

Signs of being full

• Turns away from spoon

• Spits out food

• Pushes food away

• Ignores food

• Holds mouth shut

Instructions for introducing new foods:

• If you have a family history of food allergies or think that your baby is likely to have food allergies, please speak with your healthcare provider about how to introduce foods.

• Start with single-ingredient foods first. Pick one food at a time to introduce over a 3-day period. When you give a food for the first time, do not give any other new foods for 3-5 days.

• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that for most children, foods do not need to be given in a certain order. However, babies who get mostly breast milk should start with meats or iron-fortified cereals. Formula fed babies get iron in their formula so they can start with any baby food.

• Watch for signs that your baby is having a reaction to the food. Signs are rashes, vomiting, and diarrhea. If these things happen, call your healthcare provider. It may mean your child has a food allergy. If there are no signs of a reaction for about 3 days, you may try another new food.

• If your baby has had other solid foods without concern for food allergies, you may give your baby foods with peanut butter. To introduce peanut butter, mix 1-2 teaspoons of smooth peanut butter with 2-3 teaspoons of water, breastmilk, or formula to thin it out as it is a choking hazard. Age-appropriate suggestions include peanut puffs, smooth peanut butter (thinned), peanut flour, or peanut butter powder.

• Feed your baby meats. Before offering baby food "dinners" with multiple ingredients such as meat with vegetables, offer those foods separately.

• If you puree meat at home, cook the meat until it is done then add gravy, breast milk or formula to make it less thick and smoother. The meat should not have chunks in it. Meats are good sources of iron and zinc, which are important for your baby.

• Offer single grain cereals first. Examples are rice, oatmeal and barley baby cereals. If your baby has no signs of a reaction with single grain cereals, you can try mixed grain cereals. Use cereals that are fortified with iron unless your healthcare provider tells you not to.

• When you give your baby cereal the first few times, it should be very thin and look like milk. Follow the directions on the cereal box for making the cereal.

• Foods to avoid for the first 12 months include cow’s milk (as a beverage), fruit juice and honey

• Do not give the following foods to babies or small children. They are choking hazards.

  • Gum

  • Hard candies

  • Popcorn

  • Whole grapes

  • Chewy candies

  • Raisins

  • Hot dogs

  • Nuts or seeds

  • Raw carrots

  • Chips

  • Chunky peanut butter

  • Cherries with pits

  • Marshmallows

  • Large chunks of meat

  • Whole cherry tomatoes

Sample meal pattern for independent sitters:

Morning

• Breast milk or formula (typically 6 to 8 ounces)

Breakfast

• Option 1:

  • About 2 to 4 tablespoons of baby food cereal made with breast milk or formula

  • About 2 to 3 tablespoons of Stage 1 or Stage 2 baby food fruit or homemade fruit puree

• Option 2:

  • About 4 tablespoons of Stage 1 or Stage 2 baby food meal of fruit and cereal together

Mid-morning snack

• Breast milk or formula (typically 6 to 8 ounces)

Lunch

• Option 1:

  • About 1 to 2 tablespoons of Stage 1 or Stage 2 baby food meat or homemade pureed meat or meat substitute such as mashed hardboiled egg, tofu, refried beans

  • About 2 to 3 tablespoons of Stage 1 or Stage 2 baby food vegetables or homemade pureed vegetables

• Option 2:

  • About 3 to 4 tablespoons of Stage 1 or Stage 2 baby food meal of meat and vegetables together or meat and fruit together

Afternoon snack

• About 2 to 3 tablespoons of Stage 1 or Stage 2 baby food fruit or homemade pureed fruit

Dinner

• About 2 to 4 tablespoons of baby food cereal made with breast milk or formula

• About 2 to 3 tablespoons of Stage 1 or Stage 2 baby food vegetables or homemade pureed vegetables

• Breast milk or formula (typically 6 to 8 ounces)

Evening

• Breast milk or formula (typically 6 to 8 ounces)

Reviewed July 2025 by Kylie McKenzie, RD