Baby food meal planner: 9 - 12 months

A baby eating food while sat in a high chair

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 7 November 2019

Warning! Stage 3 of baby weaning is a messy business. It's all about letting your baby get to grips with feeding themselves by giving them a spoon to hold while you're feeding them or letting them get their hands dirty with finger foods.

Whether you choose weaning or baby-led weaning, know that this is a messy part of growing. You might wans to put down newspaper or a splash matt to avoid ruining your carpet and invest in a pelican bib to help catch spills, then let them have their fun - it's all part of the learning process. Fussy eaters are common at this stage and they can be especially picky about lumps and certain foods.

Towards the end of this stage, your baby's meal should be finely chopped instead of being mashed. Once babies reach their first birthday, they can start eating family meals but keep salt and sugar to a minimum. You can also use honey but beware of allergies as honey has been linked to infant botulism (an illness that can occur when a baby ingests bacteria that produce a toxin inside the body).

It's important at this stage in your child's development to make sure they're getting the same nutrients as yourself. 'Eat the rainbow' is a great way to look at their daily diet. Make sure they're eating a variety of fruit and veg as well and protein based foods to build up strength and energy levels.

Baby food meal planner weaning 9 - 12 months

Click to download, print and keep your meal planner - it'll look great on the fridge!

All of the recipes in the meal planner above can be found in our baby food recipes collection including berry eggy bread, banana porridge, turkey puree, apple chicken balls and more.

Other recipes featured in the meal plan:

Important: Offer water with every meal and throughout the day to avoid constipation in babies. This meal plan has no measurements as it varies baby to baby. Feed according to your baby's needs and cues. Each day contains at least 3 portions each of carbohydrates, fruit and veg, 2 portions of protein and some dairy. Morning and evening milk feeds are not included on this planner but should still be offered.

Every baby is different and this meal planner should only be used as a guide. Always go at your baby's pace and never force feed them. If you're worried about your baby's weight or have any questions, ask your health visitor.

We love hearing from you and if you have any brilliant weaning tips or advice for other moms, let us know by commenting below.

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