Meal Plan For An 11-month-old Baby: Seize The Critical Period For Fostering Self-feeding Skills

You've been adding solid foods to your baby's diet for a few months now, and you've probably noticed they're getting better at eating and can try a wider variety of foods. This guide is specifically for 11-month-old babies, giving you practical tips for introducing new foods. After reading this, you'll have plenty of new ideas to try!

Feeding Tips for 11-Month-Olds

At this stage, the types of food, feeding schedule, and methods will need some changes:

• The texture of the food can start shifting from small pieces or strips to slightly larger chunks and slices. If your baby struggles with the new textures, you can slow down the transition.
• As your baby’s hand coordination improves, you can start showing them how to use a spoon. With some patience and practice, they might surprise you!
• Keep offering finger foods, but now you can introduce slightly firmer options. Instead of soft foods like pumpkin or banana pieces, try things like small pieces of bread or crackers. This will help with both chewing and self-feeding skills.
• It’s a good idea to have your baby eat in a high chair (Cuddo Baby Purrfect High Chair) during mealtime. Not only does this keep them safe and stable, but it also lets them interact with the family while everyone’s eating together. This helps them feel included and lets them observe and learn from others at the table.
• To avoid picky eating habits, offer a variety of foods like chicken, fish, vegetables, and eggs. Even if they don’t seem to like something at first, try again after some time—they might change their mind!
• Start aligning their meal times with the family’s, like 7 AM, 12 PM, and 6 PM. Keep meal times to about 20 minutes to help establish a routine. If your baby tends to play while eating, you can use a timer or sand clock to signal when mealtime is over.

Daily Food Intake

Wondering how much your 11-month-old should be eating? Here’s a general guide:

• The weights listed in the chart refer to the uncooked portions of food. The "spoons" refer to the amount of prepared food, with one spoon being about 10 milliliters (roughly the size of a standard white ceramic spoon).
• If your baby has an egg allergy (whether to the white or yolk), skip the part they’re allergic to. If they’re allergic to both, then avoid eggs for now.
• If your baby isn’t eating much meat, you can add 5–10 grams of oil (around half to one spoon) to their daily meals. You can either cook the food in oil or add a bit of walnut or sesame oil to the prepared food.
• These amounts are just a guideline. Feel free to adjust based on your baby’s appetite. If you're unsure how much your baby is eating, you can use a food scale for a while to get a better sense.

By using these tips and allowing your baby to join in family meals from their high chair, you'll not only help them develop better eating habits but also make mealtimes more enjoyable for everyone!