6-7 Month Old Feeding Schedule for Parents (2024)

Published: December 13, 2022

Get a printable 6 month old feeding schedule with helpful tips to use and adjust for your baby through the end of their 7th month. And, grab some bonus feeding tips that will help you safely and confidently feed your baby!

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I know how fast the first year goes as a mother of three, but I am still in disbelief that my baby just turned 8 months! Feeding each of my three babies have been completely different experiences, as they are all unique little beings. James (the 8-month old) is loving meal times and is quite an eater, for now anyways.

I think part of his success in eating has been due to the 6 month feeding schedule I’ve had him on since he started traditional home-made baby food at 5.5 months. Read about how I, as a licensed occupational therapist, introduced baby food for the first time if you’re looking for some tips and tricks.

*These 6 and 7 month old feeding schedules are also the ones I’ve recommended to the families I work with as a licensed occupational therapist that specializes in feeding babies and children.

As we begin this 8th month, I can see our schedule evolving, and I thought it might be helpful if I shared how I created his feeding schedule for 6 months old through 7 months old.

During these last two months, I’ve reflected a lot on how much James is benefiting from slipping into an already very established eating routine (there are some benefits to being the third child!).

Whether it is your first, second, or even third child, it can be challenging to make this transition from just bottle feedings to breast or bottle feedings AND baby food especially because every child is different.

In my experience, parents often have a lot of questions about how to set up these routines. While I think there is value in that, this schedule is not a hard and fast rule for every baby.

We all know that every baby is unique, but as parents, it’s hard not to compare. Try to avoid playing the comparison game with these feeding milestones, as long as you’re giving lots of positive opportunities for interactions with food.

I should also note that James is breastfed, and only takes an occasional bottle when I’m away from the house (find help for getting a breastfed baby to take a bottle). However, he doesn’t eat frequently like some nursing babies do. If your baby has lots of mini meals, this 6 month old eating schedule may look a little different.

It’s meant to be a guideline to starting a flexible routine that you can tailor to your own needs. This schedule is great for bottle babies, too!

And, if you’re starting to think about those table foods and what ages specifically you can start giving them to your baby, then check out When Can Babies Eat Cheerios?

*Times are given in a range of possible start times, not duration. Also, you’ll find some links throughout the schedule for my favorite cups and foods.

6:30-7:00 AM: Wake-Up – Breastfed or bottle upon waking

(This is one of my favorite bottles for breastfed babies)

7:30-8:00 AM: Breakfast – Water available in a sippy cup, about 1/4 cup of various homemade/store bought baby food, and a meltable crunchy food like puffs and/or soft cubed food (see note below).

(These are a great first sippy cup)

9:00 AM: Nap

11:00 AM: Breastfed/Bottle

(One of my picks for bottle fed babies. Keep in mind your baby might be ready for faster flow nipples at this age, as well.)

12:00 PM: Lunch – Water available in a sippy cup, meltable crunchy foods like rice husks. (I don’t look for James to consume much here and don’t offer baby food, but I like him sitting with us and “snacking” a little so that he can get used to the schedule he ultimately will have.)

1:00-2:00 PM: Nap

4:00-4:30 PM: Breastfed/Bottle

5:30-6:00 PM: Dinner – Water available in a sippy cup, about 1/4 cup of various homemade/store bought baby food, and a meltable crunchy food like these wafers and/or soft cubed foods (see note below).

7:00-7:30 PM: Breastfed/Bottle

7:30-8:00 PM: Sleeping for the night

Where to Feed Your 6 and 7 Months Old

My son is sitting in a Tripp Trapp chair, which I love because he’s pulled up to the table eating with the rest of us without a tray. The majority of the time it works out that he is able to eat at the same time as the rest of us.

However, the Tripp Trapp is an investment, a more budget friendly high chair is this one from Ikea, but be sure to add a foot rest for stability so that baby is in a good position to eat well. Check out why seating positioning matters when it comes to eating with this article.

How to Give 6 and 7 Month Olds Water to Drink

Most babies will be drinking water during their meal from a sippy cup until around 9 months. This is one of my favorite sippy cups to start with.

James started drinking from a sippy around 7 months old, and at that time, I switched him to a straw cup at meals (learning to drink from a straw at this age is very early though, most babies learn around 9 months old).

A sippy cup is perfectly appropriate for this age, but look for your baby to be using a straw by one year old. When you’re ready, learn how to teach your child to drink from a straw here.

Now is also a great time to begin offering small sips of water from an open cup- with your help, of course, unless you want mealtime and bath time to happen at the same time. Here is an open cup you can try that is perfect for small hands.

When to Feed Your 6-7 Month Old

You will see that many people recommend 1-2 feedings a day at this age, and that is totally fine. While there were a few times we couldn’t squeeze in two meals on a busy day, I made it a priority to do two meals a day from the time he turned 6 months.

This consistent exposure was very beneficial, and I think is best for most babies. It can seem like a pain at times, but it is worth it if you can make it work.

As mentioned above, if your baby prefers many small breastfeeding sessions a day, that is okay and this schedule can still work for you.

Try to focus your schedule and routine around opportunities for baby to join you for meals at the table with solids and water in a cup, not so much on when they are nursing or taking a bottle.

The goal over time is to offer meals and snacks in a predictable consistent routine. You know your baby best, so definitely continue to breastfeed flexibly at 6 and 7 months, and use this guide to help make it work for your unique situation.

Take note of how well your baby eats in relation to how tired he is, how much time he has had to play, and when he had his last milk feeding.

You may want to adjust your times based on his hunger cues and energy levels. Even adjusting times by 10 or 15 minutes can make a big difference on how much your baby wants to engage with food at meals!

Set your expectations low, and focus on a pleasant experience during meals, not volume of food. It is completely normal to have a meal where your baby only has a few bites. This is NOT his main source of nutrition right now.

6 – 7 Month Feeding Schedule Tips

Babies learn so much about eating by watching us, and has been wonderful to watch how he loves being part of this family time, even at such a young age.

He gets excited to come to the table when everyone is there and will actually fuss if he sees everyone at the table without him!

In the 6 month eating schedule above you read to include “meltable crunchy” foods. Wondering what those are? They’re all of those first table foods you find in the baby food aisle like Biter Biscuits, Puffs, Rice Husks, buttery soft Crackers, etc.

A good rule of thumb is seeing if the food easily breaks down when wet or crushed. In the beginning of the 6th month, you are going to just let them mouth on some of these meltable crunchy foods, and help them put small pieces into their mouth.

Watch them closely, but keep in mind some gagging is normal. If this feels too soon for you to introduce “real” foods, you can wait 1-2 months, but want to begin around 8 months.

By the end of the 7th month, they will likely be feeding themselves some easy to pick up pieces of the dry food and chewing them a variety of these well.

Once they are eating these well, they can begin to have soft pieces of foods cut into cubes like ripe bananas, cooked zucchini, and banana bread. Anything that is very easily mashed between your finger and thumb is likely safe for baby to eat by this stage, even without teeth.

See my post on transitioning your baby to table foods for more details.

As your baby eats it’s important to allow them to get messy. Don’t worry about wiping their face off until they’re finished eating. Strip your baby down to his diaper or plan a bath for after meals. See more on why it’s important for babies to get messy!

While this is a time to just explore foods, if your baby is underweight and you’re trying to beef up the calories you’re giving them, then check out these high calorie baby food combinations and some extra tips to maximize what your baby is eating.

These months are very important for establishing good eating skills, and can go a long way in how your child eats throughout childhood. This feeding schedule for 6 and 7 month olds, and all the tips you’ve read are a fantastic foundation for continued happy eating.

However, if your baby is stressed at mealtimes or is rarely consuming any food during meals by the end of the 7th month, then I would discuss your concerns with your doctor, and consider setting up a feeding evaluation through early intervention (free if you are in the states) or with an occupational therapist or speech therapist through feeding therapy.

Don’t panic if you see some of these challenges with eating, it’s more common than you think.

Some babies just need a little extra help, and that help can make a world of difference and really ward off major picky eating problems in the future.

You can also check out Feeding Red Flags, which will help you pinpoint if there’s a problem, or if your baby is gagging a lot, head to the baby gagging guide for tips on moving past it.

Get Ready for Table Foods

You’ve got a couple of months before it’s time to start introducing table foods, but it will be here before you know it! There’s a lot of conflicting advice out there about the best approach, so I’ve simplified what I recommend as a feeding therapist in our How to Teach Your Baby to Eat Table Foods Guide.

Click here to download it now!

You’ll be all set.

More Baby Feeding Schedules and Tips

Feeding Schedule for 8, 9, and 10 Month Olds

Feeding Schedule for 11-14 Month Olds

Mega List of Table Foods for Your Baby

Teach Your Child to Self Feed

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You’re going to want to save this, you can get to all the other feeding schedules here as your baby continues to grow!

Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 19 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.