The sample menu below is based on the energy and nutrient recommendations for an average 8-month-old who weighs 19.6 lbs (per FAO/WHO/UNU Energy Requirements).
This is not a personalized plan, so please bear this disclaimer in mind.
Following the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Dietetic Association and World Health Organization we suggest you introduce solid foods one-by-one and for at least a day at a time.
Because of physical differences, growth spurts, or teething, your child may need/want more or less food than what’s proposed. This is completely normal as every child is unique.
The idea is to offer the proposed average amount of food needed and to go from there. If however, you need or want personalized advice or have any concerns related to eating, please speak to your pediatrician or a pediatric nutritionist.
Amounts of breastmilk/formula are approximate for this age, adjusted for the nutrient content of the other meals. As before, if your child wants more or less throughout the day, feel free to feed on demand. The amounts per meal can also be split into multiple meals.
Water
Ideally, you would also give your child ~3-4 oz of water in addition to the below as well. Note that different kinds of food also contain different amounts of water so that will vary with a different menu. Try offering 1-2 oz per solid meal per day but if they don’t drink it all then don’t worry. The priority is to establish healthy eating (and drinking) habits at this stage.
8 Month Old Meal Plan
Breakfast
- 8 oz breastmilk or formula
Lunch – Strawberry Oats (click here for recipe)
- 1.5 tablespoon uncooked oats
- 3 tablespoons water to cook the oats
- ½ cup strawberries
Snack
- 8 oz breastmilk or formula
Dinner – Chicken Broccoli Millet (click here for recipe)
- 1.8 oz chicken, whole, dark and white meat, without skin or bone
- ½ cup broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon uncooked millet
- 2 tablespoons water to cook millet
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
Before bedtime
- 8 oz breastmilk or formula
Wean With Confidence
This is so much more than a recipe book. This is a full weaning plan written by a PhD nutritionist for your child’s entire first year, based on the latest science. This will take away the mental load of wondering if you’re feeding your child the right food. It’s what we wish we had when we were weaning our own children.
Check out all our 8-month-old recipes here.
