How many meals a day and in what amounts should I give when introducing solid foods?
Applies to age: 5–24 months
In short
WHO says: 2–3 meals a day at 6–8 months of age and 3–4 meals a day at 9–23 months of age, with 1–2 snacks as required. Start with small amounts and increase them gradually.
What is normal
Some claims: international norm
- The number of meals increases with age: 2–3 meals a day for infants 6–8 months of age and 3–4 meals a day at 9–23 months of age, with 1–2 additional snacks as required.
Source: WHO · international norm – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
increase the number of times that the child is fed: 2–3 meals per day for infants 6–8 months of age and 3–4 meals per day for infants 9–23 months of age, with 1–2 additional snacks as required;
WHO · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- From 6 months, start with small amounts of food and increase them gradually as the child gets older.
Source: WHO · international norm – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
start at 6 months with small amounts of food and increase gradually as the child gets older;
WHO · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- Feeding should be responsive: the parent recognizes the child's signs of hunger and fullness and responds to them.
Source: WHO · international norm – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
practise responsive feeding: recognizing and responding to signs of hunger and fullness;
WHO · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- Around 6 months, an infant's need for energy and nutrients starts to exceed what breast milk provides, so complementary foods are necessary.
Source: WHO · international norm – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Around the age of 6 months, an infant’s need for energy and nutrients starts to exceed what is provided by breast milk, and additional (complementary) foods are necessary to meet those needs.
WHO · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- After 6 months of age, the mother should keep breastfeeding, usually 6–8 times a day, to ensure enough milk (this is the number of breastfeedings, not complementary meals).
Source: gov.pl – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Żeby zapewnić odpowiednią ilość mleka, dalej powinnaś karmić niemowlę zwykle 6-8 razy na dobę.
gov.pl · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
- After the first year of life, the number of breastfeedings falls to 3–5 times a day.
Source: gov.pl – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Gdy dziecko ukończy pierwszy rok życia, liczba karmień jest niższa: do 3 – 5 razy na dobę.
gov.pl · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
The sources in our registry do not say when to see a doctor.
international norm “International norm” next to a section heading means its claims come from a non-Polish source, because no Polish source in our registry covers this topic. When this applies to only some of the claims, the foreign ones carry the same label next to their source.
Sources
- WHO (who.int)License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. Source: WHO (who.int). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original. WHO does not endorse this site or its content.
- gov.pl – serwisy Ministerstwa Zdrowia i GISLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: gov.pl – serwisy Ministerstwa Zdrowia i GIS. Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.