Baby Food Portion Calculator. How Much to Feed by Age & Weight

🍽️ Calculate Portion Sizes

Enter your baby's age and weight. We give you exact tablespoon and katori amounts for lentils, rice, vegetables, fruits. Also more.

Step-by-Step Guide

How this tool actually helps

Five quick steps to get a realistic portion plan for your baby.

1
Enter your baby's age in months
Anywhere from 6 to 24 months. We do not cover before 6 months because exclusive breastfeeding or formula is recommended till 6 months. No solid food calculation needed.
2
Enter weight in kilograms
From your last GP check. We compare against WHO weight-for-age standards and adjust portion suggestions slightly if your baby is on the lower or higher end.
3
Pick gender
WHO growth standards differ slightly by gender. We use the right reference for boys and girls.
4
Choose feeding type
Still breastfeeding, exclusively formula, mixed, or weaning off milk feeds. This adjusts the solid food calorie target. Breastfed babies at 8 months need less solid food than fully weaned babies.
5
Click Calculate
You get daily calorie target from solids, number of meals plus snacks, exact portion sizes for Australian foods (lentils, rice, vegetables, fruits, yoghurt, ricotta, eggs), recommended texture, and a sample Australian meal plan for the day.

💡 A small piece of advice from one mum to another

I spent the first three months of weaning my daughter convinced she was starving. She would eat two spoons of porridge and turn her face away. I would chase her around the room with the bowl. Eventually my in-laws (after the third panicked phone call) said something I now repeat to every new mum: a baby who is not eating is not hungry. A baby who is hungry will eat. Trust her stomach. It is smarter than your spreadsheet.

⚠️ This is not medical advice

These numbers are from WHO and NHMRC general guidelines — useful for the everyday cooking question. They are not a substitute for your GP who knows your specific baby. For any concerns about weight gain, refusal to eat, or feeding difficulties, the doctor wins.

How This Works

The actual feeding science, explained simply

Why two tablespoons at 8 months, why three meals at 9, where these numbers actually come from.

Where the calorie numbers come from

The daily calorie targets are from WHO Complementary Feeding Guidelines and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) infant feeding recommendations. Both organisations have studied infant nutrition for decades. The numbers are not made up. They come from measuring what well-nourished babies of various ages actually consume.

Daily calorie target from solids (not including milk)

6-8 months: 200-300 kcal/day

9-11 months: 300-400 kcal/day

12-23 months: 500-900 kcal/day

Solid food calories steadily increase as breast milk or formula intake decreases.

Why we ask for your baby's weight

Two babies of the same age can be quite different. A chubby 9-month-old needs more food than a small one. Body weight is the best predictor of calorie needs after age. Roughly 80-90 kcal per kg of body weight per day for active babies in this age range.

We compare your baby's weight against WHO weight-for-age standards (50th percentile reference). If your baby is significantly above or below average, we gently nudge portions up or down. This is just a starting point. Your baby is the final authority. If she stops eating, the meal is over.

Why feeding type matters

An exclusively breastfed 8-month-old already gets around 400-500 kcal from breast milk. So her solid food only needs to provide another 200-300 kcal. A fully weaned 8-month-old gets nothing from breast or formula and needs the full target from solids.

Approximate breast milk / formula contribution by age

6 months: 500-600 kcal from milk

9 months: 400-450 kcal from milk

12 months: 300-400 kcal from milk

18 months: 200-300 kcal from milk

24 months: 100-200 kcal from milk

Why we count meals AND snacks separately

Baby stomachs are small (roughly the size of their fist at this age). Trying to fit a full day's calories into 3 large meals does not work. WHO recommends:

Meals + snacks structure

6-8 months: 2-3 meals + 0-1 snack

9-11 months: 3-4 meals + 1-2 snacks

12-23 months: 3-4 meals + 1-2 snacks

Snacks are not chips or biscuits. Snack = small portion of fruit, yoghurt, ricotta cubes, mini soft snack, or flatbread pieces.

Australian portion sizes. Tablespoons and katoris

Australian feeding traditions use spoons and small steel bowls (katoris) rather than grams and calories. We convert WHO recommendations into these familiar units.

What we mean by these units

1 tbsp (tablespoon) = standard Australian dining spoon, about 15 ml

1 small katori = small steel vati, holds 100-150 ml when full

"Half katori lentils-rice" = about 75 ml or 4-5 tbsp of cooked, slightly mashed food

If you are unsure, just use the spoon and bowl you have. Approximate is fine.

Texture progression. Purees to family food

Texture matters as much as quantity. Stuck-on purees at 12 months means your baby will not learn to chew and may reject lumpy food permanently. Move texture forward gradually.

6-7 mThin smooth purees. Like custard, runs off the spoon

7-8 mThick purees. Like soft snack batter, stays on the spoon

8-10 mLumpy mashes. Fork-mashed, with finger foods alongside

10-12 mSoft chopped. Small pieces of soft food, self-feeding starts

12-24 mFamily food. Same food as everyone else, just less spicy

What about salt, sugar, and butter?

This is where Australian feeding wisdom and modern pediatrics actually align well.

Salt and sugar

Before 1 year: No added salt. Baby kidneys cannot process it.

Before 1 year: No added sugar. Builds bad taste preferences early.

After 1 year: Salt in small amounts is fine. Sugar best minimised throughout childhood.

Butter. The Australian exception

From 6-8 months: 1/4 to 1/2 tsp per meal

From 9-12 months: 1/2 to 1 tsp per meal

Butter is excellent for baby brain development (cholesterol is essential at this age) and helps with calorie density when stomachs are tiny. Australian mums have known this for centuries.

Foods to avoid before age 1

❌ Honey. Botulism risk before age 1 (yes, even pure organic honey)

❌ Cow milk as a drink. Fine in cooking. Not as a beverage before 12 months.

❌ Whole nuts, grapes, hard fruits. Choking hazard. Pureed almond or grape is fine.

❌ Raw or runny egg. Risk of salmonella. Cook till firm.

❌ Added salt and sugar. See card 7 above.

❌ Packaged baby foods with preservatives. Fresh home-cooked is far better.

❌ Citrus fruits in large quantities. Small amounts of orange or lime fine after 8 months.

❌ Very spicy food. Chillies, raw onion, raw garlic. Mild masala fine after 10 months.

Reading hunger and fullness cues

Trust your baby. Babies are born knowing how much they need. Adult-style "finish your plate" feeding teaches them to ignore their own hunger and fullness signals. Which becomes a lifelong problem.

Hungry signs

Opens mouth when food approaches

Reaches for the spoon or food

Leans forward, makes eager sounds

Full signs (this is a NO)

Turns head away

Closes mouth and clamps lips

Pushes the spoon back, throws food

Gets fussy, looks elsewhere

When you see fullness signs, the meal is over. Even if "just one more spoon" feels right to you.

FAQ

Things parents actually ask

My 8 month old only eats 2 tablespoons of lentils at lunch. Should I be worried?

Two tablespoons is actually in the normal range for an 8 month old. The portion sizes here are upper limits, not requirements. Babies are remarkably good at self-regulating intake. If your baby is gaining weight on the growth chart, has wet diapers 6+ times a day, and is meeting milestones, you are doing fine. Watch your baby, not the spoon.

What if my baby refuses solid foods entirely?

Completely normal at 6-8 months when starting out. It takes 10-15 exposures to a new food before a baby accepts it. Do not force, do not turn meals into wars. Continue breastfeeding or formula as the main nutrition source. That is enough until 1 year. Offer 1-2 spoons of solids at meal times calmly. Babies are programmed to accept new tastes through repeated calm exposure, not through pressure.

My baby is below the average weight for age. Do I increase portions?

Not without speaking to your GP first. Being below 50th percentile is not automatically a problem. Many healthy Australian babies sit around the 25th-50th percentile. What matters is the trajectory on the growth chart, not the absolute weight. If weight has dropped percentiles consistently or your baby seems lethargic, see your GP. Just stuffing more food into a baby who is not hungry does not work and can make feeding stressful.

How do I know if my katori is the right size?

A standard Australian small steel katori (vati) holds roughly 150-200 ml when full. We mean about half-full (75-100 ml of food) when we say one katori. For a 12 month old, a half katori of lentils-rice mush is a reasonable lunch portion. For a 2 year old, a full katori. Tablespoon means an Australian dining tablespoon (about 15 ml), not a measuring tablespoon.

Why does my baby eat so much one day and almost nothing the next?

Welcome to baby feeding. Babies have wildly variable appetites based on growth spurts, teething, illness, sleep, and just toddler logic. A baby might eat enough for a small army on Tuesday and then mostly snack on air for the next three days. This is normal. Look at total intake across a week, not within a single day. If they ate well three days out of seven, they are fine.

Do these portions include breast milk or formula feeds?

No. These are solid food portions on top of continued breastfeeding or formula feeds. At 6-8 months, breast milk or formula is still the main nutrition. At 9-12 months, solids contribute roughly half the calories. After 12 months, solids become the main source and milk becomes complementary. The calorie numbers we show are for solid foods only.

What about water? How much should my baby drink?

Before 6 months: no water needed, breast milk or formula has enough. 6-9 months: 100-200 ml total water per day during/after solid meals. 9-12 months: 200-400 ml total. After 12 months: 500-800 ml depending on weather and activity. In Australian summers, increase by 200 ml. Watch the urine. Pale yellow means hydrated, dark yellow means more water needed.

Should I give my baby salt and sugar?

No salt before 1 year. Baby kidneys cannot process it. No added sugar before 1 year either. After 1 year, salt is fine in small amounts (skip processed foods like chips and biscuits). Sugar is best minimised even after 1 year. Australian sweets, unrefined sugar in moderation, ripe fruits as the primary sweet. The taste preferences you build in the first 2 years stay for life. Build them carefully.

My doctor said to give multivitamins. Should I follow that?

Follow your GP's advice. Most pediatricians prescribe vitamin D drops from birth (we cannot produce enough indoors), and iron supplementation from 6 months for breastfed babies (breast milk iron drops sharply by 6 months). Some prescribe a multivitamin if intake is variable. These supplement, not replace, real food. Do not skip food because you gave the syrup.

Is this calculator a substitute for my GP?

No, absolutely not. This is a portion guide based on WHO and NHMRC recommendations to give you a sense of normal ranges. Your GP knows your baby's specific growth, medical history, and family situation. For any concerns about feeding, weight, or milestones, the GP's advice always wins. We are useful for the everyday how-much-should-I-cook question. Not for clinical decisions.

Healthcare in Australia

How baby feeding guidance works in Australia

Australian pediatric care runs through a mixed public-private system. Medicare covers GP visits and public ED visits. Many families also have private health insurance for faster specialist access. Your first call for after hours fever or illness is typically Healthdirect on 1800 022 222. Free, 24/7 nurse line. The Maternal and Child Health Nurse system is one of the best in the world. Free and accessible. Royal Childrens Hospital Melbourne, Westmead in Sydney, Queensland Childrens, Perth Childrens. These are the specialty ED centres for serious cases. For rural and remote families, telehealth through 13Health in Queensland or HealthDirect federally is critical. Royal Flying Doctor Service covers the genuinely remote stuff.

📞 Emergency contacts in Australia

In Australia, call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222 for free 24/7 health advice. For emergencies, call 000. Maternal and Child Health Nurses (free in most states) help during business hours. Your GP is the first point of contact. The Tresillian Parent Helpline (1300 272 736) also handles concerns about babies.

Context for Australian families

What Australian mums actually deal with

Aussie mums tend to be pragmatic about baby illness. Cultural default leans toward "she will be right." Combined with reasonable access to nurses and GPs, this generally works. The Maternal and Child Health Nurse system is a treasure of the Australian health system. Use it without hesitation. Telehealth normalised during COVID and stayed normalised, which is genuinely useful. The unique Aussie concerns are bushfire smoke season and extreme summer heat. Babies are more vulnerable to air quality than adults. Sun and heat exposure can cause apparent fever via overheating. Always check core temperature properly (rectal or under-arm thermometer), not just the forehead, especially in summer.

More FAQs for Australia

Australian-specific questions

What does my Maternal and Child Health Nurse cover on solids?

Your MCHN handles introduction of solids comprehensively. At the 6 month check, they assess your babys readiness signs (head control, sitting with support, interest in food, lost tongue thrust). They provide written guidance on age-appropriate foods, textures, portion sizes, and progression. They support both BLW and puree approaches. They can refer to community dietitian for free if there are concerns. The MCHN service is free and available across all states (called MCHN in Victoria, Child Health Nurse in NSW, etc.). Make use of this excellent service.

When should I introduce allergens according to ASCIA?

ASCIA (Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy) strongly recommends introducing common allergens (peanut, tree nut paste, egg, dairy, wheat, soy, fish, sesame) from 6 months, NOT delayed. The ASCIA Infant Feeding Advice document (free online) is comprehensive. For babies with severe eczema or family history of food allergy, ASCIA recommends introduction earlier (around 4 months) with allergist guidance. Peanut introduction has been shown to reduce peanut allergy risk by 80 percent when done early. Whole nuts are choking hazards until age 5. Use smooth peanut butter mixed with formula or yogurt.

Are NHMRC guidelines different from American AAP guidelines?

Mostly aligned, with some differences. NHMRC and AAP both recommend around 6 months for solids, both recommend introducing allergens early, both emphasize iron-rich foods. Australian guidance is slightly more explicit about Baby Led Weaning as a valid approach. American guidance is more cautious about choking risks of BLW. Australian guidance includes specific food safety advice for the Australian environment (e.g., raw fish from local waters, kangaroo meat). For most parents, the Royal Childrens Hospital Melbourne fact sheets are the most practical Australian resource and align with NHMRC.

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