Table 2: Foods, drinks and textures from birth to 1 year
Age Texture Food and drink examples
Birth – around Liquids only Breast milk, infant formula
6 months
Around 6 Mashed, Breast milk, infant formula cooled boiled tap water (as required)
months – 8 progressing to Iron-fortified infant cereals
months minced and lumpy Cooked, finely chopped or pureed meat/chicken/fish, minced
beef/lamb/pork
Mashed tofu/beans/chickpeas
Mashed hard boiled or scrambled egg
Mashed cooked vegetables (e.g. pumpkin, potato, sweet potato,
zucchini, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, spinach). Ensure
these are not mashed together
Mashed soft fruit (e.g. banana, avocado) or cooked fruit (e.g.
apple, pear, apricot)
Rice, risoni, semolina
Yoghurt, custard, cow’s milk in food (not as a drink)
8 months and Grated, diced, Breast milk, infant formula, cooled boiled tap water
beyond chopped, finger Diced tender cuts of meat, pieces of soft cooked meats (e.g.
foods casseroles), lamb cutlets (with bone to chew meat off)
Diced tofu, cooked lentils
Sliced hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs
Pieces of soft cooked vegetables (e.g. potato, pumpkin, sweet
potato, carrot, zucchini, parsnip, green beans, broccoli). Ensure
these are not mashed together
Diced soft fruit (e.g. peach, mango, pear, avocado, melon,
pawpaw)
Grated apple, ripe banana pieces, stone fruit (stones removed),
sliced watermelon
Yoghurt (full fat), custard, cottage/ricotta/cream cheese, grated
cheese
Grain (cereal) foods such as bread, toast, oats, pasta, noodles,
rice, couscous
Cow’s milk in food
12 months Variety of textures Breast milk, cow’s milk as a drink, water
and beyond Casseroles (mildly seasoned), meatballs or rissoles (cut into bite
sized pieces)
Eggs – boiled, poached or scrambled
Canned baked beans (salt reduced)
Continue above vegetables and start adding celery, cucumber,
tomato, capsicum, mushrooms, cooked cabbage, cooked
Brussels sprouts
Continue above fruits and start adding seedless grapes (cut in
quarters with skins removed), orange or mandarin segments
(membrane and pips removed), kiwifruit, pineapple
Cheese sticks or slices, cream cheese
Soft cracker biscuits, pikelets, pasta (differing shapes, noodles
and spaghetti cut up), couscous
Bite-sized sandwiches with moist fillings such as avocado, cream
cheese
Smooth nut paste if centre policy allows
Eating from the regular menu
Table 1: Adapting the menu for infants
Meal Adaptations for infants
0–6 6 months 6–8 months 8–12 months 1–5 years
months Coarsely Lumpy, finely Chopped, finger foods,
Lunch Mornin Breakfa Breast Iron-fortified Iron-fortified infant Choice of: toast fingers Choice of:
st milk or infant cereal cereal with cream cheese, cereals,
infant Drinks: breast Drinks: breast milk, cereal with milk (lumpy porridge,
formula milk, infant infant formula, texture), oats muesli,
(cooled formula, cooled cooled boiled tap Drinks: breast milk, infant wholemeal toast
g tea
Breast Mashed fruit such Chopped soft fruit Fresh fruit platter: Thin Fresh fruit
milk or as banana and such as banana, slices of apple, orange platter: apples,
infant kiwi, cooked kiwi, cooked apple segments (membrane oranges,
formula apple and cooked and cooked pear and pips removed), grapes,
Breast Pureed cooked Finely chopped Prepare regular risotto Baked chicken
milk or chicken cooked chicken recipe and include and vegetable
infant Mashed cooked Roughly mashed pieces of soft cooked risotto
formula pumpkin, carrot, cooked pumpkin, chicken (ingredients:
(cooled zucchini (not carrot, zucchini, Rice chicken,
Aftern
oon
Breast Hummus dip Hummus dip Tzatziki dip (with finely Tzatziki and
tea
milk or Mashed steamed Steamed, finely chopped cucumber) hummus dip,
infant carrot chopped carrot Hummus dip wholemeal pita
formula Drinks: breast Toast fingers Steamed carrot sticks, bread,
snack
Late
Breast Drinks: breast Wholemeal toast Wholemeal toast fingers Wholemeal
milk or milk, infant fingers and cheese and cheese cheese
infant formula, cooled Drinks: breast Drinks: breast milk, infant sandwiches
formula boiled tap water milk, infant formula, cooled boiled Drink: water
