By Jo Lenz, Registered Dietitian (HCPC registered), in conversation with Mulu, founder of V&Me · Published July 2026
At 7 months, a reasonable path is two meals a day with thickening purées and finger foods alongside. By 9 months, three regular meals with genuinely lumpier textures. By 12 months, family foods: normal meals adapted to be low in salt and sugar. Every baby is different and some get there quicker than others, but that is the average path, and it comes with one firm marker: textured foods should be established before the 9 to 10 month mark. Registered dietitian Jo Lenz walked V&Me founder Mulu through exactly this roadmap, because as Mulu put it, some of us are the type that wish there was a guideline for everything.
Why is there so little concrete guidance on this?
Jo gets the confusion. There is just not a lot out there on textures. You can find nice little pictures online about starting with a purée and moving on to mashed, but with no real hard and fast rules those pictures can sometimes actually increase anxiety, because you look at them and think your baby is not at that stage. So treat what follows as a map of the average path, knowing that not all babies follow it exactly, and that how you started weaning, purée first or baby led, shapes the route too.
Free texture progression guide download
A simple guide designed by Jo Lenz, ready to be printed and stuck to the fridge.
7 months: two meals a day, textures thickening
If the first two weeks at 6 months were about getting used to things, by around 7 months a baby who is taking to it well can be progressing up to two meals a day. The purées should be thickening rather than staying smooth, and finger foods should be offered alongside. This is also the stage where lumps start arriving and gagging becomes common, which is normal and lessens with experience. We cover 7 months in detail here.
9 months: three meals, lumps established
By around 8 to 9 months, the reasonable path is three meals a day, and this is the critical checkpoint. In Jo's words, if you delay introducing foods with more texture beyond around the 9 to 10 month mark, we know that children can go on to have more feeding difficulties when they get older. So at 9 months, lumpier textures and finger foods should be a normal part of meals, with variety across the week. Milk is still providing nutrition in between, so it is not only about the amounts going in. Here is our 9 month guide.
12 months: family food
The end goal. Family based foods are just normal meals: normal breakfasts in low sugar varieties, balanced lunches and evening meals, still adapted to be low in salt and sugar for young children. The overall shift is moving away from typical baby foods and purées and onto the meals you would be eating yourself with the rest of the family. Variety is as important as texture, because a baby offered different foods across three meals a day gets an enormous amount of experience of tastes and textures over those six months. More on what family food actually means here.
What if we are behind the map?
Do not panic, and do not go backwards. Progression is gradual thickening, not a jump, and the answer to being behind is to start moving forward now, calmly and with low pressure. Keep smooth foods like yoghurt and fruit purée in the mix, but keep the overall stage advancing. If it feels unmanageable at every meal, get support: your GP or health visitor first, and ideally a paediatric dietitian, who are the most skilled at unpicking feeding difficulties in young children.
How V&Me fits in
Our meals follow this exact path. Cooked fresh every morning in our Battersea kitchen and delivered across London in staged textures, smooth, then lumpy, then bite sized, so what arrives at your door matches where your baby is on the map. See our texture options here.
FAQs
Q: How many meals should a 7 month old have?
A: A baby taking well to weaning can be progressing up to two meals a day by around 7 months, with thickening textures and finger foods alongside.
Q: What should a 9 month old be eating?
A: Around three regular meals a day with lumpier textures and finger foods established, and variety across the week. Textures should not still be smooth at this point.
Q: What is family food for a 12 month old?
A: Normal meals adapted for young children: low salt, low sugar, normal breakfasts and balanced lunches and dinners eaten with the family.
Q: My baby is behind this timeline. Should I worry?
A: Every baby is different and some take longer. Keep progressing gradually rather than stepping back, and get support from your GP, health visitor or a paediatric dietitian if every meal is a struggle.
This article is based on a recorded conversation between Jo Lenz, registered dietitian, and Mulu, founder of V&Me. It is general guidance, not a substitute for individual medical advice. If you are concerned about your baby's feeding, speak to your GP, health visitor or a paediatric dietitian.
Jo Lenz is a registered dietitian with 19 years of experience, including 13 years in the NHS, and has worked with V&Me since it began. V&Me cooks fresh baby and toddler meals every morning in its Battersea kitchen and delivers across London.
