Baby-led Weaning Meal Ideas for a 10-month baby

Feeding a 10-month-old baby is a wonderful mix of messy curiosity, growing independence, exploration, and learning. In this post, I’ll walk through an example day with my 10-month-old, share what she ate, what she explored (and what ended up on the floor!), and provide baby-led weaning meal ideas for a 10-month baby. I’ll also include a sample 10-month feeding schedule (always subject to change!), along with tips to support a positive feeding environment and a healthy relationship with food right from the start.

Table of Contents

• Sample Feeding Schedule for a 10-Month-Old (Baby-Led Weaning)
• Considerations for Baby-Led Weaning with a 10-Month-Old
• Baby Led Weaning Sample Meal Plan for 10 month old
• Baby Led Weaning Breakfast Ideas For 10 Month Old
• Baby Led Weaning Lunch Ideas for 10 Month Old
• Baby Led Weaning Dinner Ideas for 10 Month Old
• Food modifications for 10 month baby

There are many similarities to the post I made for baby-led weaning ideas for a 9-month old baby, but as the pincer grasp and chewing and feeding skills continue to improve, we've continued to make some changes for meals!

Sample Feeding Schedule for a 10-Month-Old (Baby-Led Weaning)

Everyone's schedules will look a little different. This is the rhythm that works well for us right now. Baby is still getting breastmilk throughout the day, and we aim for 3 meals and sometimes a snack. The meals stay pretty consistent, but the breastmilk feeds often shift day-to-day.

630/7am - Wake up, breastmilk

8/830am - Breakfast with big sis (see below for ideas)

~10am - Breastmilk, nap

~1130am - Sometimes a small snack

1230pm - Lunch

2/230pm - Breastmilk and nap

4/430pm - Sometimes a snack with big sis or breastmilk

530/6pm - Dinner

7pm - Breastmilk and bedtime

Considerations for Baby-Led Weaning with a 10-Month-Old

At 10 months old, many babies are becoming more confident eaters, but they’re still very much in the learning phase. Baby-led weaning at this age is all about offering safe, developmentally appropriate foods and giving your little one the opportunity to explore at their own pace. They are also still learning how to use a spoon and drink from an open cup. So continue to provide opportunities for practicing these skills, but it will likely still be some time before they master these.

Here are a few key things to keep in mind:

Breastmilk or Formula is Still the Primary Source of Nutrition
Even as solids become more consistent, breast milk or formula remains a baby’s main source of nutrition until around 12 months.

Offer Iron-Rich Foods Everyday

At 10 months, babies are growing quickly and iron is a key nutrient to support that growth. Aim to include iron-rich foods each day, offering at least twice a day, served in a safe, age-appropriate way. For examples of iron-rich foods and meal ideas, check out my Iron Foods and Meal Ideas Post Here.

Offer Age-Appropriate, Safe Foods
Foods should still be soft enough to mash between your fingers and cut into shapes that reduce choking risk (like shredding or grating). Your little one has likely developed (or is still developing) their pincer grasp, so you can now begin to offer foods in a smaller size that your baby can pick up with their thumb and forefinger.

Mealtime is Learning Time
At 10 months, babies are refining their pincer grasp, practicing chewing (even without many teeth), and exploring new textures. It’s normal for food to be dropped, squished, or inspected more than eaten. This is how they learn!

Continue to Supervise
Always stay close during meals, and ensure baby is seated upright in a safe high chair. It can be tempting to multi-task and do all the million other things we need to get done while baby is seated in their high chair, but try and sit with your baby during meals and continue to model eating. This supports a calm mealtime experience and supports baby to learn by watching!

Baby Led Weaning Sample Meal Plan for 10 month old

Here’s an example of what I offered my 10-month-old in a day. I've also shared what she ate from what I offered. This is just an example and varies every single day. Just a reminder, every baby is different, and every family is different - so your baby's meals might look very different. This is just meant to provide ideas!

Breakfast for 10 month old baby

Full Fat Cottage Cheese with Shredded Apple & Cinnamon and a Whole Grain Toast Strip with a Thin Layer of Smooth Peanut Butter

Baby ate a few bites of the toast, and loved the cottage cheese with apple and cinnamon! Choose a full fat version as fats are so important. A plain, full-fat yogurt also works well here. I also like to sprinkle some hemp hearts on top which adds a little iron.

Lunch for a 10 month old baby

Rotini Pesto Pasta with Baked Red Pepper and Thinly Sliced Grapes
I made an easy rotini pasta and added pesto, blended in soft lentils for an iron boost, parmesan cheese, and finely diced spinach. I cut the noodles into smaller pieces for easier pick-up with the pincer. I also roasted a red pepper with a little bit of olive oil in the oven until soft, removed the skin, and cut into small pieces. The red pepper was roasted until squishable between my fingers. I quartered some grapes lengthwise and removed the skin.

After!

Snack for 10 month baby

Prune muffin with some shredded apple
I love these Prune & Apple Baby Muffins! I don't always offer a snack, but when my little one sees her big sister having a snack, she likes to join in! I offered baby the muffin as a whole for her to practice taking a bite from, and then I helped break off some small pieces for her to pick up. I also like serving these ABC Muffins for Babies which have iron-fortified cereal added to them!

Dinner for a 10 month old baby

Bean, and Chicken Quesadilla with Avocado
We were having quesadillas for dinner as a family, so I cut one up into small pieces for baby. I also mashed all of the beans in baby's quesadilla and ensured the pieces of chicken were small and smushed a bit. I added a few pieces of avocado and served with some small orange pieces that had the membranes removed.

After! (Quesadilla was a big hit!)

Here are some other meal ideas we love!

Baby Led Weaning Breakfast Ideas For 10 Month Old

1. Oatmeal with hemp hearts and smushed blueberries

2. Plain, full-fat yogurt with banana, hemp hearts, and cinnamon

3. Mini Baby-led Weaning Pancakes

4. Banana chia pudding (will always be one of our favourites!)

5. Quinoa baby cereal with fruit on top

6. Omelette strips with avocado and smushed berries or steamed apple

7. Iron fortified oat cereal with hemp hearts and berries

Baby Led Weaning Lunch Ideas for 10 Month Old

8. Easy curry & apple salmon cakes with small strawberry pieces and soft, steamed cauliflower

9. Cauliflower Tater Tots

10. Quinoa egg muffins with steamed veggies

11. Pita strips with hummus and cucumber

12. Toast strips with Salmon Avocado Mash

13. Meatballs with Tomato Pasta

Baby Led Weaning Dinner Ideas for 10 Month Old

14. Meatballs with Mashed Potato and Small Steamed Broccoli & Carrot

15. Shredded Chicken with Roasted Yam Fries and Roasted Cauliflower Florets

16. Salmon (soft, flaked, check for bones) with avocado and roasted bell pepper

17. Pasta with easy lentil sauce with Raspberries and Avocado

Food modifications for 10 month baby

Here are a few tips for safely modifying foods for a 10 month old baby:

🥑 Foods should still be soft and easily squishable between your thumb and pointer finger. For raw veggies, steam, roast, or cook them until soft to make them safe for baby.

🥑 By 10 months, your baby’s pincer grasp is likely quite good. While some foods can still be served in strips for easy holding, you can serve lots of foods in small pieces to help baby practice picking them up with their thumb and forefinger.

🥑 At this stage, babies are getting better at chewing, but they still need foods that are easy to mash with their gums. Continue to avoid hard, crunchy, or sticky foods, and opt for textures that break down easily in the mouth, like ripe fruits, soft-cooked grains, or tender shredded meats.

I hope you've enjoyed this example day of meals for our 10 month old and additional meal ideas!