A Pediatric Dietitian’s Guide to Resetting Your Baby’s Feeding Routine After the Holidays

Happy New Year! Did the holidays feel like a total whirlwind? This season is often filled with joy, family, and friends (likely fawning over the new babies of the family!), but it can also be a time when schedules are off and routines have gone out the window. Did you have a seemingly endless supply of cookies and candy at the grandparents'? Or maybe a few cousins running around, eager to offer their crackers or popcorn? Yup, me too!

January can bring a lot of noise about getting “back on track.” But babies don’t need a fix. They don’t need a “cleanse". And nothing needs undoing. A feeding reset isn’t about starting over, it’s about gently returning to habits that help meals feel calmer, more predictable, and easier to enjoy. Many parents wonder, “Do babies need a feeding routine?” or worry if a baby feeding routine feels off after the holidays, and the answer is often much simpler than it sounds.

Whether you’re just starting solids, well into the process, or somewhere in between, this is an invitation to reset with simplicity, flexibility, and confidence.

Why your baby’s feeding routine might feel off after the holidays

After the holidays, I often hear parents worry that meals weren’t “on time” or “balanced enough.” As pediatric dietitians, this is one of the most common concerns we hear every January. Let’s pause right there. Feeding is not about perfection. Flexibility, shared traditions, and joyful food experiences are also part of healthy eating.

It’s very common for parents to search how to get a baby back into a feeding routine after travel, holidays, or busy family gatherings. But it is important to keep in mind that what babies benefit from most isn’t a strict schedule, it’s predictability. Familiar rhythms that help them recognize when eating is coming, even if the timing isn’t exact.

A pediatric dietitian’s top 5 tips for your baby’s feeding routine in the new year

Small habits can make mealtimes with your baby feel more calm. Here are a few simple tips that can make a surprisingly big difference, especially after a busy season.

Tip 1: Focus on predictable mealtimes, not a perfect schedule

When routines feel off, returning to predictable mealtimes can help babies feel more settled around food, even if the timing isn’t exact.

A gentle reset might look like:

• Returning to regular meal and snack windows, such as breakfast after waking, lunch after the morning nap, or dinner before the bedtime routine.
  

• Offering meals in a familiar spot again (high chair, booster, or table) so your baby’s body starts to recognize, oh, this is where eating happens.
  

• Pairing meals with simple cues: washing hands, buckling in, sitting down together.
  
  

If you’ve already started solids, you might try offering food around the same time you eat, whatever that looks like in your home. That could be a taste of eggs or oatmeal at breakfast, lentil soup at lunch, or sweet potato purée, soft vegetables, or flaked fish at dinner. Purées, finger foods, or a mix all count.

This isn’t about creating a rigid schedule. It’s about easing back into a rhythm that feels supportive for you and your baby. If you’ve ever wondered how strict a baby feeding routine should be, this balance, predictable but flexible, is what most babies respond to best.

Tip 2: Offer water at meals as part of your baby’s feeding routine

Once your baby is eating solids regularly (around 6 months and up), offering a few sips of water at meals is a supportive habit. This routine can be a small signal and reminder to baby that it’s mealtime.

How offering water at meals supports early eating skills

• It supports oral skills: learning to sip, swallow, pause.
  

• It helps keep your baby hydrated and can prevent constipation.
  
  

Some days the cup will be ignored. Other days it’ll be the star of the show. Either way, keep on offering regular opportunities to practice.

Tip 3: Sit with your baby at meals when you can

You don’t need a picture-perfect family meal. You don’t need to eat the same food. But when possible, sitting with your baby, even for a few minutes, can shift the entire tone of a meal.

When babies see us sit, pause, and eat:

• They’re more likely to stay engaged.
  

• They learn that eating is a shared, social experience.
  

• They observe how utensils are used and food is explored.
  
  

Real life doesn’t always allow for long, leisurely meals. Maybe you’re juggling work, siblings, or a sink full of dishes. Even sitting down for the first few bites before jumping back into your day can make a meaningful difference. Connection doesn’t require a chair pulled up for the entire meal.

Tip 4: Make repeat exposure part of your routine this year

If you’re feeling behind because you haven’t introduced a wide variety of foods yet, take a breath. Babies don’t need novelty at every meal. In fact, repeat exposure is one of the most powerful tools we have.

Offering the same foods again and again:

• Helps babies become familiar with flavors and textures.
  

• Supports acceptance over time.

• Takes pressure off both of you.
  
  

What repeat exposure looks like in real life

A food that’s ignored today might be tasted next week. A scrunched nose can turn into a request for more. And exposure absolutely counts even if the food isn’t swallowed. Touching, smelling, smearing, squishing, it’s all part of learning to eat.

Tip 5: Build your baby's feeding routine around immune boosting foods

Winter is actually a lovely season for baby foods, soft textures, cozy dishes, and nutrient-dense options that fit naturally into family meals.

Here are a few simple categories to focus on:

Iron- and zinc-rich foods to include in a baby feeding routine

Babies’ iron needs are high, and winter meals make it easier to offer iron-rich foods in soft, comforting ways. Zinc supports growth, appetite regulation, and immune health, especially helpful during cold and flu season.

Winter-friendly options include:

• Shredded or minced beef, lamb, turkey, or chicken mixed into mashed vegetables or grains.
  

• Lentils (red lentils are especially soft and quick-cooking).
  

• Beans (smashed with olive oil or blended into spreads).
  

• Eggs (scrambled, omelet strips, or baked into muffins).
  

• Iron-fortified cereals mixed with breast milk, formula, milk, or yogurt.
  

• Nut butters, thinly spread or stirred into foods. A spoon of yogurt with nut butter swirled in can be a quick, zinc-rich addition to breakfast or snack.
  
  

Vitamin C foods that support iron absorption

Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron and supports immune health.

• Citrus fruits (orange segments, mandarins, grapefruit sections).
  

• Kiwi, mashed or diced into small pieces.
  

• Frozen berries, thawed and mashed into yogurt or oatmeal.

• Sweet potatoes and winter squash.
  

• Steamed broccoli or cauliflower, served soft.
  
  

Frozen fruits and vegetables are a wonderful option this time of year—nutritious, convenient, and often more affordable.

Simple meal ideas that support a baby feeding routine

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with pear purée and a small swirl of peanut butter. Water is offered in a cup.
  

• Lunch: Thickened, low-sodium lentil soup with soft carrots and shredded chicken. A dollop of yogurt or crème fraîche if desired. Baby sits with you while you eat.
  

• Dinner: Sweet potato, broccoli florets, and flaked salmon or beans, foods that can appear again later in the week.
  
  

A reminder about baby feeding routines over time

Just a gentle reminder that a few weeks of holiday eating won’t disrupt a baby’s ability to eat well long term. Babies learn to eat through repetition, predictable routines, and responsive caregiving, not perfectly timed or perfectly balanced meals.

When familiar rhythms return, babies naturally adapt. What supports healthy eating over time is steady exposure to foods, calm adult presence at meals, and regular opportunities to practice eating skills.

From a nutrition perspective, the habits that matter most are often the simplest: offering meals in a familiar place, including iron- and zinc-rich foods regularly, sitting with your baby when you can, and letting appetite guide how much is eaten.

Starting the year strong doesn’t require a full reset. It’s about returning to small, supportive habits that make feeding feel manageable, nourishing, and predictable, for you and your baby. If you’re searching for how to reset your baby’s feeding routine without a strict schedule, these small, consistent habits are usually more than enough.

 

 

Written by Catharine Seiler RD

Pediatric Dietitian & Advisor at Bébé Foodie
Catharine Seiler is a pediatric dietitian with over 14 years of experience in both clinical and outpatient settings. She’s worked at Boston Children’s Hospital and now supports families daily at Lexington Pediatrics. At Bébé Foodie, Catharine lends her expertise to help parents feel confident about nutrition, from growth concerns to picky eating and food allergies. As a mom of two, she brings both professional insight and a real-life understanding of what feeding kids actually looks like.