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Successfully introducing solid foods to infants and maintaining healthy
eating habits in toddlers are at the forefront of parents' minds, as these can
set the stage for a child's future health. We hope you find these guidelines
helpful. If you are concerned about your child's diet and eating habits, please
call our office.
This section is divided into several areas of general interest. If you'd like
to be directed to a particular area, simply click on the topic below:
Introducing your Baby
to Solid Foods
Why Toddlers can be Fussy Eaters
Setting the Stage for Successful Eating Habits in Toddlers
Portion Recommendations for Toddlers
Pleasing Picky Eaters
Eating Safely
Eating Pitfalls (what not to do)
When to start solid foods
A young infant's menu of breast milk or infant formula
during the first few months of life is a basic and healthy one. The American
Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Nutrition advises that supplemental foods
not be introduced before four to six months. Offering solid foods any earlier
will not make a baby sleep through the night or give up nightly fussing, and it
may cause an allergic reaction or digestive upset.
Signs that a baby is ready to start solid foods
Your baby is ready to start when he/she:
-
Doubles birth weight;
-
Consumes 32 oz. of breast milk or formula every
day;
-
Sits up with little support and turns head when
full;
-
Doesn't keep pushing food out with his/her tongue;
-
Closes lips over a spoon; and
-
Puts things in his/her mouth.
How to start on solid foods
-
Start with rice cereal for the first week. To mix
baby's first cereal, use one teaspoon dry cereal with two tablespoons of
breast milk, formula or water. The mixture should be very thin. As your baby
is able to accept more food, mix dual parts of liquid to dry cereal. Do not
use raw or pasteurized cow's milk to mix cereal. Cow's milk is difficult for
a baby's system to digest until after one year of age.
-
After cereals have been established, you can
introduce either fruits or vegetables, with meats to be introduced last.
Avoid citrus, corn and tomato, as these foods tend to be associated with a
higher incidence of food-based allergies.
-
Introduce foods slowly. Let your baby try each new
food (one-three tablespoons worth) for a week before introducing another.
-
Use a baby spoon and place a small amount (about
1/2 teaspoon) of food on the baby's tongue.
-
Observe for any signs of reaction: diarrhea,
irritability, runny nose, coughing or wheezing or a rash, especially around
the face. If a reaction has occurred, withdraw the food, wait for the
problem to calm down, and try again. If the reaction is severe (shortness of
breath, hives, etc.), call your doctor.
-
Once your baby is taking food from different
groups, you can feed him/her solids twice daily and expand to three times
daily when three or more types of food are part of his/her daily routine. In
addition, daily intake should include about 16-32 oz. of breast milk or
formula.
-
Once your baby has become well acquainted with
solids, you will probably want to offer breast milk or formula after
your baby has had the other foods. You do not want to fill your baby up
before giving her solids!
How much food is enough
Your baby is eating well if he/she shows signs of steady weight gain. Your baby
should be gaining an average of 1/2 pound a month from six months on. At age
8-12 months, your baby needs between 750-900 calories each day, of which 400-500
should come from breast milk or formula (about 24 oz. a day).
When to introduce finger foods
At about eight months, you may want to introduce finger foods. Finger foods for
babies include crunchy toast, well-cooked pasta, small pieces of shredded
chicken, scrambled egg, cereals and chunks of banana. Because it's likely your
baby will swallow without chewing, never offer a young child spoonfuls of
peanut butter, large pieces of raw carrot, nuts, grapes, popcorn, uncooked peas,
celery, hard candies or other hard round foods.
Important things to remember
-
Use a small spoon and feed from a dish.
-
Begin with single-ingredient foods (such as rice
cereal).
-
Introduce one new food at a time. Wait a few days
between new foods.
-
Feed the baby when he/she is hungry, but do not
overfeed.
-
Make meal time fun and smile when you feed your
baby.
-
Respect baby's signals for being full.
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Do not add salt, sugar or other seasonings to food.
-
Always immediately refrigerate an opened jar of
food.
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Throw away food that is left in the refrigerator
more than three days.
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Never leave the baby unattended during meal time.
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Breast milk or formula is still the main source of
nutrition during the first year.
-
Cut table foods into small pieces before feeding to
prevent choking.
Toddlers know that they are a separate person. Testing
limits set by their parents allows toddlers to become independent, capable
members of their families.
Toddlers recognize new people, places and foods as
unfamiliar and possibly dangerous. They need may times of examining and testing
new foods before actually eating them. Once they find an acceptable food, they
may want to eat only that food. These "food jags" are normal and not dangerous
for healthy toddlers.
The growth rate of toddlers is much slower than that of
infants. Their appetites decrease and their food consumption moderates to match
their slower rate of growth.
Parents can help their cautious toddlers become good
eaters of many foods by taking a few simple steps:
-
Have regularly scheduled meal and snack times.
Toddlers need to eat three meals each day with planned snack times about
halfway between meals. Expect children to cooperate with the schedule.
-
Provide child-sized eating utensils and plates or
bowls with deep rims.
-
Position the toddler so that the elbows are at
table height and the feet supported.
-
Turn off the TV and VCR and sit down to eat or keep
company with the toddler; they'll eat better.
-
Avoid fruit juice entirely and limit milk to no
more than 16-24 oz. each day. Large amounts of fruit juice and milk prevent
hunger for other foods and cause diarrhea and iron deficiency anemia.
-
Offer water between snacks and meals to satisfy
thirst. If milk intake is adequate, water is a great choice.
Serving toddlers the right size portions of foods helps
them to be successful eaters by not overwhelming them.
Toddlers have fewer teeth than adults and cannot chew
as well as adults. Young children find moist, soft foods easier to eat. Toddler
appetites and food intake normally vary tremendously from day to day. Try these
tips for picky eaters:
-
Offer foods that have an adequate but not too high
fat content. Fat improves moisture and flavor.
-
Offer new or disliked foods at the same time as a
food your child usually likes.
-
Have bread available at the table in addition to
another starchy food such as pasta or potatoes.
-
Have favorite foods sometimes but not always.
-
Honor your child's preferences in form, texture and
temperature of foods.
-
Make food attractive and interesting through use of
color, sauces, shape and presentation.
-
Toddlers should sit while eating and the feeding
atmosphere should be calm to help avoid choking from excitement and play.
-
Avoid feeding small, hard foods that can cause
choking: nuts, hard candy, jelly beans, popcorn, raw vegetables, seeds,
whole grapes, chunks of meat (especially hot dogs!) or any other food, globs
of peanut butter.
-
Safe snack choices include: sliced fruits or cut-up
pieces with pits removed, cut-up dried fruits, raisins, cooked and cut-up
vegetables, grated or diced cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, crackers.
-
Keep up to date on your CPR training, so you'll
know what to do in the event your child starts choking.
Raising children who are pleasant at the dinner table
and eat a variety of healthy foods do so because:
Parents are responsible for what, when and where the
children eat.
Children are responsible for whether or not to eat and
how much to eat.
Never:
-
Force your child to eat anything or clean his or
her plate.
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Give your child a snack whenever it is demanded.
-
Regularly prepare special food.
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Become your child's short-order cook.
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Urge one more bite on a full child.
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Give food as a bribe or reward.
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Permit your child to behave poorly at the table.
-
Scold messy eating. (Skill in eating improves with
practice.)
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