Healthy Eating Strategies for Babies and Toddlers
Remember: Meals are about more than food. They are a time to connect with your child and support her overall development. Talk with your child during meals and don’t let her eat alone.- Create routines around mealtime. Routines make children feel loved and secure. They also help children look forward to each meal.
- Establish regular meal and snack times beginning when your child is 9-12 months old. When your child shows he is hungry, you might say: “You’re hungry, aren’t you? Well then, it’s time to eat!” This helps children learn to link their feelings of hunger with the act of eating at regular times during the day.
- Offer 3-4 healthy food choices at each meal. Research shows that children will choose a healthy diet when they are offered a selection of healthy foods.
- Don’t force your baby or toddler to eat. This often results in children refusing food and eating less.
- Offer your child a healthy snack between meals if you think she is hungry.
- Limit juice to no more than 4 ounces a day. Juice has a lot of sugar and drinking too much can fill children up and make them less hungry at mealtimes. Offer fresh fruit instead of juice.
- Be flexible about letting young children get up from the table when they are finished. Babies and toddlers can’t sit for long. Plan three meals a day of about 10-20 minutes each and 2 to 3 snacks of about 5-15 minutes.
- Turn off the TV, computer and other “screens” at mealtime. Television can distract children from eating and takes away time from talking and connecting with each other.
- Don’t give up on new foods! Be patient- you may have to offer a new food 10-15 times before your child will try it. Let him see you eat it. Children learn by watching and imitating you.
