I’m ready to learn how to eat most of the foods you do.
I need your help to learn how to be a good eater and DO IT BY MYSELF!
WHAT
Offer small servings of several foods that are easy for me to eat.
I need soft, tender, and moist foods like cooked vegetables and soft fruits.
I still love to come to the breast to breastfeed but expressed breast milk in a cup is
great too!
HOW
Offer me foods from a small plate or bowl.
I want to choose if I use my fingers or my spoon. Please be patient if I am messy.
Cut my food into small, bite-sized pieces no bigger than your thumbnail.
WHEN
I do best with 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and 2 or 3 snacks. Let’s eat at the same
times every day.
I only need water between meals and snacks. This way I will be hungry – but not too hungry
– when it is time for the next meal or snack. A small amount of juice is fine but no more
than 2 ounces a day. Too much juice will fill my small tummy.
WHERE
Eat with me. I need your help and I learn a lot during family meals.
Stay and talk with me. I’m learning new words every day.
Let me eat at the table with everyone. I need to be safe, sitting up, supported, and if I
have a highchair, buckled in.
Let me decide which and how much of the foods you offer.
Please don’t force me to eat more or less than I want.
Below are examples of meal/snack ideas and portion sizes to serve on my plate.
Here’s what my BREAKFAST might look like...
¼ cup diced kiwi
½ cup breast milk or whole milk
½ slice, cut up whole grain toast
½ cooked, cut up egg
Here’s what my SNACKS might look like...
½ cup dry cereal
½ graham cracker
2 or 3 crackers with cheese
water between meals and snacks
Here’s what my LUNCH might look like...
½ medium sliced banana
½ cup cooked, chopped green beans
¼ cup cooked brown rice
½ cup breast milk or whole milk
Here’s what my DINNER might look like...
¼ cup diced strawberries
½ cup mashed peas
¼ cup cooked whole grain pasta
½ cup breast milk or whole milk
2 tablespoons baked, chopped chicken
Daily Suggested Food Group Amounts
Fruits
2 servings a day
1 serving = ½ cup
(1 cup total)
Cooked or soft, raw fruit.
Mashed, sliced, or chopped.
Offer a variety: red, yellow, orange, blue, and green.
Vegetables
2 servings a day
1 serving = ½ cup
(1 cup total)
Cooked and mashed, sliced, or
chopped veggies.
Offer a variety: dark green, orange, red, yellow, and purple.
Grains
6 servings a day
1 serving = ½ ounce
(3 ounces total)
Bite-sized pieces.
Whole grain bread, tortillas,
rice, or noodles.
Dry or cooked cereal.
Proteins
2 servings a day
1 serving = 1 ounce
(2 ounces total)
Cooked, chopped meat, poultry, or fish.
Eggs.
Cooked, mashed beans, or peas.
Peanut butter.
Dairy
4 servings a day
1 serving = ½ cup
(2 cups total)
Breast milk (at breast or expressed) or whole milk.
Yogurt.
Cheese.
Look what I can do!
I can drink from a small, plastic cup at meals and snacks.
I am learning how to use a spoon.
I love learning how to walk with you.
I may know how to say some words. Please read, talk, and sing to me so I can learn more.
Keep me safe and healthy.
Please DON’T give me foods I could choke on like whole nuts, whole grapes, seeds, hot dogs, or hard candies.
I need check-ups and shots to stay healthy. I should visit the doctor at 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months.
Brush my teeth twice a day with a small, soft toothbrush and water.
