Version June 2024
| Dietary advice |
| Consumption of excessive fluid reduces the intake of solid foods. At mealtimes, offer solids before liquids. (Liquids are filling and provide fewer calories.) |
| Fruit juices should not be offered to children before 12 months of age. After 12 months, give only 100% fruit juice and limit to 4 ounces (120 mL) per day. Limit all sweetened or carbonated beverages. Breast milk, formula, or milk (over 1 year of age) is best. |
| Do not worry if your child wants to eat the same food every day. Variety is not important. Total calories and protein are. |
| Junk foods have little protein and fewer calories than some other food choices. Junk foods will not help growth; they only take up valuable space in the stomach. |
| Offer foods that are easy for your child to handle (eg, cereal, slices of banana, or green beans). |
| Add margarine, mayonnaise, gravies, and grated cheese. For snacks, use cheese, pudding, bananas, or dried fruit. |
| Feeding times |
| Children need to eat often, not constantly. Offer something every 2 to 3 hours, to allow 3 meals and 2 to 3 snacks per day. Avoid snacks right after an unfinished meal. |
| Children work well with schedules. Try to keep mealtimes and snack times about the same each day. |
| Allow 1 hour without food or drink (except water) before a meal to stimulate the appetite. |
| Do not make mealtime too long for your child. (15 minutes is probably long enough for a toddler.) |
| Feeding behavior |
| Try to relax; feeding/eating and mealtimes should be pleasant for everyone. |
| Recognize your child's cues indicating hunger, satiety, and food preferences. |
| You are responsible for deciding what food your child is offered (with consideration for your child's preferences); your child decides how much to eat. |
| Avoid battles over eating. Encourage your child, but avoid forced feeding, threatening, bribing, or punitive approaches. Instead, use positive reinforcement (eg, praise for eating well). |
| Do not withhold food as a form of punishment. |
| Allow your child to feed themself. Try very small amounts at first. Offer seconds later. Expect messiness and be prepared for easy clean-up (bibs, newspaper under high chair, etc). |
| Some babies want to control the spoon - for such babies, use two spoons, one for the baby to control and one for you to use to feed. |
| Feeding environment |
| Try to eat together as a family. Good eating behavior can be modeled, and young children like to mimic older siblings and parents. |
| Limit possible distractions during meals (eg, television). |
| Make sure your child can reach the food. (Use a high chair, booster seat, or small table.) |
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