Feeding Your Little One - A Timeline Overview.

I get ask about the “timing” and “milestones” of feeding babies and children. When and how to transition from one stage of feeding to another? When is it safe to offer certain foods? Is my child’s eating behavior normal for their age?

To answer these questions, I created a breakdown, as to what to expect, in a timeline format of children’s eating behaviors. This information is for “typical” behavior, if you have specific questions please feel free to reach out for information to your unique situation.

A few things to keep in mind about my approach to feeding the little ones: No juice, no processed snacks (only real foods), offer full fat dairy (not too much), the focus is on home made meals and avoiding fast foods, avoid foods with added sugars at any age, make sure to offer the appropriate serving size for child’s age.

Age 0-6M
Exclusive breastfeeding should be the main source of nourishment. Around 5-6M start paying attention to baby’s cues for readiness for solids. Some of these cues include the following: curiously paying attention to parents and others eating, reaching over to grab items and putting them in the mouth, being able to sit upright.

Ages 6-9M
Continue to breastfeed as the main source of nourishment. If your baby has been showing the cues for readiness to eat, you may start offering foods! I highly recommend the baby-led-eating approach (a.k.a baby-led-eating). Allow your baby to sit in meal times with you and the family in an appropriate/safe chair. You can start offering a variety of soft and very small pieces of foods at this point. Some of the best foods to start include the following: Avocado, mashed chickpeas and beans, mashed potatoes, small pieces of other soft foods you may be eating during your family meal, most well cooked wholegrains like brown rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, faro, barley, etc. I discourage parents to offer mashed/blend fruits and vegetables as well as rice cereals as they do not offer any nutritional value to your child and are usually getting their taste buds used to sweet flavors. In other words, you do not need to buy any special baby foods or snacks, just offer what the family is eating. Always be near your child and watch them closely as they start eating solids. You may also start offering a small amount of water in a regular cup, assisting your baby to drink small amounts at meal times.

Ages 9-12M
Building up to what you have been doing during the 6-9M period, start adding more proteins to their diet like eggs and fish. Make sure you are still offering softer foods and on the smaller side, as baby may not be able to chew well yet. This is a great period to offer most of the allergy susceptive foods like eggs and peanut butter. Please avoid offering any dairy at this stage. Continue to breastfeed as the main source of nourishment. Again, no special baby snacks or baby marketed foods needed here!

Ages 12-18M
Your baby may have a couple teeth by this stage, some may have more, this means you can start offering most foods that the family is eating. Building up a healthy eating routine of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a couple of snack in between the meals. If interested, it is safe to start offering dairy and honey at this stage, but not necessary. Continue to breastfeed as the main source of nourishment!

Ages 18-24M
This is the stage at which most parents will notice that their child is loosing interest in eating. This is completely normal as the growth of your little ones usually slows down at this stage and they may need less food. Children are intuitive eaters, and they know better how much foods they need. Also, remember that your child will never starve themselves - they will eat if hungry! This is also the stage parents may start complaining of the child becoming a “picky eater” (not my favorite term to use, but most familiar by all). This is the time to start building up healthy eating habits, as you child becomes more aware of the foods they eat. This is the stage to allow your child to become an intuitive eater, a quality that will serve them great health for the rest of their lives. Continue to breastfeed if your little one is still interested, but this is also the stage when food becomes the main source of nourishment.

Ages 24M-5Y/O
Your little one should be eating from all food groups at this point. Try to create balanced meals as you offer breakfast, lunch, dinner and only 2-3 healthy snacks during the day. Take your kids grocery shopping with you, cook with your kids, teach them about where their foods is coming from (the farm, country of origin, etc). Remember that your role is to offer the meal, your child’s role is to decide if and how much to eat. In other words, never force your child to finish the food on their plate. If your child shows his “picky” side at this stage, which is completely normal for some children to have likes and dislikes about certain foods, make sure to offer healthy options therefore you create “healthy picky eaters.” It is also common for children of this age not want to eat fish or meat. There are plenty of healthy protein options that you may offer instead, some include the following: beans, lentils, eggs, full fat Greek yogurt and cheeses, etc.

Ages 5Y/O and beyond
Most of children’s early childhood eating habits will continue into their teens. This is the reason it is important to build up great eating habits from the start!

If you have more questions or any concerns about your unique situation, please reach out, I will be happy to help!