Mealtime and achieving food milestones can be a stressful time for many families, especially for those whose kids demonstrate difficulty consuming a variety of flavors and textures. Instead of stressing over consuming those calories and pumping on the weight, take time to relax and enjoy a meal. Take away the stressors from your day and use mealtimes as an opportunity to bond with your little one. There is great variety in the development of infants and toddlers due to differences in the rate of physical and mental development as well as how often these skills are promoted by caregivers. As children develop their preferences for different foods (tastes & textures), they learn to accept or reject specific foods, which is OKAY!
The old mother’s tale “you can’t get up until you finish your peas” has proven to be an ineffective way to have children smoothly go through the realm of trying different foods. Instead of “forcing” your child to eat different foods, give them options…”you can eat 5 or 6 peas…you pick!” Give great verbal praise despite how big of a gain the child has made that meal.
Please see the developmental chart below that guides you through a variety of food milestones while providing ideas on how to keep mealtime positive!
Age
Strategies and foods that should be introduced
Tips and Tricks
Birth-2 months
Nipple feeding by breast or bottle
Semi-reclined position during feeding
Foods:
Breast milk or formula (approx. 18-28 ounces)
Sing songs or tell stories while you feed your infant, build a rapport
2-3 months
Start forming a consistent schedule
Foods:
Breast milk or formula (approx. 25-32 ounces)
Make silly faces with your infant, make meal time a reciprocal relationship
3-4 months
Infant starts to put hands on bottle during feedings
Foods:
Breast milk or formula (approx. 28-39 ounces)
˷4 mo, rice cereal trials
Always avoid television or electronics during meal time, practice songs or rhymes
Have your infant sitting at the table during adult meal times
5-6 months
Start to introduce pureed spoon feeds
Tongue will continue to “mash” the food to consume
Foods:
Breast milk or formula (approx. 27-45 ounces)
Overly ripe fruits/vegetables
Oatmeal
Rice or wheat cereal
Puree a food that you are having for dinner to make it easier with food preparation
6-9 months
Moves to a more upright position during feeds
Helps caregiver with moving spoon to mouth
Foods:
Breast milk or formula (approx. 24-32 ounces)
Sweet potato mash
Cottage cheeses
Puff cereal bites
Encourage infant to hold bottle independently
Think of a variety of different flavors to introduce, even mix flavors based off babies preference
Take small trials of foods from your plate to give baby to try
9-12 months
Progresses from pureed to more textured food
Increases finger feeding
Introduction of straw based cup or open cup
Moves to a more “munching” formation with jaw and tongue
Foods:
Breast milk or formula (approx. 24 ounces)
Egg-free noodles
Variety of fruit/vegetables
Mild cheese slices
Offer new foods without the expectation of eating the food (he/she can poke, smell, lick, etc)
Always offer small portions on a child sized bowl or plate (don’t overwhelm)
12-18 months
Grasps utensils and self-feeds
Complete transfer from bottle to straw based cup or open cup
Foods:
White potato mash
Chicken
Beef
Beets
Offer foods of different textures: pudding, soup, crackers, mashed sweet potatoes, etc
Have child come with you to the store to pick out their “special cup” to encourage discontinued use of nipple based bottle
18-24 months
Primarily self-feeding
Able to chew different textures and flavors
Foods:
Eggs
Lentils
Beans
Cantaloupe
Never ask a child “Do you want ____” because you will have to respect if they say “no”
24-36 months
Holds open cup independently
Eats a wide variety of solid foods
Foods:
Cleared to try any food
Have your toddler “get messy” with their food, spread the different textures on their hands, face, or even nose
Continuum into childhood
Continue to use choices to give your child the “control” during mealtimes
Have your child participate in mealtime prep as much as possible
Remember, mealtime goals shouldn’t be about consumption, but about a positive experience for the child. Always consult your pediatrician about diet concerns or questions.
1998, The American Dietetic Association. “Pediatric Manual of Clinical Dietetics”. 1998.
https://www.nspt4kids.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Blog-Food-Milestones-FeaturedImage.png186183Lora Collisonhttps://nspt4kids.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/nspt_2-color-logo_noclaims.pngLora Collison2016-06-23 05:30:052016-07-01 09:51:33Food Milestones: From Mashin’ to Munchin’
difficulty consuming a variety of flavors and textures. Instead of stressing over consuming those calories and pumping on the weight, take time to relax and enjoy a meal. Take away the stressors from your day and use mealtimes as an opportunity to bond with your little one. There is great variety in the development of infants and toddlers due to differences in the rate of physical and mental development as well as how often these skills are promoted by caregivers. As children develop their preferences for different foods (tastes & textures), they learn to accept or reject specific foods, which is OKAY!