| Food advice |
| Children who drink a lot may not eat as much food. At mealtimes, give your child food first. (Drinks are filling and have fewer calories.) |
| Fruit juices should not be offered to children before 1 year of age. After 1 year, give only 100% fruit juice and limit to 4 ounces (120 milliliters) per day. Limit all sweetened or carbonated beverages. Breast milk, formula, or milk (for children older than 1 year) is best. |
| Do not worry if your child wants to eat the same food every day. It is more important that he or she gets enough calories and protein. |
| Junk foods often contain a large number of calories from fat or sugar with little dietary fiber, protein, vitamins, or minerals. Junk foods are not a nutritious way to encourage weight gain. |
| Offer foods that are easy for your child to handle (such as 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, but not all the time. Offer something every 2 to 3 hours, to allow 3 meals and 2 to 3 snacks a 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 so your child gets hungry. |
| Do not make mealtime too long for your child. (Fifteen minutes is probably long enough for a toddler.) |
| Feeding behavior |
| Try to relax. Mealtimes should be nice for everyone. |
| Learn how your child acts when he or she is hungry or full. Learn what foods he or she likes. |
| You can choose what food to feed your child, but your child chooses how much to eat. |
| Avoid battles over eating. Do not force, bribe, threaten, or punish your child. Instead, praise your child for eating well. |
| Do not punish your child by not feeding him or her. |
| Allow your child to feed himself or herself. Try very small amounts at first. Offer seconds later. Expect a mess and be ready for easy clean-up (use bibs, newspaper under high chair, etc). |
| If your baby wants to hold the spoon, use 2 spoons. Let your baby hold one, and you use the other to feed your baby. |
| Feeding area |
| Try to eat together as a family so that brothers, sisters, and parents can show a young child what good eating behavior is. |
| Limit things that take your child's attention away from eating, such as television. |
| Make sure your child can reach the food. (Use a high chair, booster seat, or small table.) |
