It’s exciting, all the new foods available to your baby! He’s advanced past the early days of applesauce, rice cereal, and squash. At 12-18 months, he’s at an age where he can really start participating in family meals. Since he has so many options now, it’s important for you to offer a variety of Healthy Food and Eating choices. Children can be picky eaters at this age, but there are several things you can do to help your baby take an interest in new foods.

Give your baby some of the same food that you’re eating, and be a good role model.¹ If he sees you eating and enjoying a food, he will be more interested in it. Of course, you don’t want to give him a whole chicken breast! Cut foods into bite-sized pieces and only give him an amount that he will be able to finish. You can always offer him more if he’s still hungry.²

Initially, allow him to use his fingers. As he gets older, introduce him to utensils. After an initial introduction, let him use his child-safe utensils on his own. Mary L. Gavin, M.D., offers this advice: “Give your child many opportunities to practice these skills, but lend a hand when frustrations arise.”³ And, try not to worry if there’s a mess! It will take your baby time to learn how to use utensils. So in the meantime, be supportive and remember that he is gaining independence through practice. In addition, by allowing him to practice independent feeding at his own pace, you will also encourage him to take the time to listen to his body’s cues, which tell him whether he’s hungry or full.²

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As new foods are introduced, food allergies continue to be a concern. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “90% of food allergies in children are caused by just six common foods or food groups – milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, and wheat.”⁴ Many other foods can also cause an allergic reaction. Symptom of an allergic reaction range from hives, rash, vomiting, and difficulty breathing to face or tongue swelling. The key is to introduce foods gradually, one new food per day or so,⁵ so that if there’s a problem, you know which food caused it. Talk to your pediatrician for the latest guidelines in introducing potential allergens to your baby.

Another thing to keep in mind as your baby is trying new foods, and especially as new teeth make it possible for him to eat foods that aren’t mashed, is choking prevention.¹ Always cut his food into bite-sized pieces, and start with softer foods, like pasta and bananas, before offering him harder foods such as pears, carrot sticks, meat, etc. You can help him by modeling how to take careful bites and chew thoroughly. Keep in mind, however, that you should always keep an eye on him while he’s eating and stress that eating is something that’s done while sitting down, never while walking around (again, it’s important to model this behavior!).

Finally, remember that a lifetime of healthy eating habits can start at this age.⁶ Take time to create these good habits, such as turning off electronics, trying new foods, eating slowly, using good table manners, and more. You’re also setting the stage for mealtime to be a time of conversation and sharing with your baby.

For more information on toddler eating and nutrition, visit the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Library’s page on Toddlers Nutrition.

Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your baby’s development of these Healthy Food and Eating skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

1. Make meal-time a learning experience. Take the opportunity to talk to your baby about all the new foods he is trying. Ask him how the food looks, tastes, feels, and smells. If he doesn’t have all the words to describe food yet, you can take the first turn, describing one food and then asking him what he thinks about it.
2. Encourage tasting and sharing at snack time. To help encourage your baby to try a new food, pretend to eat (or actually eat) some of his food. Be enthusiastic about it, and say things like “Yummy! I love grapes!” Then, offer some to your baby. After he tries the food, ask him to offer some back to you.
3. Involve your baby in food preparation. Invite him to participate in all parts of the food prep process. Start with gathering ingredients, whether from the supermarket or a garden or farmers market. Talk about all the different foods and what you can make with them. While cooking, look for ways to involve your baby, such as stirring or setting the table. Again, talk about the food you’re preparing, different cooking techniques, etc. Not only will you build his vocabulary, but he may be more likely to try a food he’s helped prepare.
4. Use “smart snacking” techniques.⁸ You may have heard your own parents say, “Don’t eat that, you’ll spoil your appetite!” They were often right. It’s no surprise that children that snack close to mealtime will be less hungry and therefore less interested in what’s on the dinner table. In addition, children that nibble on snacks all day long often don’t learn to tell when they’re truly hungry. At the same time, you don’t want your baby to get too hungry. So, consider timing when offering snacks, perhaps a set time every day that’s an hour or so before mealtime. And, provide healthy snacks, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein sources, such as cheese, yogurt, or nut butter on crackers.

(SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Playful Bee’s Bee Well developmental learning program to give your baby the best start in life. The first 10,000 children enroll for FREE! Sign up today.)

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Healthy Food and Eating developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) she has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Eats a variety of healthy food.
• Controls how quickly she eats.

Sources:

¹Queensland Health (2008). A Healthy Start in Life: A Nutrition Manual for Health Professionals. Queensland Health. Retrieved January 15, 2014, from http://www.health.qld.gov.au/ph/documents/saphs/hsil_full_doc.pdf.

²Gavin, Mary L. (2011). Toddlers at the Table: Avoiding Power Struggles. Kids Health.Retrieved January, 15, 2014 from, http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/staying_fit/toddler_meals.html#.

³Gavin, Mary L. (2011). Feeding Your 1- to 2-Year-Old. Kids Health. Retrieved January 15, 2014, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/feed12yr.html.

⁴Healthy Children. Common Food Allergies. Healthy Children, from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Retrieved January 15, 2014, from http://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Common-Food-Allergies.aspx.

⁵Shroff, Amita (2013). Feed Baby: How to Avoid Food Allergies. WebMD. Retrieved January 15, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/baby-food-nutrition-9/introducing-new-foods.

⁶Alli, Renee A. (2012). Healthy Eating Habits for Your Child. WebMD: Children’s Health.Retrieved January 15, 2014, from http://children.webmd.com/guide/kids-healthy-eating-habits.

⁷Gavin, Mary L. (2011). Nutrition Guide for Toddlers. Kids Health. Retrieved January 15, 2014, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/toddler_food.html#.

⁸Gavin, Mary L. (2012). Snacks. Kids Health. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/snacking.html.

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Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee

Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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