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I’m ready to learn how to eat most of the foods you do.
I need your help to learn how to be a good eater and DO it by myself!
What
- Offer small servings of several foods that are easy for me to eat.
- I need soft, tender, and moist foods like cooked vegetables and soft fruits.
- I still love to come to the breast to breastfeed but expressed human milk in a cup is great too!
How
- Offer me foods from a small plate or bowl.
- I want to choose if I use my fingers or my spoon. Please be patient if I am messy.
- Cut my food into small, bite-sized pieces no bigger than your thumbnail.
When
- I do best with 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and 2 or 3 snacks. Let’s eat at the same times every day.
- I only need water between meals and snacks. This way I will be hungry – but not too hungry – when it is time for the next meal or snack.
Where
- Eat with me. I need your help, and I learn a lot during family meals. Our time together is special. I feel so loved when you pay attention to me.
- Let me eat at the table with everyone else. I need to be safe, sitting up, supported, and buckled in a highchair.
Offer me a variety of foods and let me decide how much and whether or not I eat the foods you offer.
Please don’t force me to eat
more or less than I want.
Offer me a variety of foods and let me decide how much and whether or not I eat the foods you offer.
Please don’t force me to eat
more or less than I want.
Here are some examples of what meal and snack portion sizes might look like on my plate.
Breakfast
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¼ cup diced kiwi
½ slice, cut up whole grain toast
½ cooked, cut up egg
½ cup human milk or whole milk
Lunch
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½ medium, sliced banana
½ cup cooked, chopped green beans
¼ cup cooked brown rice
½ cup human milk or whole milk
Snacks
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½ cup dry cereal
2 to 3 whole grain crackers with cheese
½ cup chopped blueberries
water between meals and snacks
Dinner
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¼ cup diced strawberries
½ cup mashed peas
¼ cup cooked whole grain pasta
2 tablespoons baked, chopped chicken
½ cup human milk or whole milk
Daily Suggested Food Group Amounts
Fruits
½ – 1 cup a day
Cooked or soft, raw fruit.
Mashed, sliced, or chopped.
Offer a variety: red, yellow, orange, blue, and green.
Vegetables
2/3 – 1 cup a day
Cooked and mashed, sliced, or chopped veggies.
Offer a variety: dark green, orange, red, yellow, and purple.
Grains
1 ¾ – 3 ounces a day
Bite-sized pieces.
Whole grain bread, tortillas, rice, or noodles.
Dry or cooked cereal.
Grains
1 ¾ – 3 ounces a day
Bite-sized pieces.
Whole grain bread, tortillas, rice, or noodles.
Dry or cooked cereal.
Proteins
2 ounces a day
Cooked, chopped meat, poultry, or fish.
Eggs.
Cooked, mashed beans, or peas.
Peanut butter.
Proteins
2 ounces a day
Cooked, chopped meat, poultry, or fish.
Eggs.
Cooked, mashed beans, or peas.
Peanut butter.
Dairy
1 2/3 – 2 cups a day
Human milk (at breast or expressed) or whole milk.
Yogurt.
Cheese.
Dairy
1 2/3 – 2 cups a day
human milk (at breast or expressed) or whole milk.
Yogurt.
Cheese.
Look what I can do!
- I can drink from a small, plastic cup at meals and snacks.
- I am learning how to use a spoon.
- I love learning how to walk with you.
- I may know how to say some words. Please read, talk, and sing to me so I can learn more.
Keep me safe and healthy.
Please DON’T give me foods I could choke on like whole nuts, whole grapes, seeds, hot dogs, or hard candies.
I need check-ups and shots to stay healthy. I should visit the doctor at 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months. Visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules to see when I am due for shots.
Brush my teeth twice a day with a small, soft toothbrush and a small amount of child’s toothpaste, the size of a grain of rice. Make me an appointment to see the dentist.
Play with me and help me stay active. If I have screen time, keep it limited and interact with me.
Avoid tobacco or nicotine products, alcohol, marijuana, and other illegal drug use to keep our family healthy and safe. For support with quitting tobacco or nicotine products, visit www.quitnow.net. For support with quitting alcohol or other drugs, visit www.findtreatment.gov. Your WIC Nutritionist can also provide additional resources.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
