Feeding your baby or toddler

A child’s first year is the best time to learn healthy eating habits. When your baby is ready to try solid foods, get ready for the fun (and the mess).

Follow the stars to find nutritious food for your baby.

You may already be using the Guiding Stars® system to help you find the most nutritious foods for you and your family. Now you can use it to find the most nutritious foods for your baby, too. When you shop at Hannaford, just look for the star rating on the shelf tags. By choosing foods with 1, 2 or 3 stars, you’ll be feeding your baby more vitamins and minerals and less added sodium and added sugar. That will help get your baby off to a healthy start.

How do you know if your baby is ready for solid foods?

• She can sit up, by herself or with your help.
• He uses the muscles in his neck to hold his head up straight.
• She mouths her fingers and toys.
• He opens his mouth, inviting food, or can turn his head away when he doesn’t want it.
• She keeps her tongue low and flat so food stays in her mouth.
• He closes his mouth on the spoon.

Baby is ready, now what?

Breast milk or formula should continue to be a big part of a baby’s diet for the first year. Slowly introduce your baby to different kinds of foods, one at a time. This gives baby a chance to learn to swallow while also seeing if any foods cause an allergic reaction. If your baby gets a rash from any food or becomes ill, stop giving baby that kind of food until you consult your pediatrician.

Remember, mom or dad’s finger is the perfect first spoon. It’s soft and your baby is already familiar with it.

Start with single-grain rice cereal mixed with formula or breast milk. Try feeding when the room is quiet and relaxed. Make sure your baby has already had a bottle or has been nursed, so she’ll be calm when you begin.

Be patient. If he rejects a food, try something else and come back to that food in a few weeks. It can take time for your baby to get used to different tastes and textures.

Foods to Avoid

Allergies can be uncharted territory for your baby. Avoid giving your child egg, citrus, wheat until the age of one. And save the peanut butter until after the age of 2.

Watch out for foods that can be difficult for your baby to swallow, like grapes, berries, raisins, nuts and seeds, chips and popcorn, cheese cubes, raw veggies, unpeeled fruit or hot dogs as they could be choking hazards.

Hints for Toddlers

Toddlers can be oh-so-picky when it comes to food. A few things to remember:

• Keep your child from grazing on foods between meals.
• Think small. Start with a few tablespoons. Too much food on their plate can be a little overwhelming.
• If your child doesn’t like something, don’t give up. It can take up to ten introductions of that food to get your child to like it.
• A little variety goes a long way. Want your children to develop healthy ideas about food? Let them try lots of different kinds so they get used to different tastes and textures.

At mealtime:

• decide what foods your child eats, when and where;
• provide regular meals and snacks;
• make eating times pleasant;
• teach your child all about different foods and how to behave at the table.

You’ll find your child will eat only as much she wants to eat and will learn by eating what you eat. Your child will also learn how to behave at the table by eating at the table and observing you.