What to Feed Your Baby and Toddler

By Elizabeth M. Ward, MS
WebMD Feature Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

Feeding young children can be a perplexing process, particularly when you're new to parentingparenting.

To help guide you through the first few years of your child's life, WebMD asked several experts to give us the low-down on feeding basics for infants and toddlers. They discussed when, what, and how much to feed your child up to age 3.

Your infant seems hungrier, and you're wondering whether it's time for more than breast milk or formula.

"In nearly all healthy children, 4 to 6 months is the recommended age for starting solid foods," says Ronald Kleinman, MD, professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.

Age is just one criteria for judging a child's readiness, however.

"A child's motor skills and stage of development also help determine when they are ready for solid foods," says Marilyn Tanner-Blasiar, MHS, RD, a pediatric nutrition expert and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

Before you offer solid foods, your baby should be capable of holding his or her head up, says Tanner-Blasiar. In addition, your infant should no longer have the "extrusion reflex", which causes babies to push anything but liquid out of their mouths. Losing that instinctive urge allows a child to more readily accept spoonfuls of infant foods.

What's on the menu for baby's first meal? Would you believe pureed meat is OK?

"Rice cereal is a customary and safe first food, but most babies can tolerate a variety of foods, including pureed meats," says Kleinman.

While meat is often reserved for older infants, there's no reason to wait.

"There is no scientific evidence that supports introducing foods in a particular order," such as rice cereal, vegetables, fruits, and finally, meat, according to Kleinman.

Pureed meats, such as beef and lamb, provide iron in a form that is highly available to your baby's body. Iron is critical to brain development, and it ferries oxygen to every body cell. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says older infants are among those most affected by iron deficiency. Infant cereals fortified with iron are another good choice for baby.

The first few weeks of eating solid foods is more about becoming accustomed to spoon-feeding than meeting nutrient needs. After all, your baby is learning to negotiate food that he must keep in his mouth, work toward the back, and swallow.

Tanner-Blasiar says you should expect your child to eat only one or two teaspoons at a sitting during the first week or so.

"When you begin your baby on solid foods, he is still getting the majority of his nutrition from breast milk or infant formula, so he won't eat much else," she says.

Older infants may try to feed themselves. It makes for messy meals, but self-feeding encourages the development of a child's fine motor skills. As he nears the 1-year mark, offer your baby water, breast milk or formula from a "sippy" cup to help self-feeding skills along.