Mealtime means different things for babies, preschoolers and older children. Breastfeeding is best for babies and is the only food babies need until they are six months old. Solid foods are added to children's diets starting at 6 months of age. Preschoolers have special nutrition requirements. As children get older, their nutritional needs become more in line with those of adults.

Bottle-fed babies should be begin learning to drink from a training cup or glass at 12 to 15 months of age. Babies should not be put to bed with a bottle, because the liquid stays in the mouth and can cause tooth decay.

Ensure that infants and toddlers are always supervised during feeding.

Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating contains basic nutrition messages. The guidelines show how to:

• Enjoy a variety of foods.
• Emphasize cereals, breads, and other grain products, vegetables and fruits.
• Choose lower-fat dairy products, lean meats, and foods prepared with little or no fat.
• Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight by enjoying regular physical activity and healthy eating.
• Limit salt, alcohol and caffeine.

Some tips include:

• Serve your child well-balanced meals. These meals are healthy and they offer a wide variety of tastes and textures that your child will find enjoyable.
• Use nutritional information to guide you in the introduction of new foods and average amounts required.
• Offer a variety of nutritional foods prepared in a variety of ways. Become familiar with the Food Guide.
• Ask an older child to help you do the shopping; this may spark an interest in food. The child can also help serve the food.

How can parents introduce children of all ages to a variety of foods?

• Introduce only one food at a time.
• Serve the new food with familiar foods.
• Encourage the child to taste a new food but do not coax the child to eat it. If the new food is rejected, accept the refusal calmly and try again in a few weeks. As new foods and new taste experiences become more familiar, children become more adventurous.
• Let children explore. The more they know about a food, such as where it grows and how to prepare it, the more they will enjoy eating it.
• Be a role model for children. If they see adults enjoying foods, they are more likely to try them.
• Hard small, and round, smooth and sticky foods are not recommended because they may cause choking and aspiration.

What are other important tips to remember?

• Never use food as a reward or punishment.
• When preparing food, always wash your hands, fresh fruits and vegetables, food containers, clean counters and utensils.
• When storing foods use clean containers, refrigerate foods, and never return partly used food to a container.

Source: Adapted from Well Beings: A Guide to Health in Child Care (2nd edition)

Updated: March 2005