Toddler food
By 12 months, your toddler should be eating a wide range of family foods. What you offer them will depend largely on your cultural background, but it should always be a well balanced diet with a variety of foods.
- They are explorers, learning about a new world.
- They usually have small appetites, as they are not growing so fast at this age, and they are very busy.
- They have likes and dislikes just as adults do - but they should be given the opportunity to try everything.
- They express their independence by making decisions about what they will and won’t eat.
- They learn about their food by touching, playing, squashing and eating it.
- Never leave baby alone with finger food – they could choke on it.
- NO cow’s milk until 12 months, unless used to mix with food.
- NO honey until 12 months.
- NO nuts or crunchy peanut butter until 5 years.
- NO hard lollies – they can choke.
- NO tea or coffee – it over stimulates.
- NO sweet fizzy drinks or flavoured milk.
- Don’t put baby to bed with a bottle of milk or juice, as it can lead to serious tooth decay.