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Helping your child grow healthy and strong is one of the delights of parenthood. And it's a big job, especially in the first two years. Use this information to see when your child is likely to reach certain developmental milestones and what your child should eat at each stage . But remember, each child develops at a unique pace, and not all children will do the same things at the same time. Be sure to discuss any concerns with your child's pediatrician.
Want to see what to expect from your little one at different
stages?
Choose age:
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At 6 months of age, most babies can do these things:
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Sit alone for a short time.
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Reach for small objects and hold them for a few seconds.
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Giggle a lot and enjoy just about everyone around them.
Keeping safe
Now that your baby is starting to sit up, take down mobiles strung across the
crib or playpen. Check to see that your child's crib meets current safety
standards, and never use pillows for your sleeping child.
If you've been placing infant seats on tables or counters, you'll need to stop.
Babies this age can tip them over or rock them onto the floor. Start thinking
about buying gates for stairways and locks for cabinets. Your child will soon
be moving about.
Watch what your child reaches for. Now is the time to get into the habit of
keeping small objects out of reach. Small balls (less than 1 inches in
diameter), marbles, and balloons are all safety hazards. Here's a rough guide:
If an object can fit into an empty toilet paper tube, don't let your child have
it.
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Up to about 6 months, breast milk or formula is your baby’s first food. It’s just right. At about 6 months, though, your baby starts letting you know that he or she is ready to eat other kinds of foods. Watch for these developmental signs:
– Your baby’s birth weight has doubled.
– Your baby is hungry a lot more of the time.
– Your baby can swallow better and drools less.
– Your baby can sit up while supported.
– Your baby can tell you he or she is full or
disinterested by turning their head.
– Your baby begins making chewing actions.
– Your baby can bring his or her hand to mouth.
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Experts recommend breast milk or formula as the primary source of nutrition
for the first six months of a baby's life. You may be eager to introduce solid
foods. Instead, wait until at least four months and closer to six months of age
before feeding your baby solid foods. Consult with your pediatrician before
feeding your baby anything but breast milk or formula.
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Experts recommend breast milk or formula as the primary source of nutrition for
the first six months of a baby's life. Your baby will need, and probably
want, more breast milk or formula as they grow, so make sure to feed them on
demand. A good way to tell if your baby is getting enough is by monitoring your
baby's growth. Your pediatrician will be able to measure your baby's height and
weight and plot it on a growth chart
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Developmental Milestones
At 9 months of age, babies can usually do things like the following:
– Pinch their fingers and thumb together in an effort to feed themselves. This is called a pincer motion.
– Creep forward with their arms.
– Begin to be shy with people other than primary caretakers.
Keeping Safe
Now that your baby can creep about, you need to childproof areas he or she can get to. Cover all electrical outlets and secure anything that can tip over, like plants, lamps, or unstable chairs. Set up gates at stairways and put locks on cabinets. Also check window-blind and drapery cords and get them out of your child's reach.
Whenever your child is sitting in a high chair, use the restraint system for safety. This includes the belt and crotch snap.
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What to Feed
From 6 to 9 months, your baby is ready for solid food. This can be an exciting time for both of you! But where to start? Experts agree that baby cereals are an ideal first solid food, especially rice cereal that contains iron. Baby cereals have the ingredients needed to balance nutrition for your baby. After your child is eating cereal, you can introduce other baby foods like applesauce and pureed or mashed cooked vegetables. To better identify any possible food allergies, add foods one at a time a few days apart. Babies can also start drinking fluids like breast milk, formula, and water from a cup. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends encouraging pureed or mashed whole fruits; however at 6 months of age a total of 4 - 6 ounces of juice per day can be offered in a cup at meal or snack time.
Remember though—don’t let solid food take the place of breast milk or formula. At this point, breast milk or formula is still more important for your baby than cereal or other simple first foods. It is still one of your baby’s best sources of fat and protein, both of which are essential for brain and body development.
Be sure to check with your doctor before starting your baby on solid foods.
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Meal Plan
Breakfast
6 to 8 oz. breast milk or formula
2 to 4 tbsp. iron-fortified, single-grain infant cereal
1 to 2 tbsp. strained pears or mashed banana
Mid a.m.
4 oz. vitamin C-rich juice from cup
Lunch
6 to 8 oz. breast milk or formula
Mid p.m.
6 to 8 oz. breast milk or formula
Dinner
6 to 8 oz. breast milk or formula
2 to 4 tbsp. iron-fortified, single-grain infant cereal
2 to 4 tbsp. cooked peas, mashed
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Developmental Milestones
By 12 months, most children can do these kinds of things:
– Pull themselves to a standing position and "cruise" around while holding on to chairs or table legs.
– Take their first steps.
– Recognize some words and connect them with an action or reaction.
Keeping Safe
If you use a hook-on chair when feeding your child, be sure it locks securely to a sturdy table. Never place a chair or bench under it; the child can use that to push the hook-on chair off the table.
Continue to keep small objects out of reach. Young children are very interested in tiny things like buttons, coins, and parts of older children's toys — so sweep your floors often and develop an eagle eye.
Don't leave your child alone near water, especially the bathtub or around mop buckets. Keep toilet lids down, too. When cooking, use back burners and push pan handles out of your child's reach. And consider adding stove-knob protectors to prevent your toddler from turning on the stove.
Teach your child the meaning of the words no, hot, and sharp.
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What to Feed
Around 9 months, two things enable your child to eat more grown-up foods:
– First, your child has a lot of experience chewing (even though he or she doesn't have many teeth).
– Second, your child develops what's called a "pincer grasp" and is able to pick up small objects between thumb and index finger.
These are two of the signals that your child is ready for a wider variety of solid foods. It’s okay to introduce dried bread and cereals with shapes at this stage.
Between 9 and 12 months, the food choices are more complex. Nutrition isn’t the only issue now. Safety is important too. Certain finger foods are safe for your child to chew and swallow, and others are not. In general, “mushy” foods or foods that dissolve easily in your child’s mouth, like Cheerios® cereal, are best.
Make sure your child is sitting up while eating. For the child’s safety, be watchful while he or she eats solid food. Your child can probably hold a tippy cup now, with fluids like breast milk, formula, and water. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends encouraging pureed or mashed whole fruits; however, a total of 4 - 6 ounces of juice per day can be offered in a cup at meal or snack time. In addition to experimenting with a cup, your child will be interested in feeding his or herself and will want to start mastering the spoon (with spills).
Be sure to check with your doctor before starting your child on finger-foods.
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Safe foods
– Breast milk or formula
– Yogurt and cottage cheese
– Pieces of soft cooked or canned vegetables and fruit
– Breads and cereals
– Pancakes and waffles
– Cooked noodles
– Crackers and cookies (without nuts or chunks)
– Finely cut meat, fish, casseroles, cheese, eggs, legumes
Unsafe foods (foods that might cause choking)
– Grapes, berries or raisins
– Nuts
– Potato chips and popcorn
– Candy and gum
– Raw or undercooked vegetables
– Unchopped hot dogs or luncheon meats
– Peanut butter on a spoon
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Menu Plan
Breakfast
8 to 10 oz. breast milk or formula
2 to 4 tbsp. iron-fortified infant cereal
2 to 4 tbsp. canned peaches
Mid a.m.
4 oz. vitamin C-rich juice from cup
1/2 slice bread, bite-size pieces
Lunch
8 to 10 oz. breast milk or formula
1 oz. baked chicken, finely diced
4 tbsp. carrots, cooked and diced
Mid p.m.
1/4 cup whole grain oat cereal such as Cheerios
Dinner
8 to 10 oz. breast milk or formula
1/2 c. casserole of ground beef, rice and peas (containing 1 oz. of meat)
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Developmental Milestones
By 18 months, most toddlers can do things like these:
– Climb stairs with ease.
– Feed themselves easily, although the amounts they eat and the foods they prefer may change each day. Snacking becomes an important part of their routine.
– Show an increasing interest in words. By this age, most children begin to speak and can understand and carry out simple instructions.
– Begin to assert their independence, sometimes in a battle of wills.
Keeping Safe
Children this age are into everything. They climb on the sofa, shred magazines, open doors and cabinets, and generally wreak joyful havoc. If you haven't already done so, install child locks on utensil drawers, and secure medicines and cleaning supplies high up in a locked cabinet. Use child-resistant packaging on medications and household products. And be certain that window-blind cords are out of reach. Make your home a safe place to explore.
By this age, children are old enough to use booster seats. If you have one, make sure that the chair under it is level and larger than the base of the booster seat.
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What to Feed
At 12 months of age, it is okay to introduce whole cow’s milk, though hold on low-fat or fat-free milk until your child is two years old. Offer water at times when your child is simply thirsty. Remember for children this age, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting juice intake to 4 - 6 ounces per day. The recommended toddler intake of fruit is 1 cup daily, so encourage your child to eat whole fruits (mashed or pureed when appropriate) rather than drinking juice because of the fiber found in fruit.
Don’t be alarmed if your toddler seems to eat less after his or her first birthday. This is a period called “catch-down growth,” and it happens when the body resumes a slower rate of growth. At times, it may seem your toddler is indifferent to food, and you may wonder whether your child is eating enough. Chances are, things are fine. In most cases, children eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full. If your child's growth is within the normal range, he or she is probably getting enough to eat.
This is also a time when your toddler will begin to name food and express their preferences, and in general, prefer unmixed foods. It is normal for a child to go on a “food jag.” Try not to make a big deal of it, but instead, keep reintroducing new foods along with the preferred food. Remember, your role as the adult is to offer healthy food options, while your toddler’s role is to decide whether to eat them. Avoid conflict by planning to offer nutritious foods, and allow your child the option to pass if necessary.
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Menu Plan
Breakfast
1/2 cup milk
1/4 banana
1/2 cup whole grain oat cereal such as Cheerios
1/2 slice toast
1 tsp. butter or margarine
Mid a.m.
3 oz. vitamin C-rich juice
Lunch
1/2 cup milk
1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich
2 tbsp. carrots - cooked and diced (raw sticks for older children)
Mid p.m.
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup whole grain oat cereal such as Cheerios
Dinner
1/2 cup milk
2 oz. meat loaf
2 to 3 tbsp. rice
2 tbsp. green peas
1 to 2 tsp. butter or margarine
1/4 orange (serve sections to younger children)
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Developmental Milestones
At 24 months, most children can do these things:
– Speak readily.
– Begin to play simple make-believe games.
– Begin to show interest in other children.
– Show pride in their accomplishments and seek your approval.
Keeping Safe
By now, children are accomplished runners, and you'll have to move fast to prevent accidents. They're great climbers, too, although they're often not aware of the dangers. So keep up the good work of watchful encouragement. It's worth the effort.
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What to Feed
After 12 months of age, it is okay to introduce whole cow’s milk, though hold on low-fat or fat-free milk until your child is two years old. Don’t be alarmed if your toddler seems to eat less after his or her first birthday. This is a period called “catch-down growth,” and it happens when the body resumes a slower rate of growth. At times, it may seem your toddler is indifferent to food, and you may wonder whether your child is eating enough. Chances are, things are fine. In most cases, children eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full. If your child's growth is within the normal range, he or she is probably getting enough to eat.
This is also a time when your toddler will begin to name food and express their preferences, and in general, prefer unmixed foods. It is normal for a child to go on a “food jag.” Try not to make a big deal of it, but instead, keep reintroducing new foods along with the preferred food. Remember, your role as the adult is to offer healthy food options, while your toddler’s role is to decide whether to eat them. Avoid conflict by planning to offer nutritious foods, and allow your child the option to pass if necessary.
The older your toddler becomes, the more they will exhibit likes and dislikes for certain foods. You may also be tempted to feed them everything you eat, but make sure to only feed them foods and beverages that are nutritious, safe, and developmentally appropriate.
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Menu Plan
Breakfast
1/2 cup milk
1/4 banana
1/2 cup whole grain oat cereal such as Cheerios
1/2 slice toast
1 tsp. butter or margarine
Mid a.m.
3 oz. vitamin C-rich juice
Lunch
1/2 cup milk
1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich
2 tbsp. carrots - cooked and diced (raw sticks for older children)
Mid p.m.
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup whole grain oat cereal such as Cheerios
Dinner
1/2 cup milk
2 oz. meat loaf
2 to 3 tbsp. rice
2 tbsp. green peas
1 to 2 tsp. butter or margarine
1/4 orange (serve sections to younger children)
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Cheerios:
an ideal finger food
Pediatricians and generations of moms have trusted Cheerios® as an ideal finger
food. Find out why Cheerios is good for your toddler.
>Learn more
—Amy, Minnetonka MN
“The first time we poured the Cheerios cereal onto the high chair tray her eyes lit up. After dropping about 100 Cheerios pieces onto the floor, she finally got one into her mouth!”
>Read more
Listen to our experts discuss activities for kids, or browse past shows.
>Go to radio shows
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