Parentpedia

What Experts Say

At first, feeding your baby is blissfully simple. Breast milk or fortified formula cover nearly all of her nutritional needs for the first six months. Then you may notice her showing an interest in solid foods, and it's time to start that transition. After her first birthday, she'll stop outgrowing her clothes every couple of months and take over the job of delivering food to mouth. In the face of all this change, you can be sure your baby gets the nutrition she needs as she grows by following some basic guidelines.

0 to 6 months

Breastmilk or iron-fortified formula contain all or nearly all of the necessary nutrients. The American Academy of Pediatrics and most experts recommend that breastfed babies also be given vitamin D supplements before 2 months of age, because breast milk doesn't deliver enough and babies should not be in direct sun, which stimulates the body's production of vitamin D.

Supplementation should continue until your baby switches to cow's milk, which is fortified with vitamin D. Some doctors, however, argue that spending as little as 60 minutes outside per week gives your baby more than enough vitamin D. Consult your pediatrician for her advice.

6 to 12 months

Though experts note that some babies are ready to begin solid foods such as cereals and pureed fruits and vegetables as early as 4 months, most are ready at around 6 months of age. This is also the age at which the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends introducing solids.

Iron is also essential at this time, when the stores of iron your baby was born with are getting low; babies need 11 milligrams a day for healthy development. By 8 months, most babies have mastered cereals and pureed foods. By 9 months, most can take on lumpier, coarser foods, as well as pick up small bits of food between the thumb and forefinger, which starts them on the road to self-feeding. At the end of your baby's first year, she's getting half her nutrients from food, and half from formula or breast milk.

12 to 24 months

Most agree that the first birthday marks the turning point from breast milk or formula to table foods as key delivery for nutrition and the 1,000 to 1,400 calories they need each day. Experts have adapted the USDA Food Guide Pyramid -- meant for children two years and up -- to outline the needs for toddlers, noting that 1-year-olds may eat less.

According to this plan, a day's menu should include:

• 3 ounces of whole grains (bread, pasta, rice)
• 1 cup of soft-cooked vegetables
• 1 cup of fruit
• 2 cups of dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese)
• 2 ounces of protein (meat, fish, dry beans, egg)

Iron and calcium top the list of dietary concerns at this age. After the 1-year mark, children need 7 milligrams of iron a day, but now that your baby is no longer eating iron-fortified baby cereal or formula, it may be more of a task to get it. This is further complicated by the fact that cow's milk inhibits the body?s absorption of iron and can fill toddlers' bellies so they are less inclined to eat iron-rich foods.

Yet two servings of milk and dairy per day are also essential for providing the 500 milligrams of calcium that your 1-year-old needs each day to build strong bones. Parents who are accustomed to buying low-fat dairy products might also wonder if their baby is better off with them, too. Though her diet should be only 30 to 35 percent fat by the time of her second birthday, fat is important for normal growth and brain development, so unless your pediatrician recommends otherwise, experts recommend whole-milk dairy products until age 2.