Food provides the energy and nutrients a baby or toddler needs to be healthy. For a baby, breast milk has all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Infant formulas imitate breast milk. For children younger than 2, up to 50 percent of calories should come from fat. Whole milk is a good source of fat after age 1. You can switch to low-fat milk after age 2 or 3.
Some other things to watch for:
- Make sure your child gets enough iron
- Toddlers between 1 and 3 need 500 milligrams of calcium each day
- Dietary fiber is important after age 3 because it might prevent diseases later on
- Don't feed your baby eggs, citrus fruits and juices, cow's milk or honey until after his or her first birthday
- Don't feed your child seafood, peanuts or tree nuts before age 2 or 3
-
Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/food/infants/breast_bottle_feeding.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/embarazo/breast_bottle_feeding_esp.html
- Nutrition Guide for Toddlers(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/food/general/toddler_food.html
- Healthy Food Choices: 2 to 5 Years(American Medical Association) - http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZK1W7NK9C&sub_cat=110
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Health Information Advisory on Infant Formula(09/15/2008, Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/formula091508.html
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FDA Issues Health Information Advisory on Infant Formula(09/12/2008, Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01883.html
- Breast or Bottle? New Mothers Get Mixed Message(09/03/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68834.html
- Feeding Your 1- to 2-Year-Old(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/feed12yr.html
- Feeding Your 1- to 3-Month-Old(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/feed13m.html
- Feeding Your 4- to 7-Month-Old(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/feed47m.html
- Feeding Your 8- to 12-Month-Old(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/feed812m.html
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Feeding Your Newborn(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/feeding/feednewborn.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/embarazo/feednewborn_esp.html
- Babies and Solid Foods: What to Serve When(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/healthy-baby/PR00029/METHOD=print
- Bottle-Feeding a Newborn Baby(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/infant_care/hic_bottle-feeding_a_newborn_baby.aspx
- Child Nutrition: 20 Tips for Picky Eaters(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/childrens-health/HQ01107/METHOD=print
- Death Highlights Importance of Proper Nutrition for Babies Raised as Vegetarians(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/research/vegan_baby.html
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Feeding Your Baby with Breast Milk or Formula
(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/opacom/lowlit/feedbby.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.fda.gov/opacom/lowlit/sfeedbby.html - Finger Foods for Babies(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/food/infants/finger_foods.html
- Infant Botulism(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/botulism.html
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Infant Formula(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/infants/178.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/children/parents/infants/178.printerview.html
- Infant Formula: Frequently Asked Questions(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) - http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/inf-faq.html
- Monitor Infant's Fluoride Intake(Academy of General Dentistry) - http://www.agd.org/support/articles/?ArtID=1187
- Organic Baby Food: Is It Better Than Regular Baby Food?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/organic-baby-food/AN01424/METHOD=print
- Snacks for Preschoolers(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/preschool_snacks.html
- Snacks for Toddlers(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/toddler_snacks.html
- Spitting Up: Messy, but Little Cause for Concern(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/healthy-baby/PR00044/METHOD=print
- Toddlers at the Table: Avoiding Power Struggles(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/toddler_meals.html
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Toddlers: When Yours Doesn't Want to Eat(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/behavior/224.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/children/parents/behavior/224.printerview.html
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)(Food and Nutrition Service) - http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Infant Formula
(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=infant+AND+formula
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Infant Nutrition(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=infant+AND+nutrition
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Infant Nutrition Disorders(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22nutrition+disorders%22+AND+infant
- Importance of Offering Fruits and Veggies to Babies(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/research/fruits_veggies.html
- Some Toddlers at Greater Risk for Iron Deficiency(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/research/iron_deficiency.html
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Glutathione synthesis rates after amino acid administration directly after birth... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18689368&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Training in complementary feeding counselling of healthcare workers and its... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18686554&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Maternal zinc supplementation and growth in Peruvian infants. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18614736&tool=MedlinePlus
- Infant and Toddler Nutrition -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(infant+nutrition+physiology[majr]+NOT+breast+feeding[majr])+OR+(child,preschool[majr]+AND+child+nutrition+physiology[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+jsubsetk[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) State Agencies(Food and Nutrition Service) - http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/Contacts/statealpha.HTM
- American Academy of Pediatrics - http://www.aap.org/
- KidsHealth(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/index_noflash.html
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National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/
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Frequently Asked Questions about WIC(Food and Nutrition Service) - http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/FAQs/FAQ.HTM
Also available in Spanish http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/FAQs/sp-FAQ.htm
- Breast Feeding - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/breastfeeding.html
- Child Nutrition - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childnutrition.html
- Infant and Newborn Care - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infantandnewborncare.html
- Infant and Toddler Development - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infantandtoddlerdevelopment.html
- Infant and Toddler Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infantandtoddlerhealth.html
- Children and Teenagers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childrenandteenagers.html
- Food and Nutrition - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodandnutrition.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Infant and Toddler Nutrition is the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/
Infant and Toddler Nutrition - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/infantandtoddlernutrition.html