Your infant will likely eat three meals a day plus snacks in between meals. Making the transition from formula or breast milk to solid foods can be challenging for many parents. A relaxed and calm approach to eating meals with your infant will help her enjoy the many different solid foods you offer her, says W. Allan Walker, author of "Eat, Play, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating for Kids." Keep trying and soon your infant will be eating a variety of foods and will enjoy mealtimes as part of the family.
Step 1
Model good eating habits and table manners. Put your baby's highchair close to your dining table and include her in the mealtime conversation. Show her proper table manners and she will enjoy trying to imitate you.
Step 2
Put your baby's food in bowls. Let him stir the food with a baby spoon and try putting it into his own mouth. Encourage him to keep trying and praise him when he gets the food into his mouth.
Step 3
Let your baby play with her food. Allow your baby to feel the food with her hands and she just might get some of it in her mouth. Smile and laugh so she learns to enjoy mealtimes as a part of your family.
Step 4
Play games with the food and the spoon. Try making airplane or train noises as you move the spoonful of food toward your baby's mouth. Pretend to eat some of the food and your baby will likely want to eat more of the food herself.
Step 5
Serve your baby combinations of foods to keep him interested in eating meals. Mix two different fruits or vegetables together once your baby has tried each food separately, suggest Heidi Murkoff, Sharon Mazel and Arlene Eisenberg, authors of "What to Expect the First Year."
Step 6
Give your baby tiny pieces of what you are eating. Show your baby how to eat each food using a spoon and she will likely begin to imitate you and enjoy the experience of eating as part of the family.
Tips and Warnings
- Your baby wants to do what you do, so showing him how to say "please" and "thank-you" and how to properly use a fork, spoon and napkin will make mealtimes fun for him because he will get the chance to imitate what you do. Try serving your baby new foods every few days to make mealtimes something new and different, suggests Walker.
- Do not force your baby to eat something she does not want and do not force her to finish everything you offer to her. When mixing foods, make sure your baby has tried each food by itself first to help prevent allergic reactions. Table foods should be cut into bite-size pieces that are small enough that they do not pose a choking hazard.
Things You'll Need
- Pureed baby food
- Spoon
- Bowl
- Table food
References
- "Eat, Play, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating for Kids"; W. Allan Walker; 2005
- "What to Expect the First Year"; Heidi Murkoff, Sharon Mazel and Arlene Eisenberg; 2008
