recipe booklet

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Although every child is dierent, by the age of 1 babies will be much more active.
They may be crawling around the room at great speed, can pull themselves up
and negotiate the room using the furniture or they may have even started to
walk. Between learning to walk, talk and so much more it’s a very active time.
This requires a lot more energy and nutrients. That’s why providing a healthy,
balanced diet is so important. Until now, breast or formula milk will have been
their main source of nourishment, but now it’s time for solid food to take
pole position.
Stage 4:
From one year on
At this stage of weaning they should be consuming
3 meals per day, plus some snacks in between
mealtimes such as prepared fruit, vegetable sticks,
yogurt, chunks of cheese, toast or rice cakes. Try
to include some starch (bread, cereals, porridge,
potatoes, rice, couscous or pasta), protein (meat,
sh, eggs, lentils, beans, hummus, soya and tofu)
and fresh fruit and vegetables with each meal. Dairy
(milk, yogurt or cheese) should be included in three
of their meals or snacks per day. One serving would
include a glass of milk (150ml), a small bowl of yogurt
or fromage frais or a matchbox piece of cheese. Their
usual milk intake (breast or formula) will naturally
decrease at this stage so its ne to switch to whole
cow’s milk instead (unless there’s an allergy to milk).
Milk is an important source of calcium, which along
with water should be your toddler’s main drink.
But don’t give more than one pint of milk (around
0.5kg) a day as this will only reduce their appetite
for food which they need to help them to grow. They
should consume around 6-8 servings of uid per
day (including milk drinks), served in a cup; one with
each meal and one in between meals with snacks.
Keep introducing them to new foods and try not
to overload their plate, as large portions may be
o-putting. Although there are no recommended
portion sizes for toddlers, use their st as a guide:
their stomach will be around the same size as a
clenched st. As they become more active (from the
age of 2), you can gradually increase the portion
size given. But to be sure, always be guided by
your baby’s appetite as to how much it can eat.
Try to maintain its interest in learning to eat food
by arranging meals on colorful plates, using lots
of dierent shapes and themes (a smiley face will
do the trick) and by combining dierent colors and
textures. Let your baby feed him or herself as much
as possible. You can help by cutting any dicult
foods such as spaghetti. If your child starts to refuse
food, take it away without making a fuss and wait
until the next snack or mealtime before oering
anything else. Try not to give sugary or high-fat
food, as this will only encourage poor food habits
in later life. Praise your baby for eating well as this
will encourage good behavior and future learning.
Eventually your toddler will be able to consume
the foods eaten by the rest of the family so always
remember to lead by example and eat healthily!
Keep introducing them to new foods and
try not to overload their plate, as large
portions may be o-putting.