Teach your child to eat with love and patience

For all babies and children:

• Responsive care during feeding times means listening and watching for cues that your child is hungry or full and responding appropriately to those cues.
• Responsive feeding helps make feeding a time of love and learning. It helps you and your child develop a strong bond and encourages good eating habits in your child as he or she grows.
• Minimize distractions during mealtimes. Sit facing your child so you can focus on each other and on eating.
• Never force a child to eat and never use food as a reward.
• Be patient and give your child time to eat. If your child shows signs of fullness, slow down or pause. Try offering another bite after a minute or two. End the feeding if your child again indicates he or she is full.

For babies from birth to 6 months of age:

• Breastmilk is all your baby needs for nutrition up to 6 months of age.
• Breastfeeding also stimulates loving feelings between mother and baby. It helps your baby to feel safe and comforted.
• During breastfeeding, a baby is learning how to control his or her appetite and how to soothe him- or herself. Your baby is determining how much milk he or she needs and how much to suckle to comfort him or herself.

For babies from 6 to 9 months of age:

• Observe your baby as he or she starts to grasp finger foods.
• Slowly move the food in front of your baby’s eyes. When your baby begins to follow and reach for the food, respond by offering the food to eat.

For babies from 9 to 12 months:

• Your baby may be interested in starting to use utensils or drinking water from a clean, open cup. Put some food on a spoon and let your baby try to feed on his or her own. Give your baby a small cup with just a little bit of water to start and help your baby hold it. There will be spills, but your baby will get better with practice!

For children from 12 to 24 months:

• Begin providing small, cut-up bites of family foods for your child, as your child’s chewing skills are stronger now. Encourage your child to feed him- or herself. Over time, he or she will get better at coordinating how to scoop up food and bring it to the mouth.