Your baby is ready to start solid food - or they have been eating solids for a while now - how do you know how much food your baby should eat? In a time when the majority of Americans are overweight, portion size for everyone from babies to adults has come into question. How much food is enough? How much is too much?
Generally speaking, you should let your baby's appetite be the guide. Under normal circumstances babies will choose to eat the amount of food they need. If you offer a variety of healthy foods, most of the time your baby will eat the right amount. For beginning eaters, around 6 months, this may be only a few teaspoons of food at each meal. For older babies and toddlers, the proper portion size is a couple of tablespoons for each food.
This does not sound like a lot of food, but remember that your baby is very small. For babies from 6-12 months, the majority of their calories should come from breast milk or formula. At this age they simply can't eat enough real food to meet the needs of their rapidly growing bodies. Don't push them to eat more than they are comfortable eating. This can lead them into a lifetime of ignoring the natural cues to stop eating when they are full. Unless your doctor has concerns about their growth - let them eat at their own pace.
Once your little one is reliably eating a variety of foods, they will likely graduate to eating about 4 ounces of food at each meal. Again, don't push. Just offer different healthy foods and let their natural appetite and body cycles control their eating.
It is especially important at this age to offer healthy foods. The tastes your baby becomes accustomed to now will dictate what they will like to eat for the rest of their lives. If they are eating whole grain bread and cereal, fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods they will develop a taste for delicious healthy foods. If they are eating nutritionally bankrupt foods like white bread, sugary cereals, fried foods and desserts - they will crave these foods as they grow into adulthood. What you feed your child today could literally shape their entire future.
Eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive - and you don't have to buy commercial baby food. You can buy unsalted canned vegetables or steam your own and mash them for baby. Cook oatmeal or other whole grain cereal and blend it for a smoother texture. A jar of unsweetened apple sauce can feed your baby - with plenty for the rest of the family. Remember, your example is going to impress your child more than anything you say to them. Don't expect your little one to accept strained spinach if you are downing doughnuts.
Limit the amount of juice your child drinks. The American Academy of Pediatricians suggests that toddlers and preschoolers have no more than 2-4 ounces of juice per day. Juice is mostly empty calories with very little nutrition. Instead, encourage them to drink water with just a splash of juice for flavor. Never give a baby soda - the corn syrup, dyes, and even caffeine in most sodas are just not good for their bodies or their teeth. Artificial sweeteners are not any better for them - and some might be dangerous.
Letting your baby choose from a rainbow of healthy foods will let them choose healthy portion sizes on their own. They will be healthier for it - and less likely to join the ranks of the obesity epidemic.
