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Good nutrition is one of your most
fundamental areas of concern. As parents, we instinctively recognize
its importance as the foundation for good health, normal growth and
optimum development. A child who has a healthy diet containing
sufficient quantities of essential nutrients, is likely to grow and
develop at the expected rate. He will also be less susceptible to, and
more likely to recover from many of the minor childhood conditions and
diseases. Furthermore, the good eating habits established in childhood
are likely to be continued in adulthood. As such, parents should
provide children with all the nutrients the body needs for healthy
growth and day-to-day functioning (for more information on nutrition,
please go to
Childs Health and Well Being).
For the first four or five months of your baby’s life, eating meant
breast or bottle. Babies do better without added food during these
early months.
By five or six months, he is ready for tiny amounts of nearly liquid
rice cereal and fruits and vegetables puree. Most of his nutrition
during this stage still comes from breast milk or formula. Those early
solid foods are important mostly because he needs to learn to eat
solids. Soon he’ll need more than formula, and he needs time to learn
this new method of eating.
From eight to twelve months, his eating pattern continues to change. No
longer does he need his food blended with no lumps. Most babies need
strictly smooth food only until they are about 8 months old. By eight
months old, you can chop and mash table foods for your baby.
From twelve months onwards, your baby is ready for table food prepared
for adults. Of course, your baby’s meals need to include the basic food
groups just as yours do.
Parents should encourage the child to work out his own eating habits.
Let him explore with his food through looking at, handling, tasting and
smelling. He would learn that it is alright for him to show his own
feelings and wants. Keep cool and go along with his sheer enjoyment of
the whole eating process. This is the best route to making his
mealtimes the pleasant events you want them to be.
The healthy recipes for children presented here have been categorized
by age group for ease of reference by parents:
The “baby treats” recipes here are specially prepared for complementary
feeding for 4 to 6 months old babies who are just about to start on
solids. This is to ensure that your baby’s diet is consistent with the
development of his teeth, muscles and ability to chew. The “baby
recipes” here are suitable for 6 to 18 months old babies. “For main
meals”, “All-in-one delights” and “Scrumptious snacks” recipes are
meant for children aged 18 months onwards.
The estimated serving sizes are displayed for each recipe. You may have
to modify the quantity slightly according to your child’s age and
appetite, or to serve the whole family. In addition, do not store the
leftover food for more than 1 day.
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