Breast is best
Breast milk is the best milk for babies. Breast milk provides the ideal balanced nutrition and protection for your baby. Maternal nutritional requirements increase during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Therefore mothers’ diets should include a wide variety of nutritious food and healthy snacks.
If you are considering bottle feeding, always seek professional advice as once bottle feeding has commenced it can be difficult to revert to breast feeding. Partial bottle feeding may also adversely affect breastfeeding by reducing the supply of breast milk. Always use and prepare infant formula as directed by the manufacturer; unnecessary or improper use of infant formula can be hazardous to the health of your baby.
Before using infant formula, always consider the social and financial implications, such as issues of convenience and cost to the household of using infant formula for at least 12 months. If you are considering using infant formula, it is important to discuss this with a health professional.
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Five plus a day: getting enough fruit and veges
The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommends adults should aim for 5 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit. Because toddlers are smaller, they require less vegetables and fruit each day. It is generally accepted that toddlers should be offered 4 "toddler" sized vegetable serves (1 regular serving = 1/4 cup cooked vegetable) and at least 1 serve of fruit (1 banana, apple, or orange, approximately 150g). Remember, too, variety is key. Offer a variety of vegetables and fruit in a variety of colours so they take in a range of nutrients.
Here are a few creative ideas for bringing more fruit and veges into your toddler's diet.
- Freeze it – try freezing berries or a banana, then blending a few pieces with your toddler’s favourite drink. It makes a tasty smoothie over summer, and you can have the rest of the frozen fruit in a smoothie of your own.
- Adapt it – try adding fruit and veges into your existing recipes. Fruit slices work well in your pikelets, and chopped veges can really bring an omelette to life!
- Dip it – try a tasty spread or dip, but instead of crackers use fruit or lightly cooked vegetable sticks. This works well for both sweet and savoury options.
- Mix – grated pumpkin or puréed cauliflower make great thickeners for soups or casseroles. They also add a little sweetness that your toddler is sure to appreciate.
- Add to it – you can always extras to your toddler’s ready-made meals. A little grated carrot or some tasty mashed veges can give extra flavour and texture.