Follow a regular meal and snack schedule: Video transcript [1]
Plan for 3 meals and 1 or 2 snacks each day, once your baby's eating a variety of foods and textures. Babies have small stomachs so need frequent opportunities to eat small amounts.
At meal time, when your baby is no longer interested in food, end the meal. 20 minutes is a reasonable time for a focused meal, and may be longer if your baby’s still having fun with food, or shorter if they’re not.
Schedules are helpful, but it’s also important to take your lead from your baby. If you think they’re hungry, offer a small, healthy snack. Don’t expect them to wait until 7pm for dinner, even if you can!
If you know your baby eats better in the morning, it’s OK to give them dinner food then. You can be flexible!
Your baby is more likely to eat healthy meals and try new foods if snacks are not offered too close to mealtime.
This page last reviewed 22 November 2022.
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Links
[1] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/follow-regular-meal-and-snack-schedule-video-transcript?language=ton
[2] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/tags/healthy-eating-habits?language=ton
[3] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/tags/nutrition-0-12-months?language=ton
[4] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/contact?from=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kidshealth.org.nz%2Fprint%2F1249