mom and daughter reading

Books to Encourage Healthy Eating for Your Toddler

September 20, 2023 Children
dad and daughter reading

A visit to your local library can be a fun, healthy, and educational way to get your toddler excited about trying healthy foods. There are many children’s books that can encourage healthy food habits. Below are a few examples:

I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato

by Lauren Child
(©2000, Candlewick Press)

Lola is a fussy eater until her big brother, Charlie makes up inventive names for vegetables and other foods.

Never Eat A Tomato
Rah Rah Radishes
Grapes
Nuts

Books by April Pulley Sayre are written in rhyme, with vivid colored photos that will delight both kids and parents.

Rah, Rah Radishes!
(©2011, Beach Lane Books)

Go, Go, Grapes!
(©2012, Beach Lane Books)

Let’s go Nuts! Seeds we Eat
(©2013, Beach Lane Books)

Handa’s Surprise​

by Eileen Browne
(©1999, Candlewick Press)​

This is a delightful tale of a young Kenyan girl on her way to visit her friend in a nearby village. On the way, seven different animals eat the seven varieties of fruit on her head. Children love seeing the beautiful and colorful illustrations and delight in the surprise twist at the end of the story.

Handas Surprise
Healthy Foods

Healthy Foods from A to Z:
Comida sana de la A a la Z.

by Stephanie Maze and Renee Cornet
(©2012, Moonstone Press)

This bilingual picture book features fabulous color photos of faces made from fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts and beans. It also has fun food activities to do
at home.

If you can’t make it to the library, there are a number of resources online too! Discover MyPlate has mini eBooks available to download for free:
https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/discover-myplate-emergent-reader-mini-books.

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Reading books like these with your child shows them that choosing healthy foods is important and can also be a lot of fun. When you make healthy eating a priority, your child will too!

mini eBooks

Feeding a 6-7 Month Old

Feed solids with a spoon and from a bowl, never from a bottle.

Feeding a 10-12 Month Old

Breast milk is the most important source of nutrition for your baby, even after you start offering solid foods.

Feeding a 8-9 Month Old

Feed solids with a spoon. Never put cereal in a bottle.

Tips

Mom new born home

Breast milk and formula feeding:

Around 2-3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months of age, babies may experience a growth spurt when they feed more often.

As they grow babies can hold more milk, so feedings may become further apart and take less time.

To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.

Start offering whole milk when your baby is one year old.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months and beyond.

feeding solid foods

Feeding solid foods:

Wait to offer solid foods until your baby:

  • Can sit up and hold up their own head.
  • Opens their mouth when they see food.
  • Can close their lips around a spoon.

To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.

Try one new food at a time. Wait 5 days before trying another new food to watch for allergies. Food allergies may include wheezing, rash, or diarrhea.

Introduce peanut butter around 6 months. Spread a small, thin smear of peanut butter or nut butter thinly on a cracker.  Watch your baby for any reaction for the next 2 hours.

Babies under one year should NOT have honey due to the risk of botulism. Also, babies should not have foods that can cause choking like nuts or whole grapes.

All babies are different. Talk with WIC or your baby’s healthcare provider about your baby’s needs.

Feeding Cues

Feeding a 4-5 Month Old

Before teeth come in, wipe gums with a soft, clean wash cloth after each feeding, especially before bed.

Feeding a 0-3 Month Old

Newborns have tiny tummies and need to be fed often. In the first few weeks, you may need to wake your baby to feed if they sleep longer than 4 hours.

Growth Spurts

Many babies are fussy during a growth spurt and will want to nurse longer and more often. This is called cluster feeding. This is your baby’s way of helping you increase your milk supply so that you can keep up with their needs. Remember, the more your baby nurses, the more milk your body makes.

Growth spurts can happen at any time, and every baby is different.

They often happen at these ages:

two-three-weeks

2 to 3 Weeks

6 Weeks

three-months

3 Months

six-months

6 Months

What foods can I get?

Authorized Food List
Authorized Food List

Where can I shop?