4 to 4½ Years

I am 4 and want to do more!

I am becoming MORE CONFIDENT.

I like to try new things. You are my teacher. I try to do what you do, so eat healthy foods and I will too.

I can help you in the kitchen. Helping you is fun!
  • I can peel foods using my fingers. Let me practice shucking corn or peeling a banana, an orange, or a hard-boiled egg.
  • I can roll food into a ball. I can roll dough into balls or make meatballs or cheeseballs.
  • I can use a hand juicer. Put a wet cloth under the juicer to stop it from slipping and show me how to juice halves of grapefruit, oranges, lemons, or limes.
  • I can crack the shell of raw eggs. After some practice, I can crack the eggs needed to make scrambled eggs, omelets, or for use in recipes.
  • I can mash foods. I can use a fork or potato masher to mash bananas, cooked potatoes, or cooked beans.
With your help, I will learn
more! Show me how to
measure ingredients.
This helps me learn math.

Here are some examples of what meal and snack portion sizes might look like on my plate.

Breakfast

½ cup large, sliced strawberries

1 cup low-fat milk

2 small whole grain pancakes with 1 tablespoon syrup

Lunch

½ cup sliced in half grapes

½ cup sliced, baked sweet potato sticks

1 small whole grain bun

with small burger

1 cup low-fat milk

Snacks
snack

½ cup sliced cucumbers and carrots

with ¼ cup hummus

½ medium whole grain tortilla bread wedges, toasted

with ¼ cup mashed refried beans

4 to 6 whole grain crackers

with 4 or 5 cubes cheese

water between meals and snacks

Dinner

½ cup baked, sliced apple

½ cup water

1 cup shredded lettuce

on 1 medium corn tortilla

with 1½ ounces cooked, lean ground beef

with ½ cup shredded cheese

Daily suggested food group amounts

FRUITS

3 servings a day – 1 ½ cups total
1 serving = ½ cup

Cooked or soft, raw fruit.

Mashed, sliced, or chopped.

Many kinds and colors: red, yellow, orange, blue, and green.

VEGETABLES

3 servings a day – 1 ½ cups total
1 serving = ½ cup

Raw or cooked, mashed, sliced, or chopped veggies.

Many kinds and colors: dark green, orange, red, yellow, and purple.

GRAINS

8-10 servings a day – 4-5 ounces total
1 serving = ½ ounce

Whole grain bread, tortillas, rice, or noodles.

Dry or cooked cereal.

PROTEINS

3-5 servings a day – 3-5 ounces total
1 serving = 1 ounce

Cooked lean meat, poultry, or seafood.

Eggs.

Cooked beans, peas, or tofu.

Peanut butter.

DAIRY

5-6 servings a day – 2 ½ cups total
1 serving = ½ cup

Low-fat or fat free milk.

Yogurt.

Cheese.

Look what I can do!

I learn a lot from being with you and being active. Let’s be active as a family! We can:

  • Play a game of tag
  • Cook meals together
  • Grow a garden at home or in the community
  • Run
  • Hop
  • Swing
  • Throw and kick balls
  • Go on a walk through the neighborhood

Keep me safe and healthy

Take me to the doctor for my check-up.

I can brush my own teeth now, but watch me when I do so I don’t miss any teeth. 

Remind me to wash my hands often. Washing my hands helps me stay healthy. I should wash them with warm water and soap for 20 seconds.

I need simple rules. Set limits on when, where, and how often we have screen time. Talk about what I’m learning as we watch together and keep me safe from what I shouldn’t see. Let’s focus on each other during meals and snacks, not a screen.

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?