3 to 3½ Years

Being three is fun for me!

I am curious and may ask a lot of questions. I need your help to LEARN NEW THINGS.

I MAY BE a choosy eater at times. 

I might like a food one day, but not the next. It’s okay if I eat a lot sometimes, and not very much at other times. Some days I may be hungrier than other days, this is normal. I will eat when I am hungry.

I may be cautious about eating new foods. I might need to see a food 10 or more times before I learn to like it. Please keep offering it, but don’t force me to eat. 

REMEMBER…

  • Your job is to offer a variety of healthy foods and decide what time we will have our meals and snacks.
  • My job is to decide if, what, and how much I will eat from the food choices you provide.

I NEED YOU TO TEACH ME…

  • How to behave nicely at the table.
  • When I should say “yes, please” and “no, thank you”.
  • I cannot only eat my favorite foods (all the time).
  • It is not ok to whine, cry, or get upset when I see new food.

HERE’S WHAT WILL HELP:

  • Have sit-down meals and snacks at regular times so I have the chance to eat every 2 to 3 hours.
  • Only offer water in between meals and snacks.
  • Offer at least one food I like at each meal and snack.
  • Only allow eating and pleasant conversation at the table. Turn off the TV, computers, and phones. Talk with me about the day.
  • Show me how to be a good eater. Seeing you eat healthy foods makes me want to try them too.
bac_mom_daughter_kitchen

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

Breakfast

½ sliced orange

½ cup diced bell pepper

½ cup water

1 slice, cut up whole grain toast

1 cooked, scrambled egg

½ cup shredded cheese

Lunch

½ cup sliced in half grapes

½ cup cooked, sliced carrots

½ medium whole grain pita bread

with 1 ounce sliced, lean deli turkey

with 1 slice cheese

½ cup water

Snacks

2 or 3 whole grain crackers

with 1 stick string cheese, quartered lengthwise

1 slice whole grain bread

with 1 tablespoon peanut butter spread thin

 ½ cup low-fat milk

water between meals and snacks

Dinner

½ cup sliced pear

½ cup cooked, diced mixed vegetables

½ cup low-fat milk

¼ cup cooked brown rice

¼ cup cooked pinto beans

Daily suggested food group amounts

FRUITS

3 servings a day – 1½ cups total
1 serving = ½ cup

Cooked or soft, raw fruit.

Mashed, sliced, or chopped.

Offer a variety: red, yellow, orange, blue, and green.

VEGETABLES

3 servings a day – 1½ cups total
1 serving = ½ cup

Cooked and mashed, sliced, or chopped veggies.

Offer a variety: dark green, orange, red, yellow, and purple.

GRAINS

6-8 servings a day – 3-4 ounces total
1 serving = ½ ounce

Whole grain bread, tortillas, rice, noodles.

Dry or cooked cereal.

PROTEINS

3-4 servings a day – 3-4 ounces total
1 serving = 1 ounce

Cooked lean meat, poultry, or seafood.

Eggs.

Cooked beans, peas, or tofu.

Peanut butter.

DAIRY

5 servings a day – 2½ cups total
1 serving = ½ cup

Low-fat or fat free milk.

Yogurt.

Cheese.

Look what I can do!

  • I can help! I feel happy when I help you make meals. I am more likely to taste what I helped create too.
  • I am learning how to fold and wrap. I can help fold dish towels.
  • I am learning how to pour. I can help pour water into plastic cups.
  • I can use a big spoon to help stir pancake or muffin batter.
  • I can shake things using two hands, like plastic bottles of salad dressing. Make sure lids are on tight!
  • I am learning to spread. I can help spread peanut butter and jelly on slices of bread using a dull, plastic knife.

Keep me safe and healthy

Take me to the doctor for my check-up.

Help me brush my teeth 2 times a day and floss daily. 

We need to wash our hands often. Teach me how to wash my hands with warm water and soap. I need to wash them for 20 seconds, or the time it takes to sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”

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?