Feeding guidelines - Questions and Answers

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Feeding guidelines

Are there any guidelines for the way I should feed my baby or toddler?

Use the following guidelines to guide the way you feed your baby or toddler.

Maintain healthy growth and development of your baby and toddler by providing them with appropriate food and physical activity opportunities every day.
Exclusively breastfeed your baby until your baby is ready for and needs extra food – this will be at around six months of age.
When your baby is ready, introduce him or her to appropriate complementary foods and continue to breastfeed until they are at least one year of age, or beyond.
Increase the texture, variety, flavour and amount of food offered so that your baby receives a complementary intake of nutrients, especially iron and vitamin C, and is eating more family foods by about one year of age.
For your baby, prepare or choose pre-prepared complementary foods with no added fat, salt, sugar, honey or other sweeteners.
If your baby is not fed breast milk, then use an infant formula as the milk source until the baby is one year of age.
Each day offer your toddler a variety of nutritious foods from each of the four major food groups, which are:
- vegetables and fruit
- breads and cereals, including some wholemeal
- milk and milk products or suitable alternatives
- lean meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds.
For your toddler, prepare foods or choose pre-prepared foods, drinks and snacks that
- are low in salt, but if using salt, use iodised salt
- have little added sugar (and limit your toddler’s intake of high-sugar foods).
Provide your toddler with plenty of liquids each day such as water, breast milk, or cows’ milk (but limit cows’ milk to about 500 mL per day).
Do not give your infant or toddler alcohol, tea (including herbal teas), coffee, soft drinks, juice, cordials, and other drinks containing caffeine.
Purchase, prepare, cook and store food in ways to ensure food safety.

More information

Introducing solids

Related Health Education resources;

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Where to get help

Midwives

Healthline - 0800 611 116

Well Child

La Leche League

More information on these and other breastfeeding help providers...

Page last reviewed: 31 July 2008