Feeding 16 month old baby

16-Month-Old Development Milestones: Toddler Month by Month

16-Month-Old

Your 16-month-old is probably in a state of constant motion, playing, kicking, walking, climbing—maybe even running. If you have a climber, it’s time to triple-check the childproofing throughout your home. It’s also a good idea to keep a rug or carpet beneath the crib in case of jailbreaks.

In this article:
16-month-old development
16-month-old health
16-month-old food
16-month-old sleep
Activities for a 16-month-old
16-month-old baby checklist and tips

16-Month-Old Development

While your 16-month-old is keeping you on your toes, they continue to grow and make developmental leaps and bounds.

16-month-old weight and height

How much should a 16-month-old weigh and measure? According to the World Health organization, the median weight of a 16-month-old is 21.6 pounds for girls and 23.2 pounds for boys. The median height is 30. 9 inches for girls and 31.6 inches for boys.

16-month-old milestones

Walking. Most 16-month-olds are walking well, which is the lead-up to next steps: climbing, running, walking backward and dancing to music.
Speech. About half of toddlers at this age are saying at least three words, and some especially chatty tots are uttering 15 words or more.
Teething. As early as 16 months, your child’s cuspids or canines—the third bottom tooth from the front—may begin to erupt.
Potty Training. You can continue to "talk up" the potty and what people do there—but no pressure to potty train just yet. Your tot may start to notice it or even ask to sit on a potty chair. But it's okay if they’re not really interested just yet. One medical study suggests beginning between 27 and 32 months is ideal.

What should a 16-month-old be able to do?

When it comes to 16-month-old milestones, you’ll notice that your child is a little mover and shaker and has become your little shadow. Now that they can move around, they’ll be wanting to participate in everything you do, from cooking to working to going to the bathroom. You’ll start to see a new confidence emerge in your little one, which can be both exciting and unnerving. Expect some chattering (whether you can understand it or not) and lots of intentful observing and listening—so be careful what you do and say around your mini copycat!

16-Month-Old Behavior

Your 16-month-old may be exhibiting some challenging and boundary-pushing behaviors. Tap below for advice on dealing with:

How can you discipline a 16-month-old?

At this age, your 16-month-old still doesn’t always understand what is and isn’t acceptable behavior. Your best bet is to set a good example and reward positive behavior. While tantrums are one of the 16-month-old milestones you’d probably rather skip, they are par for the course. Try to redirect behavior and use clear and concise words to get your point across, like “no hitting” and “stop throwing. ” Your 16-month-old may start to realize that their behavior impacts others, so they may try to comfort someone they’ve just hurt. Encourage this empathy.

16-Month-Old Health

Toddlers are constantly exposed to germs—and it doesn't help that their food and drink preference can lead to some digestive problems. Common health questions at 16 months are:

16-Month-Old Food

Your little one eats lots of different foods now, but it’s normal to still stress about whether they’re getting a balanced diet.

How much should my 16-month-old eat and drink?

Your 16-month-old should be eating three meals and two snacks per day. Doctors say most toddlers need approximately 1,000 calories per day—give or take—or about 40 calories for each inch of their height. If your child devours their food one day and barely touches it the next, that's totally normal. In fact, toddlers are excellent judges of just how much they should be eating. And remember: a serving of food for them is only about one-fourth the size of an adult portion. If your toddler isn’t already eating with a spoon and fork sometimes, encourage them to practice.

What to feed a 16-month-old

About two 8-ounce cups of whole milk per day is recommended for a 16-month-old. Aim for about 700 mg of calcium total per day. Give your child a regular open cup or a straw cup as much as possible. They should completely be off the bottle, and some doctors warn that sippy cup use (with milk or juice) could lead to tooth decay and could inhibit speech development in some children.

Toddlers tend to get too little calcium, iron and fiber. In addition to dairy products, your child can get calcium from foods such as green leafy veggies, broccoli and tofu. Tofu can provide iron too, as can fortified cereal, dried peaches and lean ground beef. For fiber, you may offer pinto or refried beans, prunes, bananas and whole wheat pasta.

Your child should now be mostly off purees and other baby foods. Aim to feed the entire family well-rounded, unprocessed meals, and just mash and/or finely chop pieces for your toddler. Remember to also quarter any foods that are cylindrical and could be a choking hazard, such as grapes or a hotdog.

Food ideas for a 16-month-old:

16-month-old won’t eat

If your 16-month-old isn’t eating, it's likely just a case of picky eating. Continue to offer your child a variety of healthy foods for each meal and limit unhealthy treats. But don't start a power struggle over food. Here's more great advice on how to deal with picky eating. If your child won't eat anything at all, it could be a sign of illness, and you should call the pediatrician to discuss.

Feeding schedule for a 16-month-old baby

Image: Smart Up Visuals

*A toddler's serving size is about ¼ of an adult's Source: HealthyChildren.org

16-Month-Old Sleep

You’ve been at this parenting gig for 16 months now, and sleep (for you and your tot) is still very much a priority. Here are some common bedtime questions and concerns.

How much sleep does a 16-month-old need?

One- to 2-year-olds need 11 to 14 hours of sleep total per day. Your 16-month-old may be starting to transition to just one nap per day, so your daily schedule might be doing a little bit of rearranging. Usually, it's the morning nap that goes, and either the afternoon nap becomes longer, or bedtime is a bit earlier. Luckily, this is usually a pretty natural transition.

16-month-old sleep regression

So, your 16-month-old won't sleep and you're desperate to make bedtime less of a struggle? For the 30 minutes before bedtime, follow the exact same rituals in the exact same order—and give your little one 20 minutes notice before they have to head off to bed. This parent trick for changing your kiddo’s bedtime has been shown to work: use the time they usually fall asleep naturally as your sleep routine starting point, then adjust it gradually, in 15-minute increments.

16-month-old sleep schedule

Here's one example of how it might go:

Image: Smart Up Visuals

Activities for a 16-Month-Old

Playing with a 16-month-old is fun! They’re smart, savvy little creatures at this stage of toddlerhood, and they know how to have a good time. So what to do with a 16-month-old? Give them plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and discover the world around them. Playgrounds, parks and open areas offer ample opportunity for your toddler to explore. Also make sure you give your 16-month-old baby things to keep their hands busy. Whether they’re blowing bubbles, using finger paint or shaking a tambourine, let them practice the fine motor skills they’re actively mastering as they hit the 16-month-old milestones. Fun activities, games and toys for a 16-month-old include:

Blocks. About half of 16-month-olds can make a tower by stacking three blocks.
Coloring. Your toddler should also be able to scribble, so break out the sidewalk chalk and crayons (and hide all pens and permanent markers!).
Pretend objects. Play kitchens, toy brooms and pretend phones allow a child to imitate what they’ve seen their parents doing.

16-Month-Old Baby Checklist and Tips

Teething pain? Let your 16-month-old snack on frozen peas—they feel good on gums and are surprisingly yummy, not to mention healthy.
When you're changing your child's clothes, talk through what's happening. Soon, they'll be able to start doing this activity solo, and after that, they’ll learn to put clothes on.
Have a dance party! Now that your child is fully mobile, they'll want to try out some new dance moves.
Help your 16-month-old toddler develop their language skills by describing what they’re doing. Say things like, “I see you’re driving that truck under the bridge” or “look how carefully you’re putting your toys back into the box.” This helps them understand how words and actions go together. Also help by encouraging them to say what they want. Ask your child, “Do you want a banana or an apple for a snack?”.
Give your toddler the words to describe emotions. (For example, “I see how happy holding that flower makes you” or “I feel sad that you hit me.”) This helps them name their feelings later and learn to show empathy.
Let your 16-month-old build on their skills. Once they’ve reached one of their 16-month-old milestones, like stacking two blocks, encourage them to stack three! If your 16-month-old baby can toss a ball now, see if they can practice tossing it into a basket.

Your 16-month-old is the life of the party. They have strong emotions and let you know it. Lead by example; try to keep your cool when tantrums start and show positive reinforcement when they do a good job. This stage is full of excitement and exhaustion. You’ve got this!

Medical content was reviewed by Dina DiMaggio, MD, a board-certified pediatrician at Pediatric Associates of NYC and NYU Langone Health in New York City, and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is also the coauthor of The Pediatrician’s Guide to Feeding Babies and Toddlers.

16-Month-Old Baby Feeding Schedule, Recipes, and Tips : Bebe Burp – BebeBurp

16-Month-Old Baby Feeding Schedule, Recipes, and Tips : Bebe Burp

Dec 09, 2021

Mothers, especially first-time moms, tend to get jittery when it comes to deciding what to feed their babies. If you have a 16-month-old toddler, who relishes an apple one day and refuses to eat it the next day, you are bound to get frustrated. The trick is to introduce new foods to your toddler so that she doesn’t get bored of eating the same food. Keep her diet balanced and introduce her to new tastes and food textures. If you want to know what foods you can give to a 16-month-old toddler and what kind of feeding schedule you should follow for him, then read this article. We also have some meal ideas for 16-month-old babies, which you experiment with for your little one.

What to Feed a 16-Month-Old

A toddler must have a balanced meal each day. A healthy diet that consists of all the essential nutrients is a must for toddlers for their healthy growth and development. So here is a list of food that can be given to your 16-month-old baby.

1. Fruits and Vegetables

Apples
Banana (healthy for weight gain, contains vital nutrients)
Orange (rich in vitamin c)
Grapes
Potatoes
Broccoli
Carrots

2. Non-Vegetarian

Chicken (shredded and boiled)
Fish
Eggs

3.

Other Food Items

Rice (boiled)
Oats
Milk
Yoghurt
Kidney beans (boiled and mashed)
Legumes
Whole wheat
Mashed fruits and vegetables

How Much Should a 16-Month-Old Eat?

At 16 months, a toddler knows quite well what she wants to eat and what she never wants to put in her mouth. Hence, forcing your baby to eat something won’t do any good. But as per the nutritional food chart, you must make sure that she gets about 1000 calories approximately per day. Another good way of knowing how many calories to give to your baby is to add up to 40 calories for every inch of her height.

Feeding Schedule for a 16-Month-Old

Here is a sample feeding schedule for a 16-month-old. We have given some foods that you can include in their meals. Feel free to include other healthy foods in her diet.

Meal Time	Food Name
Breakfast (8:00 am – 8:30 am)	Scrambled eggs, oatmeal
Lunch (11:30 am -12:00 noon)	Fruits or vegetables, pasta
After Nap (3:00 pm -3:30 pm)	Yoghurt, cheese sticks
Dinner (6:30 pm -7:00 pm)	Steamed broccoli, chicken

Drinking milk along with every meal/snack is important for a 16-month-old toddler. As it will fill her stomach and she won’t ask for unhealthy snacks in between meals. Therefore, giving milk along with every meal to your little one will develop a healthy and good appetite cycle. But how much milk should a toddler take every day? According to paediatricians, a toddler should take 3-4 ounces of milk with every meal or 5-6 ounces of milk along with three main meals.

Foods to Avoid for a 16-Month-Old Toddler

Listed below are foods that you should not include in your 16-month-old’s food chart.

Low-fat milk
Raw vegetables
Peanuts
Prawn
Mutton or beef
Fish with bones

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Breastfeeding on demand

You can often hear from a nursing mother: "I feed on demand, my baby requires a breast every 3.5 hours." Or: “I have always fed on demand. In a year, we already had 1 feeding in the evening, and my child calmly refused to breastfeed. Before talking about the demand of the child, it is necessary to find out what modern women mean when they say - "I breastfeed. "

Modern mothers consider breastfeeding necessary for feeding their baby. Just for feeding. Breast milk is food, the mother supplies the baby with the nutrients necessary for growth and development. When a baby suckles at the breast, he eats. Breastfeeding makes sense only as a process of supplying proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements.

During suckling, the baby receives the nutrients it needs with mother's milk. This is the absolute truth. There is another unconditional truth, which is not given any importance in modern society, it is not taken into account and is not considered. Breastfeeding for a child is communication with the mother. We need to figure out how the child understands feeding on demand? Can he understand anything at all? Is there any difference for him how he is fed, for 15-20 minutes after 3.5 hours or in some other way?

What is on-demand feeding

On-demand feeding of a newborn baby means putting it to the breast for every squeak or search. Squeak and search movements in newborns, even as early as the second or third day of life, begin to appear much more often than after 3.5 or 2.5 hours. The need for attachments increases rapidly, and by the 10-12th day of life, the need to attach to a child may occur 15-16 or more times a day. Applications vary in duration. The baby can fall asleep and sleep while sucking for, for example, 1.5-2 hours. Can release the breast after 1-2 minutes. And then ask her again. Why does a child need such frequent contact with his mother's breast?

That's why. Being in the mother's belly, in a calm, familiar environment, listening to the noises of the mother's body, being in a warm, cramped, confined space, the baby sucked his fist, fingers, loops of the umbilical cord, swallowed amniotic fluid. Learned to suck and swallow. After birth, experiencing discomfort for any, the most insignificant reason, the baby tries to get rid of it. You can get rid of discomfort by getting into the usual conditions of a comfortable stay. The only place where the baby after birth can feel the sensations familiar to him is in the arms of the mother. The only familiar action is sucking. The only familiar taste and smell is the taste and smell of milk and lube in the areola. Milk and lubricant have an odor and taste similar to the taste and smell of amniotic fluid. Therefore, experiencing discomfort, the baby squeaks, or begins to look for an object to suck with his mouth. Ideally, it is immediately applied to the chest. The baby becomes warm, cramped, he hears the beating of his mother's heart, breathing, grumbling in the intestines, he sucks and feels the familiar taste and smell. If such an action happens constantly, the baby gains confidence, no matter what happens, he will solve all his problems with his mother. The place of comfort is now under the breast, and you can suck on the breast.

This whole process is biologically justified. A newborn child does not feel the feeling of hunger, this feeling is not formed in him. It will begin to form at about two months of age. How to feed a creature that does not experience hunger ?! How to encourage him to take some action to get food? This can be done only at the expense of some other incentives. This stimulus for the newborn is constant bodily discomfort, thanks to which he wants to suckle all the time! The most intense, frequent and prolonged sucking in infants is observed in the first two or three months of life. It is in these first months that the main weight gain of the baby occurs.

Feeding in the first month

Baby falls asleep with breast in mouth, sleeps sucking for a while. Falling asleep deeply, lets go of the chest. After sleeping for a while, he wakes up, and is applied on waking. After sleep, he can stay awake for some time, for example, an hour and a half. During wakefulness, he may feel discomfort 2-3 times, for example, from a completely natural desire to pee, and having called his mother for help, having kissed for a couple of minutes, he will do his deeds. Then he will want to sleep, feel discomfort and, kissing his chest, will again fall asleep sucking. After some time, he will wake up and attach again. Then again a little "walk". And after some time, he will fall asleep at the chest again.

The daytime naps of a one-month-old infant feeding on demand vary in duration and number. There can be 4-6 dreams during the day, and they can last from 5-15 minutes to 2-2.5 sometimes 3 hours. "Around" each dream, the baby is applied to the chest, and applied between dreams several times. At night, the child falls asleep at the breast. Usually in the early morning hours, he begins to fuss and apply. In the morning, he almost never fully wakes up. The baby sleeps, from time to time, sucking on his mother's breast. Waking up in the morning, the baby is again applied to the chest. If you count all the attachments that have happened in a baby of one month of age, then approximately 16-20 attachments are obtained. This is how a newborn human cub behaves if it is given the opportunity to behave in accordance with physiological and psychological needs, which, by the way, are genetically determined. The child of the first months of life does not separate his personality from the personality of the mother and from her breast. Mom and her breasts, and everything connected with them, are the universe of the baby and himself.

In most cases, a modern woman, being afraid to “accustom a child to hands”, strives to limit his requests for suckling. A pacifier and a bottle of tea or water come to her aid in this matter. They, too, can be sucked ... The need for sucking seems to be satisfied. But only the need for communication with the mother during suckling is not satisfied, the peculiar chain of mutual assistance and cooperation between mother and baby is destroyed, the formation of maternal affection and concentration is disrupted. Is the difference in the two actions noticeable to the reader: the baby cried, the mother took him, put him to her chest and started rocking him, or gave him a pacifier and started rocking the stroller, even with the words “Why are you crying, my sun?”

The modern woman who gives a pacifier and pumps a stroller is not a bad person deliberately harming an infant. She is simply in captivity of prejudices regarding the relationship between mother and baby. She does not know how to behave correctly, does not know what to do in accordance with the natural needs of the child. If you tell her what the child really needs, she will exclaim in horror: “What is it, don’t let him get away with?!” Indeed, the child of the first months of life must not be let off the hook. For a woman who does not know how to comfortably carry a baby, and who does not know how to feed him in various positions (sitting, lying, standing and even moving), this can be very difficult. Especially if she is not sure of the correctness of her actions.

An action that should become automatic for the mother of a newborn: when the baby cries or shows other signs of anxiety, put the baby to the breast.

What's next?

The baby is growing. A fairly stable rhythm of daytime sleep begins to form in him, and a 3-4-month-old baby behaves quite differently from a newborn. Feeding on demand at this age looks something like this...

At three months, the baby has 10-12 feeds during the day and 2-4 at night. There are frequent applications for a short time, but their number is reduced. There may be a long night break in feedings, about 5 hours, but this is very rare. Much more often the night break is 2.5-3.5 hours. By this age, the baby's body is noticeably rounded.
At four months, the baby begins to breastfeed noticeably less frequently. The main feedings are associated with sleep: the baby suckles before bedtime, during awakening and during sleep, both daytime and nighttime. In this regard, he has a fairly accurate feeding regimen. And many babies stop breastfeeding when they wake up after daytime sleep, sometimes as early as 2.5-3 months.
At five months, the baby has 8-10 daytime feedings and 2-3 nighttime, attachments as well as in the fourth month of life, are organized around dreams - the baby eats when going to bed and some babies suck during awakening.
At six months, the feeding regimen changes. The most active sucking shifts to the last 2-3 hours before waking up from a night's sleep. The period of daytime wakefulness can be divided into two periods: in the morning, when the baby sucked during the night is rarely applied to the breast, and in the evening, when attachments become very frequent. In total, there can be 7-10 day applications and 3-4 night applications. At this age, the baby begins a period of acquaintance with new food - pedagogical complementary foods. Sometimes there are attachments associated with the introduction of complementary foods, the baby “washes down” samples of new food with mother's milk. But many children do not want to drink complementary foods. When complementary foods are introduced to an on-demand baby, it is never meant to replace feedings with complementary foods. This is practically impossible, because the main feedings of the baby are associated with sleep, and mother's breakfasts, lunches and dinners, during which the baby gets acquainted with new food, are located between the baby's dreams, during his wakefulness.
At seven months, the frequency of application is about the same.
At eight months, the feeding regimen changes. Since the baby shows high motor activity and is very busy exploring the surrounding space, in the daytime he forgets to breastfeed. In this regard, the number of daily feedings can be reduced to 6-8 times. The baby compensates for the reduction in daytime feedings by increasing the frequency and duration of nighttime feedings up to 6 times.
In the second half of the year, babies who stopped breastfeeding when waking up after daytime naps recall this habit again. The baby’s daytime sleep in the second half of life, as well as in the region of a year and older, looks something like this: the baby falls asleep sucking, sleeps quietly for a while, for example 1-1.5 hours, then starts tossing and turning, fiddling, worrying, at this moment the mother lies down next to , gives him a breast and the baby can fill up 10-15-30 minutes sucking. Mom may well use this time for her own rest - lie down, read, while the baby sleeps while sucking. I know my mother, a lover of embroidery, who used this time specifically for embroidery ...
Breastfeeding becomes more frequent at nine to ten months. In the daytime, this is 4-6 full feedings and about the same number of attachments for various reasons. The baby has new reasons for attachment. If, during active actions to master the world, the baby fills a bump or gets scared, he calms down with his mother's breast. There may be situations when you can comfort the baby by sitting next to him and hugging him. At night, 4-6 feedings remain, the baby begins to suckle more actively in the morning between 3 and 8 hours.
At eleven months, a baby can already have 2-3 complete complementary foods. Initiation to adult food in the mind of a child is not associated with breastfeeding: attachment to the mother's breast is something other than the desire to get enough of the product they like. As a rule, after the baby has eaten, he feels the need to attach himself to the breast. The number of daily feedings remains the same in the child, but the number of short-term attachments increases. There are active mid-morning feedings between 4 and 8 o'clock in the morning.
At ten or twelve months, the baby, if he is already walking, can sometimes breastfeed every time he comes to his mother, i.e. about every 15-30 minutes. Attachments around dreams and night sucking persist. Therefore, if a mother says that a child suckles once or twice a day, this means that there is no feeding at the request of the child. There are restrictions imposed by the mother, with which the baby has come to terms. He treats breast sucking like food, sucks on a pacifier or a finger to fall asleep or soothe, or falls asleep just like that, without calming down.
At twelve months, the baby is applied in about the same way.
At the age of one and a half years, there may already be one daytime nap, so there are fewer attachments associated with sleep. Preserved for morning sucking. The baby is very free with his mother's breasts. Sometimes it happens that he comes up to suck just for pleasure. For example, like this: he comes up, climbs on his knees, looks into his mother’s face, smiles, starts to swarm in his shirt, gets breasts, smiles at his breasts, sucks for 30 seconds and leaves.

As for the number of feedings per day when feeding a child on demand, their number is almost never less than 12. A newborn has 12 or more attachments, mostly they are all associated with dreams. And a child, say 1.5-2 years old, can also have about 12 attachments, only 3-4 are associated with sleep, and the rest are short-term attachments for various reasons. I suggest to all mothers reading this text - do not count the application, do not notice their duration. Breastfeed your baby as often as he asks, when you feel the need to.

Moms who don't think about breastfeeding without looking at the clock may get the impression that when breastfeeding on demand, the mother can do nothing but feed the baby. This is not true. After the birth of a baby, a mother begins another life, she is called life with a baby. That's all. The child is with the mother, not the mother with the child! Feel the difference! You need to be able to organize your life in a different way, in the first months, of course, the help of loved ones is very necessary. In the tradition of many peoples, it was customary for the first 40 days after childbirth to remove a woman from any housework and household chores, she was engaged only in a child. In some nations, objects that the mother of a newborn touched were considered “unclean”, therefore, they preferred to protect the mother from the rest of the household, allocating her a separate “corner” of the house, where no one bothered her and she did not interfere with anyone. Among the Slavs, such a restrictive custom was called a six-week. By 1.5-2 months, the rhythm of daytime dreams begins to form, and the baby has a kind of “regime”, the mother becomes more free.

For a mother who can't imagine breastfeeding without looking back at the clock, and who is sure that the “right” baby is the baby lying quietly in her crib all the time, feeding on demand will be a complete hassle. It will be much easier for such a mother if she stops looking at the clock and ties the baby to herself with a large scarf or uses a patchwork holder (sling). It will become easier for her if she stops running between the nursery and the kitchen, but takes the baby with her to the kitchen and carries him around the house with her, doing housework, in a box, a cradle, a special chair, if she tries not to put him off often, and pick up as soon as possible, postponing the baby only in case of emergency and not for long.

Breastfeeding is not the same as house arrest. In the conditions of modern society, it is possible to organize the exit of a nursing mother to work from about 6 months of age of the baby. If necessary, you can start working from the age of 4 months, but, of course, it is better not every day of the week and not full time. It is the responsibility of a breastfeeding consultant to help a mother organize her return to work.

Sometimes, when I advise mothers on breastfeeding, I suggest that they forget for a second that they are already living in the 21st century. I propose to return, for example, to the cave and ask what they will do if the child woke up at night, how to calm him down? If you are walking through the forest and trying not to attract the attention of predators, how to make the baby silent? If the child is thirsty, what will you give him? What is the baby used to, for thousands of years of its existence? To the fact that he sleeps on his mother while she wanders through the forest with a digging stick in search of roots, and wakes up when mother stops. Since mom stopped, then there is time to wake up and suck. Therefore, even now the child sleeps well, tied to the mother with a patchwork holder, wakes up when the mother, having done a few household chores, sits in a chair to take care of the baby.

Some mother, reading about the cave, will be offended, saying that she is a civilized creature. But please think. Man, mother's breast and mother's milk have been created by evolution over millions of years. They are made for each other. Baby food has created progress and more recently. The skills of motherhood and breastfeeding have also been lost by our society quite recently. A person is not physiologically adapted to artificial feeding and a pacifier. The mother's breast will not produce enough milk at 6-7 feedings per day. Nature did not know, when creating man as a mammal, that the time would come when the need for breastfeeding would be satisfied by some kind of pacifiers and nipples.

Changes that occur during the formation of the personality of a child who did not have full contact with the mother during prolonged breastfeeding are noted by modern research by psychologists and sociologists. These are changes with a minus sign. It would be better if they were not, these changes.

Breastfeeding is important not only for the baby, it is also important for the mother. During on-demand feeding, the woman's feelings change, a stronger attachment to the baby is formed, the woman becomes more sensitive to the needs of the baby. Deeper affection and understanding are not only preserved in infancy. They persist for life. For clarity, imagine what happens to a woman’s feelings if she tries to “withstand” a child, endures his crying, anxiety. What happens to a woman if she uses the recommendation from one very popular parenting book: "Go to the child if he cries for more than 15 minutes"? Speaking in abstract terms, humanity is interested in reviving the practice of breastfeeding. The revival of this practice is impossible without mothers realizing the true reasons for the child's need for attachment to the breast.

Lilia Kazakova, pediatrician,
Head of Lactation and Child Care Counselors

Child's diet 9-12 months

By 9 months the main complementary foods have already been introduced, so the expansion of the child's diet continues. It is important to know that at this age the consistency of the products should change from homogenized to finely and coarsely ground.
A meat dish for an older child can be offered in the form of meatballs, which diversifies the child's diet and stimulates the formation of chewing skills. Canned meat industrial production for children over 8 months. - coarsely chopped, spices and spices (white pepper, celery, parsley, dill, onion, basil, thyme) can be added to them.

The amount of fish puree increases to 60 g per day by 12 months. Fish is given 2 times a week boiled without broth (instead of meat).

At this age, children's vermicelli can be offered to the child.

The number of children's cookies and crackers is increased up to 10-15 g per day (2-3 cookies).

By the year it is useful to add finely chopped fresh garden greens (dill, parsley) to various dishes, which significantly enriches the diet with vitamins and minerals.

Sample diet for a 12 month old child:

breakfast 8 hours	Dairy-free or milk porridge* Butter Boiled egg yolk Fruit puree	150-200 g about 1 tsp. 1/2 pcs 50 g
lunch 12 noon	Vegetable puree Vegetable oil Meat puree (meatballs) or fish Bread/rust Compote	180 g about 1/2 tsp. 50 g 10 g 50 ml
afternoon tea 4 pm	Breast milk (kefir or yoghurt)** Cottage cheese Fruit puree Baby biscuits	100 g 50 g 50-70 g 2 pcs
dinner 20 hours	Vegetables or porridge** Meat puree Vegetable oil Fruit juice	180 g 20 g 1/2 tsp. 50 ml
before bedtime 11 pm	Breast milk (DMS)***	200 ml

* - dairy-free porridge should be diluted with breast milk or infant formula that the child receives. Milk porridge is diluted with water.
** - the daily volume of kefir or yogurt can be up to 200 ml,
*** - infant milk formula