Six Steps to Feeding

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Breastfeeding
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dietetic Association recommend breastfeeding as the best way to feed your baby. Try to breastfeed as long as possible, because breast milk not only aids in your baby's eye and brain development, but also lowers your baby's risk of developing allergies and infections. It may even decrease your baby's risk for obesity later in life. When you nurse, you pass the flavors of all the foods you eat on to your baby. And it's a wonderful way to really get to know your baby and learn to read the cues he gives you.

Positive Parenting
Keeping in tune with your baby's eating cues now is key to how she'll relate to food in the future. Your responsibility is to offer a variety of nutritious choices — your child's responsibility is to decide what and how much to eat. You're partners in this learning adventure.

Keep Trying
When you first offer your baby a new food, don't worry if he makes a little face. He may simply be telling you he doesn't recognize the food. All babies are born with an inclination to reject new foods. In fact, research shows that it takes a baby up to 10 exposures before he may decide if he likes a food. So have patience.

Variety
Recent research from the University of Tennessee shows that infants who have early eating experiences with a variety of fruits and vegetables are more likely to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables later when they begin making their own choices. Include fruits and vegetables with varying flavors, colors and textures. Different colors of fruits and vegetables have different nutrients; routinely serving your baby from each color group will provide a unique array of phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. So expand your baby's rainbow!

Five a Day
As your baby makes the transition from an all-milk diet to one that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, she'll need your help — five times each day.

5 Servings = 2 1/2 Jars

Nutrition experts recommend five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day for older babies. But how many slices of fruit or tablespoons of veggies equal a serving? Gerber makes it easy. Just remember 2 1/2 jars of our fruits and vegetables meet that daily recommendation. It's the measure of a healthy infant and toddler diet.

Activity
Will your baby grow up to enjoy participation in sports and other physical activities, moving with confidence and skill? Or prefer a sedentary life? Again, as with eating habits, experts say that you can influence your little one's future preferences by what you teach him now. Nurturing your child's motor skills helps to ensure healthy development and later participation in physical activity.

Source: 2007 www.gerber.com

Important Sam's Club Disclaimer: All content, including but not limited to, recipe and health information provided is for educational purposes only. Such content is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the diagnosis, treatment and advice of a medical professional. Such content does not cover all possible side effects of any new or different health program. Consult your medical professional for guidance before changing or undertaking a new diet or exercise program. Advance consultation with your physician is particularly important if you are under eighteen (18) years old, pregnant, nursing or have health problems.