Developmental Milestones And Feeding Skills
Birth to 6 Months
- Sucks well on nipple .
- finishes each feeding within minutes by 4 months
- Signs of hunger in newborns are increased alertness or activity, mouthing or rooting. Crying is a late indictor of hunger.
6-9 Months
- At 6 months, babies are physiologically and developmentally ready for solid foods
- Sits independently for a short time
- Drinks from a cup held by an adult
- Eats soft food from a spoon or adult’s fingers
- Uses both hands to hold a bottle
- Prefers parents to feed
- Plays with spoon
- Initial refusal of new flavors and textures is not uncommon. It may take 3-10 offerings before an infant accepts a new food
- Finger-feeding can be introduced
- By 9 months, picks up small items using thumb and first finger (e.g., oat ring cereal)
- Some infants have a more sensitive gag reflex and may not tolerate anything but pureed foods at first
9-12 Months
- Begins to take an active independent role in feeding
- Assists with spoon; some become independent
- Refining pincer grasp
- Can hold cup and suck or sip contents, but may spill
- More willing to accept lumpy textures, especially when self-feeding
- Initial refusal of new flavours and textures is common. It may take up to10 offerings before infant accepts a new food
- Licks food from lower lip
12-18 Months
- Picks up and eats finger foods
- Grasps spoon with whole hand
- Holds cup with 2 hands
- Holds and tips bottle
- Compared with the first year of life, a decreased or sporadic appetite is common
- Unfamiliar foods are often rejected the first time
18-24 Months
- Chews broad range of food
- Self-feeding predominates
- Displays curiosity and desire to be independent
- Decreased or sporadic appetite is common
- Food neophobia (fear of the new) increases through early childhood and then declines. Unfamiliar foods are often rejected the first time _ Food likes and dislikes become prominent
- Tend to go on food jags (refusal of all but 4 or 5 favourite foods over an extended period)
- In non-controlling, non-coercive conditions, healthy children have the ability to self-regulate the amount of food and energy consumed
2-3 Years
- By 2 years, eats most foods without coughing and choking
- By 2 years, eats with a utensil with little spilling
- By 30 months, lifts and drinks from a cup and replaces it on the table
- May be resistant to new foods
- Food preferences increase with frequency of exposure. It may take 5- 15 exposures to a new food before a child learns to like it
- It is normal for children to lose interest in mealtimes. When hungry, they will focus on eating. When satisfied, their attention turns elsewhere
3-6 Years
- By age 4, looks for adult approval
- Food preferences increase with frequency of exposure. It may take 5-15 exposures to a new food before a child learns to like it
- It is normal for children to lose interest in mealtimes. When hungry, they will focus on eating. When satisfied, their attention turns elsewhere
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