What is healthy food for babies and toddlers?
Healthy food for babies and toddlers includes a wide variety of fresh foods from the 5 healthy food groups:
- vegetables and legumes
- fruit
- cereals and grain foods
- dairy and dairy alternatives
- meat and meat alternatives.
Each food group has different nutrients, which your child’s body needs to grow and work properly. That’s why we need to eat a range of foods from across all 5 food groups.
Going from drinking breastmilk or infant formula to eating family meals takes time, and your baby won’t be eating food from all 5 food groups straight away. Starting your baby on solids is the first step. Once your baby has started eating solids, try to include foods from a variety of groups at each meal.
Fruit, vegetables and legumes
Fruit, vegetables and legumes give your child energy, vitamins, anti-oxidants, fibre and water. These nutrients help to protect your child from diseases later in life, including heart disease, stroke and some cancers.
It’s a good idea to offer your child fruit and vegetables or legumes at every meal and for snacks. Try to choose fruit, vegetables and legumes of different colours, tastes and textures, both fresh and cooked.
Wash fruit and vegetables to remove dirt or chemicals, and leave on any edible skin, because the skin contains nutrients too.
Some children seem to be ‘fussy’ about eating fruit and vegetables. You can help by being a healthy eating role model. If your child sees you eating a wide range of vegetables and fruit, your child is more likely to try them too.
Cereals and grain foods
Cereals and grain foods include bread, tortillas, flatbreads, pasta, noodles, breakfast cereals, couscous, rice, corn, quinoa, polenta, oats and barley. These foods give children the energy they need to grow, develop and learn.
Choose wholegrain options whenever you can. Grain foods with a low glycaemic index, like wholegrain pasta and breads, will give your child longer-lasting energy and keep them feeling fuller for longer.
Dairy and dairy alternatives
Key dairy foods are milk, cheese and yoghurt. These foods are good sources of protein and calcium.
You can introduce dairy foods from around 6 months of age. But make sure that breastmilk or infant formula is your baby’s main drink until around 12 months of age, when most children are eating family meals.
After 12 months, you can give your child pasteurised full-fat cow’s milk if they’re eating a balanced diet. Because children in this age group are growing so quickly and need a lot of energy, they need full-fat dairy products until they turn 2.
If you’re thinking of feeding your baby dairy alternatives like plant-based milk, it’s best to talk to your paediatrician, GP or child and family health nurse.
Meat and meat alternatives
Meat includes lean beef, veal, lamb, pork, goat, kangaroo, chicken, turkey and fish.
Meat alternatives include eggs, beans, lentils, chickpeas, falafel, tofu and nuts.
All these foods are rich in protein and important for your child’s growth and muscle development. These protein-rich foods also have useful vitamins and minerals like iron and omega-3 fatty acids. Iron and omega-3 fatty acids from red meat and oily fish are particularly important for your child’s brain development and learning.
Protein-rich foods from animal sources also have zinc and vitamin B12.
If you’re thinking about choosing a vegetarian, vegan or other special diet for your child, it’s a good idea to speak with a GP or dietitian. They can help you make sure your child’s diet is well balanced and has all the nutrients your child needs.
Have a look at our illustrated dietary guidelines for children 1-2 years and illustrated dietary guidelines for children 2-3 years for more information about daily food portions and recommendations. You can also speak to a dietitian if you have questions about your child’s eating.
Healthy drinks
Water is the healthiest drink for children over 12 months. It’s also the cheapest. Most tap water is fortified with fluoride for strong teeth.
From 6 months, breastfed and formula-fed babies can have small amounts of cooled boiled tap water from a cup.
Foods and drinks to limit
It’s best to limit the amount of ‘sometimes’ food your child eats. This means your child will have more room for healthy everyday foods.
‘Sometimes’ foods include fast food, takeaway and junk food like hot chips, potato chips, dim sims, pies, burgers and takeaway pizza. These foods also include cakes, chocolate, lollies, biscuits, doughnuts and pastries.
‘Sometimes’ foods can be high in salt, saturated fat and sugar, and low in fibre. Regularly eating these foods can increase the risk of health conditions like obesity and type-2 diabetes.
You should also limit sweet drinks for your child, including fruit juice, cordials, sports drinks, flavoured waters, soft drinks and flavoured milks. Sweet drinks are high in sugar and low in nutrients.
Too many sweet drinks can lead to unhealthy weight gain, obesity and tooth decay. These drinks fill up your child and can make them less hungry for healthy meals. If children regularly have sweet drinks when they’re young, it can kick off an unhealthy lifelong habit.
Foods and drinks with caffeine aren’t recommended for children, because caffeine stops the body from absorbing calcium well. Caffeine is also a stimulant, which means it gives children artificial energy. These foods and drinks include coffee, tea, energy drinks, some flavoured waters and chocolate.
The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating says that both children and adults should avoid or limit ‘sometimes’ food. It’s best to save these foods for special occasions.
Healthy alternatives for snacks and desserts
It’s fine to offer your child snacks, but try to make sure they’re healthy. Fruit and vegetables are a good choice – for example, cooked and mashed pumpkin or chopped banana.
The same goes for dessert at the end of a meal. Sliced soft fruit or yoghurt are healthy options. If you want to serve something special, try homemade banana bread. Save cakes, chocolate, lollies and so on for special occasions like birthdays.