How much food do babies need?
- meet the infant’s individual nutritional needs for their growth and activity level, as indicated by healthy weight gain and development
- contain breastmilk or infant formula
- include a variety of foods from meal-to-meal and day-to-day with an emphasis on nutrient-dense foods, particularly those rich in iron.
Food* | Serve size | Serves a day | Serves a week |
---|---|---|---|
Vegetables and legumes/beans | 20g | 1½–2 | 10–14 |
Fruit | 20g | ½ | 3–4 |
Grain (cereal) foods | 40g bread equivalent | 1½ | 10 |
Infant cereal (dried) | 20g | 1 | 7 |
Lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, legumes/beans | 30g | 1 | 7 |
Breast milk or formula | 600ml | 1 | 7 |
Yoghurt/cheese or alternatives | 20ml yoghurt or 10g cheese | ½ | 3–4 |
(Source: National Health and Medical Research Council, 2013, p. 44) (CC BY 4.0)In this video, Dr Katie Lacy describes the importance of providing small amounts of a variety of nutrient-dense foods to infants to help them to accept and learn to like a range of nutritious foods.
Your task
Watch the video and, in the comments, describe an infant’s typical daily eating pattern in your culture. For example, in Australia, it’s common for children to eat three meals and three snacks across the day.Also, how do you know how much food to offer and when to stop? Discuss your thoughts with other learners.Reference
National Health and Medical Research Council. (2013). Eat for health. Australian dietary guidelines summary. Canberra: NHMRC.Infant Nutrition: from Breastfeeding to Baby's First Solids

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