Changing food and nutrition for your 8-to-12- month old

Your 8-to-12- month old's nutritional needs are changing as fast as he is. Some highlights to remember and put into action include:

• Offer your baby poultry, fish, eggs or other good sources of protein daily, or as often as possible.
• Be sure everything has an appropriate texture and consistency for your baby's developmental stage.
• Bananas are a good source of potassium, as are tomatoes and potatoes. Incorporate these foods into your baby's diet - make sure they're cooked, chopped or mashed so she can eat them safely.
• Taste and texture are equally important! Be sure to offer finger foods that dissolve easily as well as foods that have more texture yet are still very soft.
• Raw apples are hard and don't dissolve easily, so they're not appropriate for your 8-to-12- month olds' eating skills.
• Let your baby play with her food while she's learning to eat. Allow her to explore it with all her senses!
• As your baby's solid food intake increases, her breast milk intake will naturally decrease a little.
• It is important for your baby and the rest of the family to eat together. Babies learn by watching others so it's a great opportunity for you all to model healthy eating behaviours!