You can give a child solid foods as early as six months of age, but it is not until the second year that regular patterns of eating take hold. Year two is also a time ripe for problems to arise.

As children begin sitting and eating with family, eating patterns begin to change, social cues are learned, and behaviors are enforced. The more you know before you start, the fewer problems you will have feeding your child down the road.

As children grow it is the parent’s job to help them become independent eaters so that eventually they will take the responsibility for their own nutrition. The earlier the quest for independent eating begins, the more successful it will be. There are some very easy things you can do to get your children off on the right foot:

• Be an example. Eat a wide variety of healthy foods in sight of your child. Avoid the foods you want your child to avoid.

• Set a schedule. Well-spaced meals and snacks at regular times make for happy tummies and help avoid the empty, hungry feeling that is typically accompanied by whining and lack of cooperation.

• Teach your kids that food is fuel. Like gas in the minivan, it gives us energy to get through the day. Do not teach that food is a reward, a weapon, a punishment, or a substitute for love.