If your child is not well into solid foods by his first birthday, keep in mind that breastmilk alone does not meet the nutritional requirements of a one-year-old. If you plan on breastfeeding exclusively past six months, consult your pediatrician for information on how to supplement your baby's diet.

Toddlers need solid food, too. Introduce new foods gradually, at least two to three days apart, so there is time to assess food allergies. Common symptoms of food allergy include itchy, watery eyes; repeated sneezing attacks; itchy skin; clear mucus running from the nose; rash; hives; “slapped,” or very red, cheeks; or behavioral changes.

Five Squares a Day

Because toddler tummies are small, offer them five small meals a day rather than three big ones. An easy way to keep youngsters nutritionally well primed is to serve between-meal snacks that emphasize finger foods.

That way, toddlers can more readily manage the mechanics of eating themselves, and there's less cooking and cleanup for the chef. (Remember not to let them wander as they munch!)

Popular Finger Foods:

Cheese sandwiches (cut in quarters)

Fish-shaped crackers

Fortified cereal

Fruit wedges

Hard-boiled egg slices

Luncheon meat in a pita

Mozzarella cheese sticks

Vegetable sticks

Whole-wheat crackers

From Table to Tummy

For a decade, parents were told to let youngsters decide what to eat. Adults were instructed to put the food on the table, and then sit back, relax, and let nature take its course. According to a widely publicized study, when little ones were offered a selection of nutritious foods and allowed to eat whatever they wished without parental interference — although they might fill up on potatoes for a meal or two — over the course of a week they consumed a diet that would make a nutritionist smile. The media urged parents to stop worrying and back off, reassuring them that if tots were allowed to follow their instincts, they would consume what their bodies needed.

But there was a catch, and few reporters bothered to mention it:Everything that the scientists had placed before their little research subjects was a healthy choice. Coca-Cola and M&Ms were not on the menu! If parents want to trust Mother Nature to guide their toddler in the right direction, every dish they serve would have to be something she made herself. And that wise woman of the cosmos doesn't bake Ding Dongs, stir up batches of Jell-O Pudding, or make trips to McDonald's.