When starting a solid food regimen for your baby, the bulk of the nutrition for the first 12 months should come from breast milk or formula. Solid food is more about exploration of tastes and flavors than nutrition for the first year. However, the greater variety of food you introduce to your baby, the wider (and more nutritious) her diet will be later in life.

All of NurtureBaby’s recipes are labeled with color blocks. These colors represent important food categories, grouped according to similar nutritional components, which are essential to a healthy diet. This color coding system simplifies the parents’ job of introducing a nutritious variety of foods to your baby.

Once your baby is a year old, it’s time to pay close attention to his nutrition intake. Parents can use the graph below as a guideline (or see Nutrition Checklist PDF) and allow their little ones to help check off the “colors” they eat throughout the day. For example, if your toddler eats a serving of broccoli, have her check off a green square in the vegetable category. This exercise will encourage healthy eating while ensuring optimal nutrition.

Fruit

Eat 2-3, 1/4 Cup Servings

Vegetables

Eat 2-3, 1/4 Cup Servings

Whole Grains

Eat 3-4, 1/2 Cup Servings

Dairy

Eat 3-4, 1/2 Cup Servings

Protein

Eat 1-2, 2oz Servings