Help Me Be Healthy – I am 1.5
Help me learn to eat new foods
- Please let me try new foods. I need to taste them to know which ones I like.
- Serve me foods I like along with a new food. You may need to offer me a new food 10 times before I will try it. This is normal. I am learning about food.
- I learn by smelling, tasting, and touching. I will put food in my mouth and take it out again. Toddlers do this.
- If I try many different foods when I am little, I’ll probably like more foods when I am big.
Offer me safe foods
Some foods are hard to eat. I can choke on them. Give me foods that are bite sized and soft enough for me to chew and swallow easily.
Foods that I can choke on:
- Hard foods, like candy, peanuts, popcorn, and nuts
- Raw vegetables and hard fruits
- Slick, round foods like hot dogs or whole grapes. Please cut them the long way.
- Sharp foods like corn chips
- Sticky foods like peanut butter
- Large foods like whole hamburgers
- Chunky soup
Please let me decide when I have had enough to eat
I am growing, but not as fast as before. I might eat less. Please don’t make me eat or “clean my plate.”
Make our family meals relaxed
- I like to be with you and talk at meals. Let’s turn o all our TVs and cell phones and enjoy our meal together.
- I still need to sit in my high chair or booster seat when I eat or drink.
- I can eat some of the same foods you do — I want to be just like you!
- Please help me have good habits. Let’s wash our hands before and after we eat.
- Let me try to use a small fork. I will still be messy when I eat. This is how I learn to feed myself.
- I like to copy what you do. If you make healthy choices and try new foods, I will too!
I like to copy what you do!
Every day off me:
Grains
6 servings of grain
½ slice bread or ½ tortilla
¼ cup cooked cereal, rice, or noodles
½ cup cold cereal
2 to 3 small crackers
Half the grains I eat should be whole grains.
Vegetables
4 servings of vegetables
- ¼ cup chopped, cooked vegetables
- 2 ounces vegetable or tomato juice
Offer me a dark green or orange vegetable every day.
Fruits
4 servings of fruits
- ¼ cup fruit
- 2 ounces 100% fruit juice
Offer me a vitamin C fruit every day— oranges, strawberries, or WIC juice.
No more than 4 ounces of juice a day.
Protein
4 servings of protein
- 2 tablespoons meat, chicken, turkey, or fish
- ½ egg
- 2 tablespoons beans or tofu
Beans, meat, chicken, turkey, and fish, give me lots of iron to keep my blood strong.
Dairy
4 servings of dairy
- 4 ounces nonfat or 1% milk
- ½ cup lowfat yogurt
- 1 slice lowfat cheese
No more than 16 ounces of milk a day.
WIC gives me lowfat milk. It’s what I need.
Fats, Oils & Sweets
Only a little bit
Let’s cook
French Toast Fingers
1 teaspoon vegetable oil, 1 egg, lightly beaten, 1 tablespoon milk, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional) 1 slice whole grain bread
1 tablespoon pancake syrup or jam
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Combine the egg, milk, and cinnamon in a bowl. Beat with a fork until well mixed. Dip both sides of the bread in the egg mixture. Place bread in the heated pan. Let it brown lightly on both sides. Cut into strips.
Cut into bite sized pieces for younger children. Serve with syrup or jam on the side for dipping.
Makes 2 servings.
Ask WIC if you have questions about what I eat or drink.
I need a routine
- Offer me foods from all 5 food groups.
- Offer me breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 or 3 healthy snacks every day.
- Please serve meals and snacks at the same time every day. If I wait too long I get tired and cranky, then it is hard for me to eat.
I can help
I can cut a ripe banana with a plastic knife.
I can help you choose colorful vegetables and fruits at the grocery store or farmers’ market.
Please teach me the names and colors of foods.
Look what I can do
- I can drink from a cup and use a spoon. I am still learning. I will be messy.
- I can push and pull toys, stack blocks, and throw a ball.
- I understand much of what you say. Please talk with me so I can learn more.
Let’s play
- Playing is my job for now. I will play anywhere.
- Chase me! Chase me, but keep me safe. Hug me when you catch me.
- Please watch me when I play. I will need your hand when I jump and climb.
- I love to play every day. Let’s dance, play follow-the-leader, play hide-and-seek, roll a ball, take a walk, or climb the stairs.
Keep me safe and healthy
- I like to open doors and drawers to see what’s inside. Let me learn, but keep me safe.
- Take me to my doctor for my checkup at 18 months. Ask the doctor about vitamin D.
- I need a nap every day. Could you read me my favorite story?
- Buckle me into my child safety seat in the car.
Please help me take care of my teeth
- Brush my teeth, front and back, 2 times a day.
- Use a small, soft toothbrush and a smear of fluoride toothpaste.
Utah WIC Program 1-877-WIC-KIDS
or 1-877-942-5437