Healthy eating guidelines for children

You can start your baby with either:

• soft foods served from a spoon – such as rice cereal, fruit, yoghurt, cooked vegetables, and cooked meat, chicken or fish.
• soft finger foods they can hold – such as rusks, toast fingers, steak strips and cut up soft fruit and cooked vegetables.  

Aim to include a variety of foods from the 5 food groups.

Most babies will be eating family foods and drinking from a cup by about 12 months. 

Babies usually need a few tries before accepting a new taste or texture.  

Let them discover at their own pace, embrace the mess and be patient.  

Watch for signs they’ve had enough, like turning away, closing their mouth, or pushing food away. 

It’s important to stay with your child when they are eating to make sure they don’t eat too much in one mouthful or choke on hard pieces. Gagging and spitting out food is normal and common in babies, especially when they are trying a new food, taste or texture. 

To help your baby get the iron they need for healthy growth, include foods that contain iron. Examples include:

• cereal with added iron
• pureed meat and poultry dishes
• cooked plain tofu and pureed legumes, soy beans or lentils
• well cooked eggs. 

To help lower your baby‘s chances of food allergies, offer common allergy-causing foods such as eggs, soy, wheat and peanuts. Aim to do this by the time they’re 12 months old. Introduce these in an age-appropriate form, such as:

• well-cooked egg
• smooth peanut butter/paste/spread.  

Start with just one common allergy-causing food at each meal. If your baby has an allergic reaction, stop giving them that food and seek medical advice.

If they don’t have an allergic reaction to the food, continue giving it to your baby twice a week.

Learn more about how to start your baby on solids to help prevent allergies.  

There are foods you should not feed your baby including:  

• honey (under the age of 12 months),  
• raw or runny eggs,  
• foods with added salt or sugars - there is also no need to add your own sugar or salt to baby’s food – they have sensitive taste buds
• small hard foods such as whole nuts, grapes, uncooked vegetables, popcorn
• sugar sweetened drinks including soft drinks,  
• drinks with caffeine
• fruit juice
• cow's milk (under the age of 12 months)*
• plant based milks.

*From 12 months full cream dairy milk can be offered from an open cup. Children aged 2 to 5 years can drink full-fat and reduced-fat milk, including powdered milk or ultra heat treated UHT (or long life) milks. Low-fat and skim milk are not recommended for children under 5 years.

Learn more about starting your baby on solids. 

It’s ok for them to eat both or either. A healthy dessert of fruit and yoghurt is still a nutritious part of the meal. Avoid using dessert as a reward for good behaviour. Let kids serve their own meals from shared dishes at a table or kitchen bench top.

Children may dislike some foods because they are new and they are not familiar with what they look like or their taste and texture. If you can, consider offering these foods alongside a favourite food or try them in different forms. For example, if your child dislikes grated carrots, you could try offering cold slices created with a peeler or warm cooked carrot cut into rounds or sticks. 

Offer your kids healthy options – such as a piece of fruit or yoghurt – and let them choose. If they reject food, clear it away and try offering it again later. Children often need to see new foods several times before they’re ready to try them. For young children, you could try offering food on a plate with a different colour or pattern. 

Children are more likely to enjoy and want food they have prepared. Even little ones can help with mixing. Try choosing healthy meals and snacks older kids can easily make for their lunchboxes.  

Learn more about involving your kids in the kitchen. 

Consider adding one new vegetable or fruit to try with their favourite meal or dish. Or try new food together as a family. 

Remember, young children will eat when they’re hungry. Don’t worry if they don’t eat straight away. Wait a little while and try again. 

To help your child get more vegetables, you could try adding them in to your meals. For example, try adding some grated or frozen vegetables into cooked meals or sauces. There’s no need to hide vegetables but adding vegetables to other foods may make it easier for children to accept vegetables more.