Best first pages to print

• Starting solids checklist.
• Allergen tracker.
• Choking prevention page.
• What to say at mealtimes.
• Usually normal vs seek help tables.
• Australian resources page.

A gentle note

• Breastfeeding, formula feeding and mixed feeding can all be part of loving care.
• Food budgets, cultural foods, allergies, sensory needs and family stress all matter.
• You have not failed if feeding feels hard.
• Seek support early. Feeding is a skill children learn over time.

The parent role

• Decide what food and drinks are offered.
• Decide when meals and snacks happen.
• Decide where eating happens.
• Make food safe for age and ability.
• Offer variety over time.
• Keep the emotional tone calm where possible.

The child role

• Decide whether to eat from what is offered.
• Decide how much to eat.
• Learn hunger and fullness cues.
• Explore tastes, textures and smells.
• Build skills slowly.
• Need support when feeding is hard.

Pressure can look like

• Forcing a spoon or bottle.
• Begging, bargaining or chasing bites.
• Using dessert as the reward for dinner.
• Labelling food as good, bad, naughty or junk.
• Commenting on how much a child eats.
• Making disgusted faces when a child refuses.

Try instead

• Serve a familiar food alongside a learning food.
• Use neutral language: 'This is carrot. It is crunchy.'
• Let tiny tastes count.
• Let smelling, touching or licking be progress.
• Keep dessert or treats neutral when offered.
• End the meal kindly and offer the next planned meal or snack.

What parents need to know

• Newborns feed often because their stomachs are small.
• Cluster feeding can be normal, especially in the evening.
• Growth spurts can make babies want more feeds.
• Wet nappies, growth, alert periods and settling after feeds are useful signs.
• Some spilling can be normal, but forceful vomiting or poor growth needs review.
• Mixed feeding is common and can be supported without shame.

What this can look like at home

• A breastfed baby may feed 8-12 or more times in 24 hours early on.
• A formula-fed baby may have a more predictable bottle pattern, but still feeds to cues.
• A baby may want a top-up after a long afternoon.
• A parent may need help with latch, pain, supply worries or bottle flow.
• Night feeds are normal.
• Some days feel less organised than others.

Common challenges

• Painful breastfeeding or damaged nipples.
• Worry about supply.
• Bottle refusal or very fast bottle flow.
• Frequent spilling or reflux-like discomfort.
• Sleepy baby who is hard to feed.
• Parent exhaustion and anxiety.

Practical examples

• For bottle flow: hold baby semi-upright, pause often, and watch for turning away or milk leaking fast.
• For breast pain: seek support early from a lactation consultant, midwife, ABA or child and family health nurse.
• For mixed feeding: keep a simple note of feeds and nappies for a few days, not forever.
• For formula: prepare exactly as the tin says and throw out unfinished formula after one hour.

Safe formula habits

• Wash hands and use a clean preparation area.
• Sterilise bottles, teats and rings until 12 months. [10]
• Use cooled boiled water and the scoop from the tin.
• Add water first, then powder, exactly as directed.
• Do not add extra powder or extra water.
• Throw out formula left in the bottle after a feed.

Responsive bottle habits

• Hold baby close and semi-upright.
• Keep the bottle horizontal enough that milk flow is not too fast.
• Pause and let baby rest.
• Switch sides sometimes if comfortable.
• Stop when baby turns away, relaxes or stops sucking.
• Avoid bottle propping and bottles in bed.

Juice and sweet drinks

• Whole fruit is usually a better choice than juice.
• Juice can displace food and contribute to tooth decay.
• Sweet drinks can make children less interested in meals.
• Keep water easy to access.

Dairy alternatives

• Plant-based drinks vary widely.
• They are not suitable as the main milk drink for babies under 12 months.
• For children under 2 or with allergy, ask a GP or Accredited Practising Dietitian.
• Choose unsweetened fortified options only when appropriate for your child.

Signs of readiness

• Good head and neck control.
• Can sit upright with support.
• Shows interest in food.
• Opens mouth when food is offered.
• Reaches for food or watches others eat.
• Tongue thrust reflex has reduced.

First foods

• Start with iron-rich foods where possible.
• Offer soft smooth or finely mashed textures first.
• Add vegetables, fruit, grains and full-fat yoghurt or cheese.
• Use family foods without added salt or sugar.
• Offer small amounts and follow baby's appetite.
• Keep breastmilk or formula going.

Before you start

During the first month

Introduce a new texture by

• Putting a tiny amount beside a familiar texture.
• Modelling chewing with your own mouth.
• Letting baby touch and squish it first.
• Offering water in a cup.
• Trying again another day without pressure.

Seek help if

• Baby cannot progress beyond smooth puree.
• Frequent coughing, choking or wet-sounding breathing occurs.
• Meals cause distress every time.
• Baby vomits with textures repeatedly.
• Growth, hydration or intake worries you.

Boost absorption

• Offer vitamin C foods with plant iron: berries, citrus, tomato, capsicum or broccoli.
• Use meat, fish or poultry where suitable.
• Avoid giving tea or coffee to children.
• Ask for advice if your child eats no iron foods.

Budget-friendly

• Lentils, beans and chickpeas.
• Eggs.
• Tinned fish with bones removed where age-safe.
• Frozen vegetables.
• Oats and iron-fortified cereals.

Common allergens

• Egg.
• Peanut.
• Tree nuts.
• Cow's milk products.
• Wheat.
• Soy.
• Sesame.
• Fish and shellfish.
• Lupin.

Baby-safe ways

• Well-cooked egg mashed into food.
• Smooth peanut butter thinned with warm water, breastmilk, formula, yoghurt or cereal.
• Full-fat yoghurt or cheese.
• Wheat toast fingers or pasta.
• Smooth tahini mixed into yoghurt or puree.
• Soft fish flakes checked carefully for bones.

Seek medical advice before introducing allergens if

• Baby has severe eczema.
• Baby already has a food allergy.
• Baby had a previous reaction to a food.
• You have been told to avoid a food.
• Baby has complex medical needs.
• You feel too anxious to start without a plan.

Keep it calm

• Offer the new allergen earlier in the day if that helps you observe.
• Start with a tiny amount.
• Keep baby seated and supervised.
• Avoid rubbing food on skin as a 'test'.
• Use trusted guidance, not social media challenges.

Always

• Sit your child upright.
• Supervise closely.
• Keep meals calm and unhurried.
• Avoid eating while running, playing, crawling or in the car if you cannot supervise.
• Offer age-safe textures.
• Learn baby and child first aid.

Gagging vs choking

• Gagging can be noisy, red-faced and scary but air is moving.
• Choking may be silent or weak, with no effective cough.
• If your child cannot breathe, cough or cry, act immediately and call 000.
• Do not put fingers blindly into the mouth.

What parents need to know

• Offer 3 meals and 2-3 planned snacks most days.
• Water can be the everyday drink.
• Full-cream cow's milk can be used after 12 months if suitable.
• Breastfeeding can continue as long as parent and child want.
• Infant formula is usually not needed after 12 months.
• Toddler formula is usually not needed for healthy children.

Common challenges

• Throwing food.
• Refusing dinner after eating well earlier.
• Wanting snacks straight after meals.
• Only wanting beige or familiar foods.
• Drinking too much milk and eating less food.
• Mess, slow eating and sudden food opinions.

What to avoid

• All-day grazing that removes appetite for meals.
• Large bottles or cups of milk before meals.
• Chasing bites around the house.
• Using dessert as a bribe.
• Making a second dinner every time food is refused.
• Calling your child naughty for messy learning.

Seek help if

• Your child eats a very narrow range and it is shrinking.
• There is choking, coughing, gagging distress or vomiting at meals.
• Growth, iron, constipation or hydration worries you.
• Your child cannot manage textures expected for age.
• Meals are highly stressful most days.
• You feel anxious, stuck or pressured by family advice.

What is usually normal

• Big appetite swings.
• Needing many exposures before accepting a food.
• Refusing mixed foods but eating parts separately.
• Liking food one day and rejecting it another day.
• Eating more at breakfast or lunch than dinner.
• Wanting control over plate layout or food touching.

Build variety by

• Offering tiny amounts of learning foods.
• Serving new foods next to familiar foods.
• Using family meals without pressure.
• Letting children help wash veg or stir batter.
• Repeating foods in different forms.
• Keeping snacks predictable.

If dinner is refused

• Stay neutral: 'You don't have to eat it.'
• Keep the meal available for a reasonable time.
• Do not cook a new preferred meal immediately.
• Offer the next planned snack or breakfast.
• Notice whether snacks or milk are too close to dinner.
• Try again another day.

If beige foods dominate

• Keep safe familiar beige foods while adding tiny colour.
• Use dips, grated cheese, yoghurt or avocado if accepted.
• Try one change at a time: shape, brand, colour or texture.
• Add iron-rich familiar options: egg, meatballs, baked beans, hummus, nut paste.
• Avoid shaming the beige foods.
• Seek help if the range keeps shrinking.

Snacks

• Use planned snack times rather than all-day grazing.
• Include protein, fat or fibre where possible.
• Keep water available.
• Let some snacks be simple: fruit, yoghurt, cheese, toast, leftovers.
• A snack straight after refused dinner can teach waiting is hard, so use your routine.
• If your child truly needs food, offer a predictable simple option.

Dessert and treats

• Avoid using dessert as a reward for eating dinner.
• When dessert is offered, keep the portion calm and predictable.
• You can serve dessert with the meal sometimes to reduce bargaining.
• Use neutral words like 'sometimes foods' rather than naughty foods.
• Keep family and cultural celebrations joyful.
• Children can learn that all foods fit, and some foods are everyday foods.

Speak with a professional when needed

• GP.
• Child and family health nurse.
• Lactation consultant.
• Accredited Practising Dietitian.
• Speech pathologist.
• Paediatrician.
• Allergy specialist.
• Emergency service.

Call 000 for

• Choking or inability to breathe, cough or cry.
• Blue or grey colour.
• Collapse or unresponsiveness.
• Severe allergic reaction symptoms.
• Difficult or noisy breathing.
• Swelling of tongue or throat.
• A child who is pale, floppy or very drowsy after a possible allergen.