Mommy Calls – Feeding advice for 15 month old

Now that my daughter is 15 months, what should she be eating?  I give her eggs, bagels, toast, chicken and veggies, can she do fish too? What about red meats? When should she be off the bottle? It’s tough to get her 100% on the sippy cup. Please advise.

At this age, your daughter can eat almost anything that you eat.  Go ahead and introduce red meat, fish or small pieces of any healthy items on your plate.  Nothing is off limits as long as it isn’t a choking hazard, such as whole nuts (peanut butter or nut products are ok), whole grapes (cut them into quarters) or popcorn (best to wait a few more years on this one).  Set a good example and eat healthy food with her.

Get her used to drinking water (much healthier than juice) and 2% or whole milk.  Work on weaning her off the bottle over the next few months.  Some bottle manufacturers make interchangeable sippy cup spouts which can ease the transition.  Many infants and toddlers prefer a straw cup to a sippy cup anyway.  My younger son skipped the sippy and went straight from bottle to straw cup (like his big brother!).  At your 18 month appointment your pediatrician may recommend you gather up all the bottles and say, “Bye, Bye.”  Don’t worry, she’ll quickly forget about her bottle and drink from a sippy or straw cup instead.