What to Feed Your Baby and Toddler: A Month-by-Month Guide to Support Your Child's Health and Development

by Nicole M. Avena

An easy-to-follow manual for feeding babies exactly what they need to hit physical and intellectual milestones from 6 to 24 months, with 60 simple and delicious recipes. The month-by-month format offers a clear understanding of what foods to incorporate and avoid in a baby's diet.

World-renowned research neuroscientist, nutrition expert, and author of What to Eat When You're Pregnant Dr. Nicole M. Avena presents an essential guide for new parents on feeding babies during their critical first two years. Answering common questions about picky eaters, food allergies, diversifying baby's appetite, eating out or on the go, feeding baby at daycare or when with another caregiver, and food safety, this comprehensive guide offers easy monthly meal plans and baby-friendly, nutrient-rich recipes designed to support your baby's developmental milestones.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Adult, Cookbooks

224 pages, Paperback

Published May 8, 2018

About the author

Dr. Nicole Avena is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, and a Visiting Professor of Health Psychology at Princeton University. She is a research neuroscientist and expert in the fields of nutrition, diet and addiction, with a special focus on nutrition during early life and pregnancy, and women’s health. She has done groundbreaking work developing models to characterize food addition and the dangers of excess sugar intake. Her research achievements have been honored by awards from several groups including the New York Academy of Sciences, the American Psychological Association, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In addition to over 100 peer-reviewed scholarly publications, Dr. Avena has written several popular books, including Why Diets Fail: Because You’re Addicted to Sugar, What to Eat When You’re Pregnant, What to Feed Your Baby and Toddler and What to Eat When You Want to Get Pregnant. Her latest book, Sugarless, covers the latest science on sugar addiction and how to overcome it. It will be released in December, 2023, and it is available now for preorder. She frequently appears as a science expert in the media, including regular appearances on Good Day NY, The Doctors, and the former Dr. Oz Show as well as many news programs. Her work has been featured in Time Magazine, Bloomberg Business Week, The New York Times, and many other periodicals. Dr. Avena is a member of the Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau. She has the #2 most watched TED-ED Health talk, How Sugar Affects Your Brain, with over 17 million views and counting.
You can find her on social media @drnicoleavena IG, Facebook, LinkedIn

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I cannot recommend this book add a realistic feeding plan for babies. This book will have you spoon feeding your baby various purees until he's a year old before even introducing finger foods. Every bit of research I've read on the subject (that is, scientific, peer-reviewed articles) says that if you don't introduce finger foods by the time baby is 8 months or so, you will be much more likely to end up with feeding problems/picky eating down the road (at ages three and seven, according to one). It also basically takes the exact same stance on baby-led weaning that BLW takes on purees (it's horrible and will ruin your child's life, basically). There is definitely a middle ground to be had in this arena. I'm talking a mixed approach with my child, feeding her a variety of iron- and zinc-rich purees (to maximize the necessary iron and zinc consumption) as well as some soft finger foods to practice self feeding.

I did like that it did have more interesting puree recipes than most other books, and I liked is emphasis on nutrition. It's one of the few baby recipe books I've read to emphasize the importance of iron in the first month of solid for the breastfed baby.

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went directly to the recipes in this book and just skimmed the educational content at the beginning. I took a star off for the lack of pictures (food recipes should always have glossy color pictures in my perfect world.) I'm adding this to my Goodreads with a high rating so I can come back to it when it's time to introduce foods.

The book is broken down into three parts:
Part I: Why the right Food Matters
Part II: What to Feed Your Baby & Toddler: A Month-by-Month Guide
Part III: How to Help Your Baby Eat Well

I'm excited about this book because the recipes looked delicious enough to eat myself (yes, it's almost dinner time as I write this.) -- Carrot Coins with Honey Butter, French Toast Fingers with Maple Yogurt, Butternut Squach- Whole Wheat Shells and Cheese, Curried Cauliflower-Potato Mash

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

With all of the blogs, pins, and YouTube videos oh and information from your pediatrician, this book isn't really needed. It tells you what vitamins and minerals yours baby needs and which ones to focus on each month. It also has some recipes for each month. I don't know why anyone would need instructions on how to mash up food. It also has a tiny bit of information about organic food, GMOs, what foods you avoid, and what to do in social situations or If your little one doesn't like the food. If you're a new parent and jus want something to read sure read this but I wouldn't waste money on it

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

What to Feed Your Toddler is a helpful reference for parents navigating the often overwhelming world of toddler nutrition, with a straightforward month-by-month structure that makes planning easier. While it offers some solid guidance and meal ideas, it doesn’t go much beyond the basics and may feel a little underwhelming for those looking for deeper nutritional advice or creative inspiration. It’s a decent starting point, especially for first-time parents, but not an all-in-one solution.

What I Liked:
- The monthly breakdown provides a nice sense of progression and helps you feel more confident about what’s developmentally appropriate.
- It includes simple, realistic meals and tips that work well for busy households.
- The tone is practical and non-judgmental, which is reassuring during a sometimes stressful phase of parenting.

What I Didn’t:
- The recipes and advice can feel repetitive or a bit plain. Less helpful if you’re already comfortable in the kitchen.
- It doesn’t go into much detail about dealing with picky eating, allergies, or more individualised needs.
- Some parts feel more like common sense than new insight, especially for parents who’ve already done a bit of research.

[Minna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated the science behind baby nutrition: I like to know what vitamins and minerals baby needs, when they're most crucial, and in what amounts. I focused on the beginning portion of the book which went over that, and skipped the recipes - I am more interested in what my little guy needs to eat; I know how to make cooked carrots.
Good refresher for a mom for whom baby nutrition hasn't been necessary in a while (ahem) or for a new parent.

[Kara Stroder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I'm a bit biased because we are doing more of a baby led weaning approach but really all this book says it eat healthy well rounded diet and don't do BLW because your probably not eating healthy enough. It is informative to know what vitamins and minerals come from which foods but that's about as far as it went for me. Was also thrown off by how she kept saying babies need fluoridated water when its been proven they get enough fluoride from tooth paste to prevent tooth decay.

[B Zimp · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really didn't care for the author's judgmental attitude. There is enough mom shaming without reading more in a baby cookbook! Many families use Baby Led Weaning to feed their child (and have for longer than people have made purees!) not sure why couldn't just write a mushed baby food cookbook and leave her critical opinions to herself?

[Andrea Berardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part textbook- Part cookbook.

This book helped me feel confident in helping my baby though each stage of development, nutritionally. I loved the month-by-month guides for food introduction.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the entire book, both the educational component and the recipes.