KidsHealth NZ
Published on KidsHealth NZ (https://kidshealth.org.nz)

Home > Follow A Regular Meal & Snack Schedule

Follow A Regular Meal & Snack Schedule

Follow a regular meal and snack schedule

Follow a regular meal and snack schedule: Video transcript [1]

Plan for 3 meals and 1 or 2 snacks each day, once your baby's eating a variety of foods and textures. Babies have small stomachs so need frequent opportunities to eat small amounts.

At meal time, when your baby is no longer interested in food, end the meal.  20 minutes is a reasonable time for a focused meal, and may be longer if your baby’s still having fun with food, or shorter if they’re not.

Schedules are helpful, but it’s also important to take your lead from your baby. If you think they’re hungry, offer a small, healthy snack. Don’t expect them to wait until 7pm for dinner, even if you can!

If you know your baby eats better in the morning, it’s OK to give them dinner food then. You can be flexible!

Your baby is more likely to eat healthy meals and try new foods if snacks are not offered too close to mealtime.

More detail (see the online version for links to more detailed content)

This page last reviewed 02 June 2013.
Email us [2] your feedback


KidsHealth is a joint initiative between
The Paediatric Society of New Zealand
and Starship Foundation

Supported by the Ministry of Health

Call Healthline free on 0800 611 116 for health advice and information in NZ

  • About
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy

Back to top


Source URL: https://kidshealth.org.nz/follow-regular-meal-snack-schedule

Links
[1] https://kidshealth.org.nz/follow-regular-meal-and-snack-schedule-video-transcript
[2] https://kidshealth.org.nz/contact?from=http%3A%2F%2Fkidshealth.org.nz%2Fprint%2F1249