My son of almost 1year is waking most evenings and not settling without a milk feed My son is waking most evenings and will not settle without a milk feed around 12.30 am most nights. I try to feed him more during the day but he refuses to be spoon fed after about 8 baby spoonfuls. He tends to throw any finger foods on to the floor. Lunch time is not much of an issue but tea time is. Breakfast is also a struggle to get him to eat. He is an extremely active boy which has also been noted by the Health Visitor and was walking at 9 months.…

How much water should a baby of 10mths drink? My question is about how much water should a baby of 10 months drink? Thanks to your guidelines I am aware that a baby between 9-12 months should drink a minimum of 350 ml milk a day and my twins, drink around 300-350 ml everyday plus 2 cups of yogurt and some cheese, so I’m not worried about the calcium intake but I\m worried that they must be dehydrated. I offer them water after every meal and in the afternoon in a trainer bottle but they are not very interested. So my question is other than the milk they drink, is…

My nine month old baby boy will be starting nursery next month and tea is served very early at about 3.30pm. He has a really healthy appetite and I am concerned that such an early tea, with nothing other than a milk feed at bedtime, might cause him to wake up earlier in the morning. Can you please advise whether I should give him another meal when he gets home at 5.30pm, or just a snack? I think it is important that you do offer your son something when he gets home, but you will have to be careful that you do not offer him so much solid food that…

Question – fruit and vegetables as finger food Adam eats well but does not feed himself. He will eat finger food but will not eat vegetables or fruit. I got him to take some banana when I was eating it – it got as far as his mouth, which is good because he usually throws it away because of the feel of it, but once I was in his mouth he totally gagged, as if he was being poisoned. He will pick up and feel vegetables and then throw them away. How do I get him to eat vegetables and fruit with his hands (meat and fish are no problem)?…

Question – balance of different carbohydrates What is a good balance of toast, potatoes, rice, pasta, etc.? Isobel will not eat rice, but she enjoys pasta for lunch and she gets a little toast in the morning and every other evening at tea time. Is this too much? I buy all natural wholegrain bread from a small bakery. Please give me some advice. Answer: As with every food group, it is a good idea to eat different types of starchy carbohydrate foods, in other words a variety of grains plus potatoes. This is particularly important for younger children, so they get used to eating a wide range of foods, and…

Question – safety of honey for a one-year-old Angela is over twelve months but I am still scared to give her honey. What makes it not safe one day and safe the next, i.e. the day before they turn one, to the next day? Angela is small, just 18.5lbs – is the safety issue weight-dependant or am I being crazy? Answer: I’m very happy that you brought up this issue as many people aren’t aware that they’re not supposed to give honey to babies under twelve months. Though it’s extremely rare for this to cause a problem, honey can cause a potentially deadly type of the food poisoning called botulism.…

Question – Constipation and increasing fibre in the diet My three-year-old son Jordan eats well but he is prone to constipation. He eats the recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables, and we encourage wholegrain bread and breakfast cereal. We are not keen on brown rice or pasta. We would like to try more beans and lentils but they seem like a lot of work – any easy ideas for these or other high-fibre foods I haven’t thought of? Answer: Some children are more prone to constipation, just as some adults are, and this is certainly not an unusual problem for young children. You are obviously encouraging a healthy diet for…