While we're bombarded with advice on what and when to feed our young babies, once your child is over twelve months old you can feel a bit rudderless as that advice seems to dry up. As your child moves from babydom to toddlerhood can she now eat and drink everything or are there still foods you should avoid? How often should she be eating? And how can you ensure that she's getting all the nutrition she needs?

Milk & dairy
As your baby eats more, and more varied, solid foods, she'll need less of her nutrition to come from milk. Milk is still an important part of your child's diet, however, and until she's three years old she'll need at least half a pint (250-300ml) of milk every day. Once your child is a year old you have the option of introducing full-fat cow's milk, rather than breastmilk or infant formula, but you don't need to make the switch if you don't want to. Have a look at this article if you're still breastfeeding and not sure when to stop.

Whenever you give your toddler milk or cheese, give them full-fat, rather than the low-fat versions you may prefer yourself. This is particularly important for under twos, but there's usually no reason to switch to low-fat dairy products for under fives.

A balanced diet
A well-balanced diet for your toddler should include the following:

  • Carbohydrates - Plenty of bread, rice, cereals, pasta and potatoes
  • Fruit and vegetables - as much as your child wants to eat

    And in smaller amounts:

  • Dairy products - milk (daily), yoghurt and cheese
  • Protein - good sources are: meat, eggs, beans, peas and lentils
  • Fish - oily fish is best, up to twice a week

Within that it's a good idea to vary the kinds of carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables and protein sources that you offer to ensure your toddler gets a wide range of nutrients. Try to avoid falling into a rut of always serving the same fail-safe options - it's boring for your child as well as nutritionally limited. If your toddler is fussy or not very adventurous with food, then try these ideas for getting your toddler to try new foods. And if she's not very interested in fruit and veg then try these tips for getting her to eat her five-a-day. When cooking vegetables, steaming them lightly keeps in more of the nutrients and taste than does boiling.

Eating together
Once your child has turned one she'll be able to eat many of the foods that the rest of the family eats, albeit cut up into smaller pieces. Although family meals may not be the most relaxing occasions, there are several advantages to eating together, not least that it saves a lot of time and encourages your child to eat well by copying you. Of course this means that you need to have a healthy diet too, and be aware of the foods that your toddler should still avoid.

Foods to avoid

  • Too much salt - according to the Food Standards Agency your toddler should have no more than 2 grams of salt per day. Be aware that many processed foods are heavily salted and be careful if you use salt in preparing family meals

  • Whole or chopped nuts - these can pose a choking hazard. You can crush or flake nuts, include ground nuts in cooking or use a pure ground nut spread on bread or toast. If there is a history of peanut allergy in your family then you should avoid all peanut products, including peanut oil, until your child is three

  • Too much fibre - While a high-fibre diet is great for adults, a toddler's digestive system can't cope with too much fibre so it's best to give them white pasta and rice, rather than wholemeal varieties, and to limit the amount of wholemeal bread they eat

  • Raw eggs and foods that contain partially cooked eggs - can pose a risk of salmonella poisoning

  • Shark, swordfish or marlin - these often contain high levels of mercury

  • Raw shellfish - there is a risk of food poisoning

  • Sugary foods and sweeteners - Adding sugar or honey to your toddler's food is unnecessary and can encourage the development of a sweet tooth. If you are baking for the family then honey or rice syrup makes a healthier sweetener than refined sugar, but you can also get a lot of sweetness out of fruit, such as pureed apple and grape juice. Artificial sweeteners, meanwhile, should be avoided completely

  • Sugary and fizzy drinks - squashes and sparkling drinks can promote tooth decay

  • Processed foods - Be cautious of processed foods, even those aimed at babies and toddlers. Many processed foods are high in salt, sugar and saturated fats

Snacking
You may think that snacking should be discouraged and it is true that children who graze constantly are at a higher risk of developing tooth decay. However, your toddler is highly active and needs a lot of energy. As she can't yet eat all that much at one sitting she will need nutritious snacks between meals - ideally one mid-mornng and one mid-afternoon - to keep her energy levels up. Avoid sugary biscuits and snacks and plump instead for something like cut up pieces of fruit, breadsticks, rice-cakes, plain yoghurt, cut up cherry tomatoes or a small sandwich.

If you want to give biscuits as an occasional treat or reward, then look for ones that are sweetened only lightly with fruit or fruit juices - or make your own.