Your baby's introduction to using a spoon will be when she starts to eat solid food, between 4 and 6 months old. By her 10th or 11th month, she'll begin to develop the coordination and drive to handle a spoon by herself. Growing independence is the force behind her desire to feed herself. This new behavior is just the start of many independent acts that will lead her confidently into childhood.

When is your baby ready to eat solo?
To find out if your baby is ready to feed herself, ask yourself these questions:

• Can she grasp a spoon firmly in her hand?

• Does she show interest in eating with a spoon?

Lights, camera, action

Get out the video camera because your baby is ready to feed herself! Here are some tips that will make independent feeding time fun and fulfilling (tummy-filling, too):

• Position only a small amount of food in front of Baby. That way, there will be less food to send flying across the room!
• Give Baby a small spoon. Use another spoon to feed her the first few spoonfuls until she catches on to the routine.
• Start with thicker mixtures. That way, the food will be more likely to stay on the spoon and not run off.
• Provide a training cup with formula, breastmilk, or water. Since your baby is probably already using a cup on her own, the spoon and cup together will help set the stage for further independent eating.
  
  Playing with food: how much, how long?
  While your baby may find it more fun to play with food than eat it, try not to let her make mealtime into playtime. If she shows little interest in eating for more than a half hour, wipe her off and call it a meal. Don't worry too much about nutrition at this point: Your little one still is receiving her primary source of nutrients from breastmilk or formula.
  
  Finicky eaters
  Don't be surprised if your older baby is fickle toward solid foods. She may be so busy that it's hard to slow her down to eat. She laughs, points, waves, is easily distracted, and has definite opinions about what she'll eat.
  
  As your baby eats more solid foods, you may think that she's getting the nutrition she needs, but that may not be true. For example, many common baby foods such as strained carrots or strained peaches, contain very little calcium and iron—nutrients that are crucial to your baby's development.
  
  Plus, you can't always expect your baby to eat a balanced diet. Today your little one may refuse vegetables … tomorrow she'll eat only fruit or crackers. These unpredictable food preferences are perfectly normal as your baby learns to accept new tastes and textures. But they can limit her nutrition.
  
  Eventually, Baby will grow out of this picky stage and settle down to eat. In the meantime, continue breastfeeding. Or if you're formula-feeding, consider NESTLÉ® GOOD START® 2 SUPREME DHA & ARA Getting your active older baby to eat a balanced diet can be a hit-or-miss affair. GOOD START 2 SUPREME DHA & ARA provides the nutritional insurance you want for your older baby. That's because it offers calcium, iron, and other important nutrients to meet the changing nutritional needs of older babies and toddlers between the ages of 9 to 24 months, especially if there's a gap between what they eat and what they need.
  
  A healthy alternative to cow's milk
  Even though your baby is healthy and growing quickly, cow's milk and goat's milk aren't recommended for her. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents wait until after the first birthday to introduce cow's milk. Here are several reasons:

Improper balance Cow's milk and goat's milk do not contain the right balance of nutrients your baby needs during the first year to grow and develop. These milks, which are not meant for human infants, contain excessive amounts of some vitamins and minerals that could stress Baby's kidneys. Sodium, potassium, and protein levels are especially high.

Not enough iron Cow's milk has insufficient amounts of iron for your baby's developing brain, and the iron that is present is not easily absorbed. Lack of iron can lead to iron deficiency or even to anemia in more severe cases. Iron deficiency can have serious consequences, including slower growth, decreased social behavior, lower learning ability, and digestive problems. In addition, cow's milk is low in zinc, vitamins C and E, and copper.

Digestion problems Your baby may have trouble digesting the casein proteins found in cow's milk and goat's milk.

Once your baby turns a year old, it's appropriate to introduce cow's milk. If your baby is still a picky eater, GOOD START 2 SUPREME DHA & ARA is a nutritious alternative to cow's milk, as it offers more of important nutrients like iron, zinc, DHA & ARA, and vitamins C and E, while also providing the calcium that a growing toddler needs.