This list of tips is from 2017, but still so true. I found it when cleaning the site and just had to repost it so people can find it. These tips for feeding your toddler are so simple and good. This commentary is from the original achildgrows.com editor Karen.

Toddler Feeding Tips

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I went to a class presented by Erin at Small Bites (no longer in business) at Gumbo a month or so ago. I was going through my notes from the class today and felt like there were enough interesting points and tips to write down. I really don’t want to lose them from my head and also I wanted to share them with you.
This is in no particular order.

• Food for the first year is not important nutritionally because they are drinking breastmilk and/or formula. The first year is really just an introduction to food, and letting them get acclimated to eating solids.
• Enjoy it! (I forget this when I am tired, rushed or Birch is throwing food.)
• Teach your child that they are in control of their eating and can regulate their own intake.
• Trust your baby, they have good instincts about what they are eating. Erin recounted an interesting study done in 1928 by a nutritionist. Nutritionist Clara Davis presented trays full of food/drinks to a group of children. One boy that had rickets chose to drink cod liver oil (great for providing Vitamin D) until he no longer had rickets.  At that point at which he was cured, he stopped drinking the oil.
• Before a child is 8 months old, you need to cook most of the fruits (not avocados)
• To manage diarrhea: BRAT: Banana, Rice, Applesauce, Toast, Yogurt
• To manage constipation: The P Foods: Pears, Prunes, Peaches, Plums
• The choking hazard list is based on the texture of the food, NOT the size of the food. Avoid these foods until they are at least 4 years of age: hot dogs, nuts and seeds, chunks of cheese or meat, whole grapes, hard gooey or sticky candy, popcorn, chunks of peanut butter, raw vegetables, raisins and chewing gum.
• Food allergies: maybe wait until the child is 5 or 6 years old before introducing a potential allergic food (due to family history)- so that the child can tell you if their mouth is tingling or they feel funny
• The more often you eat a food, the more likely you are to become allergic to it.  Breastfeeding, delayed introduction and variety help reduce the risks of food allergies.  Most kids outgrow their food allergies by the time they are three. Early reactions to foods like tomatoes, milk and soy products tend not to persist. Other reactions to foods like nuts and shellfish do tend to stick around.
• When switching from breastmilk to cow’s milk try doing 1. 3/4 formula with 1/4 milk then 2. 1/2 formula and 1/2 milk then 3. 1/4 formula and 3/4 milk until you are  at 100% cow’s milk.
• Try using a sippy cup when introducing cow’s milk instead of a bottle. There is no reason to give juice.
• Babies need healthy fat until they are 2 years old.
• Erin’s favorite prepared foods: Spinach-brocooli rabe-or other vegetable ravioli, Dr. Praeger’s spinach and broccoli pancakes, Amy’s Organic Toaster Pops, Edamame, Hummus (especially with pureed veggies).
• Lastly, Erin recommended this book: “Child of Mine” by Ellyn Satter. It is one of my favorites too and helped me approach feeding sanely!

Besides running classes, Erin works with parents groups and also does private consultations, attacking everything from how to introduce solids to anything to do with feeding dynamics like picky eaters.