Both yogurt and fish are wholesome good foods, but for a small number of kids they cause allergies. Ask your pediatrician for guidelines. If food allergies run in your family, you may be advised to hold off on dairy products (including yogurt) until 12 months, and fish until age three.

Years ago, I knew a mom who sent her kids to school with waffle sandwiches. Her kids liked waffles better than bread, and they were easy for her to prepare. She toasted the waffles, put on a few slices of banana and a little peanut butter, drizzled a little honey, made a sandwich and cut it into small squares. Her kids loved it. You could use cream cheese instead of peanut butter.

I am actually happy your son did not take to the flavored milk, since adding chocolate and strawberry syrup turns milk into a dessert. For some kids it becomes the only way they’ll drink milk, and then parents get into a struggle about how often to serve it.

I actually don’t routinely recommend supplements unless your child has a specific need. Maybe he’s a vegan or has an iron deficiency. Or, of course, your pediatrician recommends one.

It’s an expensive way to get nutrition. You can get DHA from other sources. DHA is a fatty acid that is found in breast milk (and marine animals), and it’s linked with brain development and disease prevention. It has been added to formula in the past few years for the purpose of replicating breast milk.

Absolutely. If you like veggies, chances are your kid will like them. Just offer good food, and eat it yourself. That’s all you need to do. I wouldn’t worry about it. If your pediatrician says your child is growing well, you’re okay.

Kids do need some texture in their foods, though, so I would offer foods like apple slices. By the age of 4, your child should experience the texture of cooked vegetables like broccoli. If your child is healthy and sees Mom and Dad eating it, chances are she’ll eat it, too. You do need to offer new foods as many as 10 or 15 times, though, but most parents stop at three.

By breastfeeding, you’re already doing the very best thing you can do to prevent allergies. There’s evidence that breastfeeding for at least four months may prevent or delay eczema.

We used to think that holding off on feeding a baby certain foods would delay the onset of food allergies. Earlier this year, however, the American Academy of Pediatrics, after evaluation of all the research, released a statement that basically says that doing so may not decrease the chance of a child becoming allergic later on. 

Yes. Your pediatrician won’t bring it up unless it’s really an issue. So listen carefully. He or she looks at the height and weight chart to get your child’s BMI (body mass index), a measure of fatness. Your pediatrician is looking for a change. For example, if your child is in the 80th percentile for BMI, and suddenly there’s a blip and he’s in the 90th or 95th, something has happened. What’s going on? This is especially important if there are any health issues in the family, such as a history of heart disease.