Infant cereals with & without milk
At Stage 3, a baby can eat cereals with a variety of ingredients, including cocoa. Cereals containing small and soft pieces may also be offered. Nestlé Infant Cereals are intended to complement the weaning diet at breakfast or dinner. Certain specific ingredients, e.g. pre- and probiotics, DHA, plant extracts, may be used to provide cereals with a specific functionality targeted towards maintaining the baby’s health. Nestlé Infant Cereals contain all the specific nutrients needed for growth and 20–30 % of the RDA for energy per serving.
Fruit products & milky desserts
At Stage 3, the baby’s taste repertoire can be extended thanks to more complex recipes with mixed ingredients and cocoa. Texture may be introduced, with small, soft pieces of fruit. Nestlé Fruit Products and Milky Desserts for Stage 3 babies include multi-fruits, fruit and cereals, milky dessert, fruit/milk desserts (Duos).
Savoury meals and dishes
At Stage 3, Nestlé Savoury Meals and Dishes introduce babies to more complex recipes of mixed ingredient products with small and soft pieces, e.g. mixed vegetables, vegetarian menus (complete meals), and vegetables with meat or fish (complete meals). The meat and fish dishes provide the baby with vital, natural sources of protein, iron (meat) and iodine (fish), and come ready-to-eat as a complete meal or a dish. Such food promotes movements (of the tongue, lips and mandible, etc.) required for chewing, biting and swallowing, which in turn helps babies develop sounds and verbal communication through speech. Indeed, recent research shows that the properties of the oral motor control system significantly influence the pattern of speech sound acquisition.
Beverages
Nestlé Beverages are formulated to optimise hydration and to help the baby gradually adapt to regular healthy drinking habits. While water is the best choice for quenching thirst, babies often prefer flavoured alternatives, so herb and fruit teas may be used – as well as blends of water/tea with single fruit/vegetable juices. Stage 3 babies can enjoy multi-ingredient fruit juices, vegetable juices/nectars, and mixed drinks such as fruit with milk or near-water products. The recommended amount of water intake via beverages (including milk and non-milk beverages) is roughly 400–800 ml/day for Stage 3 babies.
Finger foods
Intended to be used as a complement to a meal or for the afternoon snack, Stage 3 finger foods include rusks and biscuits (with or without reconstitution with milk), which may contain fruits, vegetables, honey, and cocoa.
Milk-based products
At Stage 3, milk-based products may be flavoured (e.g. with cocoa), and can be used as a complete breakfast or afternoon meal, or as a dish (complement to a meal). They come ready-to-drink and contain specific nutrients needed for growth. These milk-based products are not breast-milk substitutes.