feed themselves (picking up food pieces with hands, using the whole fist, or later the pincer grasp [the thumb and forefinger]) with help from parents. Homemade or commercial Homemade baby food is less expensive than commercial baby foods. Homemade food is appropriate only when the family has a sufficient and varied diet, as well as access to refrigeration and basic sanitation. It is important to follow proper sanitation methods when preparing homemade baby food such as washing and rinsing vegetables or fruit, as well as the cooking and packaging materials that will be used. Homemade food requires more preparation time than simply opening a jar or box of ready-to-eat commercial baby food. Food may need to be minced or pureed for young babies, or cooked separately without the salt, intense spices, or sugar that the family chooses to eat. Picky eating Parents and/or caregivers may perceive up to half of toddlers as being "picky" or "faddy", with the peak around 24 months. Adults who hold this opinion often stop offering new foods to the child after only three to five attempts, rather than continuing to offer the food until the child has tasted it eight to fifteen times. They may also engage in counterproductive behaviors, such as offering appetite-suppressing milk or other favorite foods as an alternative, or trying to force or bribe the child into eating. Types Through the first year, breastmilk or infant formula is the main source of calories and nutrients. From birth to six months, infants should consume only breast milk or an unmodified milk substitute. In their first 3-5 days of life, newborns should be fed 2 oz every 2-3 hours during the day, and every 3 hours at night making up for 8-12 feedings per day. When an infant is four months old, their diet still consists exclusively of milk or formula and typically should be eating 30-32 oz per day. By six months old, infants are ready to be introduced to table food. Babies may be started directly on normal family food if attention is given to choking hazards; this is called baby-led weaning. Because breastmilk takes on the flavor of foods eaten by the mother, these foods are especially good choices. Food type(2008) Cereals On a typical day about half of American babies aged four and five months old are fed infant cereal. The baby may have eaten as little as one