You changed the world this year. You created and nurtured a beautiful child your sunshine and love. The world is a better place because of you.

Your baby is ready for success, thanks to you. What are some of the things Hero Moms like you do in the second year of life to protect their children and keep them on the path to success?

Hero Moms fully transition their babies from the bottle to the cup. This preserves their babies’ smiles. Success is what defines Hero Moms, and children who drink from a cup instead of a bottle are successes, just like their moms.

Hero Moms offer milk instead of formula to children after their first birthday. In the first year of life, babies need breastmilk or infant formula. After the first year, toddlers are ready for whole or 2% cow’s milk.

Happy lives are all about balance. And at age one, babies need balance between milk and food. Too much milk could lead to health concerns such as anemia, overweight or underweight. Four servings of ½-cup milk are about right for 1-year-old children. This helps them learn to enjoy food, as well as milk.

Toddlers know a lot about the world. They know the joy of walking. They know the feeling of being loved. And they know just how much they should eat. Hero Moms put food on their toddler’s plate and allow them to feed themselves. Some days they may be hungry and clean their plate. On other days, they may pick at their food and leave their plate full. When you let your toddler decide how much to eat, you are giving them the gift of a healthy weight.

Today, we celebrate you. Your child is a gift to the world, and you are a gift to your child.

What gifts will you give your child in the second year of life?

• The gift of drinking from a cup instead of a bottle
• The gift of whole or 2% milk instead of formula*
• The gift of balance between milk and food
• The gift of letting my child decide how much to eat

*Breast milk is great in the second year of life and beyond!