Ideas for Feeding a One Year Old Child

Breakfast

• Choose whole grain cooked cereals for breakfast, such as oatmeal, and add 4 oz. full-fat milk and part of a banana. You can substitute your child's favorites within these food groups, such as whole grain bread with peanut butter along with a small amount of orange juice and milk. Your child will need the energy from whole milk at this age; you can switch to low-fat milk once he turns 2.

Lunch

• Your toddler can eat many of the same foods as you at lunch time, but you may want to offer them separated instead of in a sandwich so he can feed himself what he wants. Consider one slice of bread with butter, some chicken and some cooked, quartered carrots along with a glass of milk. Tuna with a little mayonnaise is another option. Hot dogs tend to be popular with kids, but be sure to quarter them since they can cause choking in toddlers.

Dinner

• Dinner for your 1-year-old will also be similar to yours, just much smaller. Choose an ounce or two of meat, a couple of tablespoons of vegetables, some whole grain pasta or rice and milk. Try to vary the foods you offer as much as possible. Some children must be offered a food more than a dozen times before they will try it, and more than that before they will eat it consistently. Model the behavior you want to see in your toddler. If he sees you eating vegetables, eventually he'll want to try them, too.

Snacks

• Your 1-year-old will need morning and afternoon snacks as well as milk before bed to keep him full. Children this age can't eat a lot of food at one time, so small meals and snacks will give him the energy he needs. Offer nutritious foods such as fruit, graham crackers or whole grain crackers, yogurt, cheese and even cooked vegetables. Serve water when he is thirsty and limit juice and milk to one small serving of juice and four to six small glasses of milk so your toddler has room for other more nutritious foods.