Foods to feed 1 year old baby

Feeding & Nutrition Tips: Your 2-Year-Old

Ages & Stages

With your two-year-old's blossoming language and social skills, they're ready to become an active mealtime participant. They should no longer be drinking from a bottle, and can eat the same food as the rest of the family. Their diet should now include three healthy meals a day, plus one or two snacks.

Here are some tips to help your little one develop healthy, safe eating habits and get the nutrition their growing bodies need.

Mealtime tips for toddlers

Try not to fixate on amounts of food they are eating.
Avoid making mealtimes a battle.
Pay attention to adopting healthy eating habits—including sitting as a family at mealtime.
Focus on making healthy food choices as a family.

Unsafe foods for toddlers: choking risks

At two years old, your child should be able to use a spoon, drink from a cup with just one hand, and feed themselves a wide variety of finger foods. However, they are still learning to chew and swallow efficiently and may gulp food down when in a hurry to get on with playing. For that reason, the risk of choking at this age is high.

Avoid these foods, which could be swallowed whole and block the windpipe:

Hot dogs (unless cut in quarters lengthwise before being sliced)
Chunks of peanut butter (Peanut butter may be spread thinly on bread or a cracker, but never give chunks of peanut butter to a toddler.)
Nuts—especially peanuts
Raw cherries with pits
Round, hard candies—including jelly beans
Gum
Whole grapes
Marshmallows
Raw carrots, celery, green beans
Popcorn
Seeds—such as processed pumpkin or sunflower seeds
Whole grapes, cherry tomatoes (cut them in quarters)
Large chunks of any food such as meat, potatoes, or raw vegetables and fruits

The best foods for toddlers include:

Protein foods like meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, nuts, seeds and soy
Dairy such as milk, yogurt, cheese or calcium-fortified soymilk
Fruits and vegetables
Grains such as whole wheat bread and oatmeal

It is normal for toddlers to choose from a limited number of foods, reject foods entirely, and then change their preferences over time. Never force your child to eat something they do not want to eat. The best approach is to let your child to choose from 2 to 3 healthy options, and continue to offer new foods as their tastes change.

Offering a variety of foods and leaving the choices up to your child will eventually allow them to eat a balanced diet on their own. Toddlers also like to feed themselves. So, whenever possible, offer your child finger foods instead of cooked ones that require a fork or spoon to eat.

Supplements for some children

Vitamin supplements are rarely necessary for toddlers who eat a varied diet, with a few exceptions.

Vitamin D. Infants under 12 months of age require 400 International Units (IU) of vitamin D per day and older children and adolescents require 600 IU per day. This amount of vitamin D can prevent rickets—a condition characterized by the softening and weakening of bones. If your child is not regularly exposed to sunlight or is consuming enough vitamin D in their diet, talk to your pediatrician about a vitamin D supplement. See Vitamin D for Babies, Children & Adolescents for more information and a list of vitamin D-enriched foods.

Iron. Supplemental iron may be needed if your child eats very little meat, iron-fortified cereal, or vegetables rich in iron. Large quantities of milk (more than 32 ounces [960 mL] per day) also may interfere with the proper absorption of iron, increasing the risk of iron deficiency anemia.

Calcium. Your child should drink 16 ounces (480 mL) of low-fat or nonfat milk each day. This will provide most of the calcium they need for bone growth and still not interfere with their appetite for other foods—particularly those that provide iron.

Note: Children stay on whole milk until they are two years of age—unless there is a reason to switch a baby to low-fat milk sooner. Whole milk contains approximately 4% milk fat. It may help to gradually switch your child from whole milk to a lower-fat milk. Therefore, many pediatricians recommend that children get reduced fat (2%) milk for a few weeks before switching them to low fat (1%) or no fat (skim) milk.

More information

Sample Menu for a Two-Year-Old
Feeding & Nutrition Tips: Your 3-Year-Old
Selecting Snacks for Toddlers
I Need a Treat: How to Tame Your Child's Sweet Tooth
Diagnosis and Prevention of Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia in Infants and Young Children (0-3 Years of Age) (AAP Clinical Report)

Last Updated: 9/6/2022

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Obesity (Copyright © 2022)

The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

Selecting Healthy Snacks for Toddlers

Ages & Stages

Toddlers use a lot of energy to grow and play, and their little stomachs can't hold enough food to keep them from getting hungry between meals. Many young children need both a morning and an afternoon snack. These should be timed so they will still be hungry for lunch and dinner.

Snacks should include a balance of healthy foods. Children often come to think of a "snack" as a time to eat highly processed foods. You can help avoid this trap by serving a variety of freshly prepared foods to your children—even at snack time.

Healthy snack options for toddlers

Fresh fruits

Apples, bananas, peaches, nectarines, pears (thinly sliced for safety)
Cherries, grapes, plums (sliced or smushed and pitted)
Orange or grapefruit sections (cut into pieces)
Strawberries

Dried fruits

Apples, apricots, peaches, pears (cut up)
Dates, prunes (pitted, cut up)
Raisins or cranberries

Vegetables

Carrots, green beans (well cooked, diced)
Steamed cauliflower, broccoli
Yams or sweet potatoes (cooked and diced)
Peas (mashed for safety; a child can inhale whole peas)
Steamed, pureed spinach or greens
Avocado slices or small cubes

Dairy products

Cheese (grated or diced)
Cottage cheese
Yogurt, fresh or frozen
Milk, including non-dairy milk alternatives

Breads and cereals

Whole wheat bread
Whole grain tortilla, pita, or bagels cut into small pieces
Crackers (graham, whole grain)
Whole grain dry cereals

Lean proteins

Fish (canned tuna, salmon, sardines, whitefish)
Peanut butter or other nut butters (smooth, spread thinly on whole grain bread or crackers)
Edamame beans or chickpeas (steamed or mashed) or hummus spreads
Cooked tofu cubes or tofu dip
Hard boiled eggs

Snacks toddlers should avoid

Big chunks of any food are dangerous for children under than age 4 and pose serious choking hazards. For this reason, raw veggies and some fruits such as carrots, apples, whole cherry tomatoes, whole green beans, and celery should be cut into small pieces and/or cooked to minimize the choking risk. Nuts, peanuts, popcorn, and large amounts of sticky foods like peanut butter are also choking hazards. See Unsafe Foods for Toddlers for more examples.

Heavily processed foods should also be avoided; they tend to be low in nutritional value and high in salt and added sugar.

More information

Sample Menu for a Two-Year-Old
Choosing Healthy Snacks for Kids
Avoiding Food Traps
Preschoolers' Diets Shouldn't Be Fat-Free: Here's Why
Airplane Choo Choo: A Feeding Guide for Children (National Dairy Council)

Last Updated: 8/11/2022

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition (Copyright © 2022)

Union of Pediatricians of Russia

Nutrition for children from 1 to 3 years of age

The period from 1 to 3 years of life is a crucial stage in the transition to an adult type of nutrition, which has certain features. In order to ensure that all the necessary nutrients enter the child's body and at the same time prevent an excess of individual nutrients, nutrition should be balanced and varied. nine0003

The daily amount of food for children aged 1 to 1.5 years should be 1000-1200 g, from 1.5 to 3 years - 1200-1500 g, the amount of food in one feeding should not exceed 300-350 ml. The diet consists of three main meals per day and two snacks. It is considered optimal when breakfast is 25% of the total energy density of the diet, lunch is 30–35%, dinner is 20%, and additional meals are about 10%. In general, the child can eat the same food as the rest of the family. nine0003

In the diet of a child of 1–3 years of age , must be present daily: meat of animals or poultry, dairy and sour-milk products, vegetables, fruits, bread, cereals, vegetable and butter; fish and eggs are included in the diet 2-3 times a week.

Cereal products: bread - 2-3 servings per day, cereals and side dishes - 1 time per day
Fruit and/or vegetables: at least 5 times a day
Dairy products: at least 3 servings per day (including those used to make cereals, yoghurts, fermented milk drinks, cottage cheese, infant formula or breast milk). nine0003

Domestic pediatricians recommend, when compiling a diet for children aged 1–3 years, preference should be given to specialized children's dairy products of industrial production that meet high quality requirements and safety indicators for this age. Most children's dairy products are additionally enriched with vitamins and/or minerals and other biologically active components, taking into account the physiological needs of children of this age. At the same time, in foreign recommendations, children over 1 year old are offered the gradual introduction of whole cow's milk, which is rich in fats necessary for proper growth and development, the absorption of vitamins A and D, the development of the child's brain and nervous system. nine0003

Meat dishes: 2-3 times a day
Fish dishes: 2-3 servings per week
Eggs: 2-3 per week
Dietary fats: 3-4 teaspoons of butter and/or vegetable oils per day

When cooking, use the minimum amount of salt and sugar, and do not add them to industrial products.

Offer your child a variety of foods and let them choose for themselves. Children love to eat on their own, so if possible, offer food that the child can eat with their hands. nine0003

It is important to remember that a baby can choke on pieces of food, so whatever you give your baby should be crushed or cut into small pieces that can be easily chewed.

Do not give to a small child: nuts, whole grapes, cherry tomatoes (unless quartered), whole carrots, seeds (such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds), round candies, legumes, raisins, because a child can eat them choke.

Also in the diet of children of the first 3 years of life should not be present:

Mushrooms; canned snacks, pickled vegetables and fruits
Home canned food
Dry concentrates for side dishes
Hot sauces, mustard, horseradish, pepper, vinegar, mayonnaise
Natural coffee
Juices and drinks in the form of dry concentrates; sweet carbonated drinks
Products containing food additives (flavorings, dyes of artificial origin, including chewing gum), popcorn
Combined fats; cakes and pastries

It is important to remember that children of this age should not be given too spicy and spicy foods.

Balanced baby nutrition: sample diet

An important condition for harmonious growth and development is rationally selected nutrition of the child per year. Receiving new products, the baby gradually gets acquainted with the diet. Pediatricians advise paying attention to the child's diet, its proper balancing.

Diet

The nutrition of the child during this period is subject to the following principles:

should be complete, meet all the needs of the body, provide vitamins, micro- and macroelements;
as many foods as possible should be included in the daily diet;
all food must be chopped.

To properly balance the diet, specialized products are added to it. They should be designed according to the needs of the child's body in a year. nine0003

Book an online consultation if you have any doubts or questions about your baby's menu. Our doctors remotely help to create an individual diet and advise on the peculiarities of the organization of nutrition for children.

Schedule

The most advantageous is the diet according to the schedule. The individual program contributes to the rapid accustoming of the child to the daily routine. Even intervals between meals will not let the baby get hungry. According to the WHO, a child's diet at 1 year old should include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and an afternoon snack. nine0003

Menu for the day:

Name	Description
9. 00 - breakfast	If the child gets up early, in this case it is permissible to feed an hour earlier. All other meals are shifted by an hour. nine0003
12.30 - lunch	Before dinner, it is recommended to take a walk, which will increase the appetite. For long walks, let's have a snack two hours before lunch.
16.30 - afternoon snack	The amount of food is small. Eating easy nine0093
19.00 - dinner	Dinner is served on the table two hours before bedtime.

Important! When preparing food, it is necessary to refuse zazharki, fatty and fried foods. The first meat broths merge. Salt and sugar are added in a minimal amount.

Which products to prefer

WHO recommends including the following foods in the children's menu:

Dairy products. Pure milk is not given to children under one year of age. It is replaced with breast milk or mixtures. Kefir and yogurt are introduced gradually. Their fat content should not exceed 3.2 percent. Sour cream and cheeses are allowed to be given no more than twice a week;
Cereals. Porridges for a one-year-old child are given only for children. Adult coarse cereals are poorly digested in the baby's body. Allowed: oatmeal, buckwheat, millet, corn, rice porridge; nine0067
Vegetables, fruits . By the age of 1, he is familiar with apple, pear, banana, prunes, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, potatoes. After a year, kiwi, beets, peas, apricots, and beans are introduced into the child's menu. Legumes are given twice a week. The rest of the vegetables and fruits are allowed for use every day;
Meat, fish . Hake, pollock, cod are given twice a week, low-fat meat varieties - daily;
Fats. Butter and vegetable oils are added to ready meals. If the child already chews well enough, it is permissible to smear butter on bread. vegetable oils are chosen only unrefined; nine0067
Eggs. Up to a year it is allowed to introduce quail eggs, after a year they give chicken eggs no more than three times a week.

Example

The mother of one-year-old Pasha compiled the following menu for him for the day, which she plans to feed him until he is 1.5 years old: For breakfast, porridge / vegetable dishes, cottage cheese 200 g, drink 100 ml. Lunch consists of salad - 30 g, soup - 50 g, second meat course - 50 g, vegetables / cereals - 70 g, compote - 100 ml. For an afternoon snack, mom offers ryazhenka or kefir - 150 ml, cookies, crackers - 15 g, juice, fruits - 100 g. For dinner, cereals / cottage cheese / vegetables are served - 180 g, fermented milk products - 100 ml, fruits - 50 g. nine0003

Further, the weight of the products will gradually increase with the age of Pasha. Mom made up the optimal variant of the diet together with specialists.

Forbidden food for children

The list of products not recommended for baby food includes:

any kind of sausages, sausages;
fried food;
smoked meats;
exotic vegetables, fruits; nine0067
caramel, chewing gum;
products containing flavor enhancers, dyes; flavors.

It is forbidden to feed a one-year-old child with these products; they will be included in the menu after 5 years.

They also limit babies to foods with a lot of cholesterol, nuts, mushrooms. For all questions about the introduction of these products, you should consult with your doctor.

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Daily food allowance

The total daily calorie content should not be less than or more than 1300 Kcal. However, these figures are relative, as each child is individual. Someone develops quickly, and someone vice versa. And such children may need a supplement in the diet. nine0003

For breakfast, babies should consume at least 300 ml, for lunch - 420 ml, for an afternoon snack - 180 ml, for dinner - 300 ml.

Dr. Komarovsky advises to include only seasonal products in the baby's diet. In his opinion, they will be able to provide the maximum benefit for the growing body of the child.

Daily menu for a one year old baby

Experienced doctors recommend feeding the baby up to 6 times a day. There should be 4 main steps. nine0003

Breakfast

In the morning, it is preferable to give milk porridge. Milk is diluted with water before use. Proportions for cereals: 200 ml of milk per 2 tablespoons of cereals. Twice a week it is permissible to serve an omelet from 1 egg. Prepare an omelette for a couple. You can add dill. It stimulates digestion. Wash down with compote, weak tea.

Snack

Yogurts and fruit purees are allowed here. They stimulate the production of gastric juice, digestion. A healthy snack is a baked apple with cookies. Fruit purees from jars, children's drinking yogurts are suitable. nine0003

Lunch

It is the main meal of the day. It can be only the first or second course, or maybe all together. Soups are cooked thick, rich, satisfying. Broths are prepared on boneless pulp. The first is drained, and vegetables are added to the second broth. Let's add some oil. The second offers cereals on the water, vegetables, salads, meat or fish. Spices, roasts are excluded.

Snack

For a small snack, cottage cheese casseroles, milk porridges, cheesecakes, cookies with compote, milk are suitable. Cow's milk is administered with caution. Start with small amounts, diluted with water. Observe the reaction, as cow's milk is considered an allergen. nine0003

Dinner

It must be planned a few hours after the afternoon snack. Vegetable puree, porridge, stew with meat or fish are served. It is allowed to add a little oil to the stew.

When breastfeeding, the second dinner is allowed in the form of mother's milk. Children who are used to eating at night are gradually weaned from night feedings.

What to consider when formulating a diet

The nutrition of a one-year-old child should be in compliance with the regimen. You can also create a kind of ritual that will look like a joint table setting, decoration with bright napkins, original food serving. nine0003

If for some reason the child refuses to eat this or that product, he is not completely excluded from the diet. It is recommended to add it in small quantities, mixing with the main dish.

If the baby refuses to eat, it is recommended to shift the time. Perhaps the child did not have time to get hungry. Or you can go for a walk and work up an appetite.

All meals are served in turn. Don't put everything on the table at once. In this case, the baby will be confused, will try to try everything at once. nine0003

It is necessary to introduce new products for the child with caution, in turn, starting with small portions. At the same time, the reaction of a small organism to innovations is closely monitored. In case of allergic reactions, the product is completely excluded.

Sweets in the form of confectionery, sweets, chocolate are not offered to kids. Small amounts of honey, syrups, jams, dried fruits, cookies are allowed.