How to make 1 year baby food
15 Easy Lunch Ideas for 1 Year Olds (For Home or to Pack!)
These lunch ideas for 1 year olds will give you inspiration the next time you want to pack a healthy toddler lunch at home or to pack for daycare or preschool. So whether your baby just turned one or you have a more experienced eater, need ideas for at home or to pack, these toddler lunch box ideas will help!
Lunch Ideas for 1 Year Olds
Coming up with toddler lunch ideas for 1 year olds is a challenge, to put it lightly! It’s so hard to know how hungry they’ll be, what food they’ll actually want to eat, how they’ll do with textures—and simply to come up with the ideas. To help, this list has easy ideas that you can serve at home or pack for daycare or preschool.
Food for 1 Year Old
One year olds are in a very specific phase of being able to eat more than they did as babies, but are still not able to chew everything that older toddlers and kids can. They are also notorious for having appetites that can range widely from day to day, so these ideas take both of those into accounts. The options here are easy to pack, but are also nutritious and filled with a range of textures and flavors.
Lunchbox Ideas for One Year Olds at Daycare
Any of these lunches can be packed to send to daycare or preschool. Or just to take on the go. I have a few lunchboxes and thermoses that I love, so see which might work best for you in your circumstances.
TIP: As always, adjust these toddler lunch ideas based on your one year old’s chewing ability, preferences, and allergies. Which is to say: Iff you see something that isn’t cut or prepared the way you know your toddler would need it to be cut or served, you of course have full permission to change it. I did my best here to visually show you suggested serving options, but you may need to adjust.
1. Easy Snack Box
I love muffin lunches since they allow me to make the main component ahead and then add in simple sides. This one has fresh blackberries, freeze-dried strawberries, O cereal, and Vegan Banana Muffins.
(Not every lunch has to have every single food group…do your best with what you have!)
2. Pesto Pasta and Peas with Grapes and Fruit Leather
Having store bought pesto or homemade pesto on hand is an easy pasta sauce that’s flavorful and packed with nutrition—especially when paired with peas—but also kid friendly! Served with halved grapes and fruit leather, this is an easy and fun lunch.
3. Carrot Cake Muffins with Cottage Cheese
Muffins like my Carrot Cake Muffins are a great lunch option, as are Roasted Carrot Fries. We love both cold or slightly warm, so you have options when serving them at home or packed in a lunchbox. Pack a spoon for the cottage cheese if sending to daycare!
4. Easy Breakfast for Lunch
Pair Veggie Muffins with hard-cooked eggs and berries for a super easy and fully make-ahead kids lunch idea.
This super simple idea pairs quickly cooked chicken with roasted sweet potatoes and zucchini for a super easy make-ahead lunch.
I love this one since it’s easy to adjust for an adult’s lunch too!
6. Veggie Grilled Cheese, Corn and Applesauce
Adding spinach to grilled cheese is a simple way to increase nutrition in a kid staple. (Just use the filling from my Spinach Quesadillas spread on bread and prepare like any other grilled cheese.) Pair with warmed frozen corn and an applesauce pouch.
TIP: See below for the recipe!
Incorporating broccoli right into the pasta sauce is a simple way to serve it up to one year olds. Try it with a fun pasta shape like stars and paired with simple sides like puffs, berries, and thawed frozen veggies.
8. Easy Finger Foods Lunch
Eggs, Roasted Butternut Squash, fruit and avocado is a super simple lunch idea. I often make the squash and eggs ahead and then warm very briefly to serve or pack. You can lightly rub a little lime or lemon juice on avocado to keep it from turning brown if packing in a lunch box.
9. Meatballs, Pasta and Fruit
My Chicken Meatballs with Sweet Potato are an easy make-ahead protein option that are super yummy and easy for one year olds to chew. Pair with pasta or a grain and fruit to round out the lunch.
10. Soft Roasted Chickpea Lunch
Pair Salty-Sweet Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas with diced cheese, kiwi, and crackers for a super simple finger foods lunch for a one year old.
Make pizza for lunch a whole lot easier by starting with a tortilla. These are soft and easy to chew (use tortillas labeled “soft” for the best texture for little ones) and yummy—and boast a veggie punch from the pizza sauce.
12. Easy Hummus Lunch Box
I love using dips to help the kids get more interested in foods they may not love and this one year old lunch is a good example. Here, I paired hummus with bread strips, thinly sliced pepperoni, and sauteed green beans. Plus mini animal crackers and fruit.
I never thought I’d find it necessary to make simple sandwiches ahead, but these freezable PB&Js are so handy to have on hand! They thaw in a lunchbox and just streamline packing.
You can use sunflower seed butter if needed to make them allergy-free.
These baked fritters are so good in the summer when there’s too much zucchini, or really any time of the year when you want a make-ahead lunch option with a veggie in the mix. I like to serve them diced with a dip like ranch, ketchup, salsa, or even bbq sauce.
You can make this with store bought dough or homemade and it only requires two other ingredients. It’s a fun lunch to make at home or to send in a lunchbox. I like to cut it into strips or cubes to ensure it’s easy for a one year old to chew. Here I paired it with matchstick cut apples and sliced cucumbers.
Healthy Sides for Lunches
If you need some ideas for what to pack with a lunch, these healthy snack options from the store are super easy options.
Best Lunch Boxes for Kids
All of the lunchboxes shown here are in my guide to lunchboxes here.
If you have any questions about food for one year old’s or any of the lunches shown here, please comment below.
I appreciate all feedback and hearing from you all—it always helps to make my content so much better!Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 16 minutes
Author Amy Palanjian
Cuisine American
Course lunch
Calories 157kcal
Servings 2
Spinach Grilled Cheese
- ▢ 2 cups baby spinach (loosely packed)
- ▢ 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ▢ 1 tablespoon cream cheese
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- ▢ 4 pieces whole grain bread
- ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
Place the spinach, cheese, cream cheese, and cumin in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Spread a thin layer of the spinach mixture onto 2 of the slices of bread. (You may have leftovers.) Add the second bread slices on top to make a sandwich. Add a thin coat of butter to the outside of each sandwich.
Warm a skillet over medium heat. When warm, cook each sandwich for 2-3 minutes per side or until warmed through and melty.
Serve warm in slices or cubes.
You can store any leftover spinach mixture in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days to make additional sandwiches.
Here are other simple toddler lunch ideas to try too:
- Easy Snack Box with mini muffins, diced fruit, freeze-dried fruit, and dry cereal
- Pesto pasta with peas, fruit, and fruit leather
- Carrot Cake Muffins, Roasted Carrots, cottage cheese, halved grapes
- Veggie Muffins, hard-cooked eggs, raspberries
- Chicken and Sweet Potato Bowl with diced pineapple
- Broccoli Pesto Pasta with puffs and fruit
- Finger food lunch of scrambled eggs, roasted squash, avocado, berries
- Pasta and peas with butter, Chicken Sweet Potato Meatballs, and clementine
- Soft Roasted Chickpeas, cheese, kiwi, cheddar bunny crackers
- Pizza Quesadilla with berries
- Hummus Lunch with hummus, bread, pepperoni, animal crackers, and fruit
- Make-Ahead PB&J
- Baked Zucchini Fritters and tomatoes
- Pesto Pizza with sliced cucumbers
Calories: 157kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 38mg, Sodium: 241mg, Potassium: 220mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 3209IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 251mg, Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Rate in the comments and tag @yummytoddlerfood on IG!
Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins (SO Easy, Low Sugar, All Yum)
Packed with carrots, whole grains, and protein, these Carrot Cake Muffins are a delicious way to start the day.
They mix up in one bowl, can be made ahead, and are a nutritious snack or breakfast. Plus: You can be eating them in about 25 minutes from when you start the process!
Carrot Cake Muffins
When I’m looking for a fun way to serve up vegetables to kids, I tend to think of muffins. And these carrot muffins are a delicious—and super easy—snack, side dish, or breakfast option to share with the kids. I actually love this recipe so much that I make them regularly for myself.
These muffins are low in added sugars and contain whole grains from rolled oats and whole wheat flour. They also have a nice amount of carrots for fiber, vitamin A, and flavor. And unlike many traditional muffin recipes, these don’t rely on oil alone for moisture; applesauce adds moisture and nutrients, too.
These store really well in the fridge or freezer, so they’re a nice recipe to make and serve for days (or weeks) to come.
(Find more of my favorite muffins for kids here.)
Ingredients You Need
You don’t need anything fancy to make these muffins.
Here’s a look at the ingredients.
- Whole wheat flour
- Rolled oats: These are sometimes called “old-fashioned” oats.
- Baking powder
- Baking soda: Make sure your baking soda is fresh before you start baking as it’s key to these baking through properly.
- Cinnamon: Adds that classic carrot cake flavor.
- Eggs
- Applesauce: I use smooth, unsweetened applesauce here.
- Brown sugar
- Canola or melted coconut oil
- Grated carrots: I prefer the texture of carrots grated on a box grater as they tend to be a little finer and bake softer than grated carrots from the store.
- Raisins: I prefer golden raisins for their pretty color and delicate sweetness, but any kind will work.
Ingredient Substitutions
If you want to make these without refined sugar, you can omit the brown sugar and use 2 tablespoons maple syrup.
Gluten-free: Use a cup-for-cup style of gluten-free flour blend and gluten-free rolled oats.
Egg-free: Use a store-bought egg replacer like the one from Bob’s Red Mill.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process involved in making these carrot muffins so you know what to expect. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Stir together the dry ingredients.
- Grate the carrot and add with the remaining wet ingredients to the bowl.
- Mix gently, but thoroughly.
- Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tin. I use a measuring spoon, which helps divide the batter evenly.
- Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out cleanly.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.
TIP: You can use store-bought grated carrots, but you’ll need ones that are finely grated and not in super long pieces. If the pieces of your carrots are longer than an inch, cut them up smaller with kitchen shears.
Can I turn these muffins into cupcakes?
Yes! You can do a lightly sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting made from cream cheese, vanilla, and maple syrup or honey.
Use a hand-held mixer to beat all ingredients together and top the cooled muffins.
What should I serve with these mini muffins?
We like them with milk and a side of fruit for breakfast or a snack, or you can serve them with a favorite soup as dinner or as part of a toddler lunch. (They’re shown above in a lunchbox with Roasted Carrot Fries, cottage cheese, and grapes.)
I personally love them with coffee or tea as an afternoon snack.
Can I make these vegan?
To make these without eggs or dairy, omit the eggs and add ground flaxseed meal. You may need to bake them for about 2 minutes longer, but use a cake tester to be sure. See the note at the end of the recipe for specifics. (Or you can use a store bought egg replacer like the one from Bob’s Red Mill.)
How to Store
To store, place in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat slightly to serve if desired. Or, place cooled muffins into a zip top freezer bag, remove as much air as possible and seal.
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or in the microwave in 10-15 second increments.
Best Tips for Success
- I like to use golden raisins because the flavor and color is nice here, but regular ones work just fine.
- For best results, grate the carrots yourself. OR use kitchen shears to roughly chop store-bought grated carrots into slightly smaller pieces. (Right out of the bag, the grated carrots are often in long pieces that will be hard to fit in mini muffin cups.)
- Dice into smaller pieces for babies or 1-year-olds.
- Be sure to grease the pan well and use a paring knife around the edges as needed to prevent the muffins from sticking to the pan.
- These work best as mini muffins. (They take forever to bake through as full-size.)
- When checking for doneness, look for the edges to be golden brown, the tops of the muffins to be firm to the touch, and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin to come out clean—not with wet batter stuck to it.
- You can omit the brown sugar and use 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey instead.
- You may also like Zucchini Carrot Muffins, ABC Muffins, Yogurt Muffins, Carrot Cake Cupcakes, and Strawberry Muffins.
I’d love to hear what your family thinks of this recipe so please chime in below with feedback in the comments!
This post was originally published spring 2017.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Total Time 26 minutes
Author Amy Palanjian
Cuisine American
Course Breakfast
Calories 119kcal
Servings 12 (Makes 24 mini muffins or 12 servings)
- ▢ ¾ cup whole-wheat flour
- ▢ ½ cup rolled oats
- ▢ ¼ cup brown sugar
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ 1 cup applesauce
- ▢ 1 cup grated carrots
- ▢ 2 large eggs
- ▢ 3 tablespoons canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
- ▢ ¼ cup raisins (I prefer golden raisins, but any kind will work)
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and coat a 24-cup mini muffin tin with nonstick spray.
Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and stir together to combine thoroughly but gently.
Add a heaping 1 tablespoon of the batter to each prepared muffin cup and bake 18-22 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out cleanly.
Remove from oven, cool in the pan for 2 minutes, and use a paring knife to loosen the edges as needed. Tilt in the pan to allow air to circulate underneath or transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Serve warm, at room temp, or chilled.
Mini Muffin Pan
Mixing Bowl
Rolled Oats
- To store, place in an airtight container and store at room temperature for 3-5 days. Reheat slightly to serve if desired. Or, place cooled muffins into a zip-top freezer bag, remove as much air as possible and seal. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or in the microwave in 10- to 15-second increments.
- I like to use golden raisins because the flavor and color is nice here, but regular ones work just fine.
- Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger to add even more flavor.
- Egg-free: Omit the eggs and add 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal and use ½ teaspoon baking soda (up from ¼ teaspoon in the recipe). Let mixed batter sit for 5 minutes before adding to the pan. Bake for about 2 additional minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out cleanly. (Or you can use a store bought egg replacer like the one from Bob’s Red Mill.)
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free cup-for-cup flour and certified gluten-free rolled oats.
- For best results with the texture, grate the carrots yourself. OR use kitchen shears to roughly chop store-bought grated carrots into slightly smaller pieces. (Right out of the bag, the grated carrots are often in long pieces that will be hard to fit in mini muffin cups.
) - These work best as mini muffins. (They take forever to bake through as full-size.)
- Be sure to grease the pan well and use a paring knife around the edges as needed to prevent the muffins from sticking to the pan.
- When checking for doneness, look for the edges to be golden brown, the tops of the muffins to be firm to the touch, and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin to come out clean—not with wet batter stuck to it.
Serving: 2mini muffins, Calories: 119kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 79mg, Potassium: 130mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 1828IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Rate in the comments and tag @yummytoddlerfood on IG!
Menu for a 1 year old child: a detailed guide for parents
A man is already a year old, he has acquired teeth, watches with interest what adults eat and constantly tries to catch something from their plate.
And here comes the one who instructively says to the parents: “It’s time to transfer to the common table!” And it won't be right. We find out what the child’s menu should be per year so that he grows up healthy, active and happy.
What to feed a child in a year
A child's menu of 1 year should include daily dairy and meat products, vegetables and fruits, bread and cereals, vegetable and butter. Twice a week - fish and eggs. Let's figure out what exactly and in what quantity to give the baby - let's look at the pyramid of the children's diet in detail.
Milk
The very first and most important milk for a child is mother's milk. It not only nourishes, but also supports the immune system, and the feeding process itself is useful for the baby emotionally. After a year, the child ceases to be a baby by definition, but this does not mean that breastfeeding should be hastily “curtailed”. Pediatric experts, including the World Health Organization, recommend continued breastfeeding until the child is two years old.
But the number of attachments to the chest can be reduced - now one or two times a day is enough.
After a year, the baby can be introduced to cow's and goat's milk. Up to a year, animal milk is prohibited, primarily because children's kidneys are not yet ready to properly remove the excess phosphorus contained in the product.
Together with phosphorus, they get rid of calcium and vitamin D, and this is fraught with the development of a severe form of rickets in a child.
Like any new product, it is necessary to introduce milk into the children's diet gradually, especially since it is often allergic. First, give half a spoonful during breakfast and observe the reaction throughout the day. If there is no allergy, you can double the portion every day. The milk standard for a one-year-old child is 200 ml per day, plus 100 ml for cooking.
When choosing milk for a child, remember that it should not be:
- fat: no more than 2.
5–3.5%, otherwise the load on the digestive organs and biliary tract is great; - fat-free: no nutritional value, no fat-soluble vitamins;
- unprocessed: "live" milk from the farm must be boiled. Yes, there will be fewer vitamins, but the nutrients will remain, and the milk will become microbially safe.
Fermented milk products
Fermented milk products appear in a child's diet even before the age of one. They are rich in protein and calcium, improve intestinal motility, increase immunity and should be on the child's menu every day. But they should be given no more than the recommended rate, so as not to overload the baby's kidneys.
40 g of cottage cheese and 150 ml of fermented milk drink: kefir, biolact, yogurt, etc. are enough per day for a one-year-old child.
The menu of a one-year-old child can be varied with 10-15% fat sour cream. The daily norm is 5-9 g. It can be added to soup, salad or served with the same cheesecakes.
In the year of the child for the first time you can treat cheese: just give a piece to gnaw or add it to pasta, casserole, scrambled eggs. Cheese is rich in calcium - 600–900 mg per 100 g of product.
But cheese should be given to the baby in limited quantities - no more than 5 g per day, because it contains a lot of sodium. Choose hard or semi-hard varieties with a fat content of 30-35%. Remember that blue cheese, smoked, processed, spicy, pickled and with various additives, such as nuts and peppers, are not suitable for baby food.
Meat
Every day in the diet of a one-year-old child should be meat, the norm is 100 g. You can give beef, veal, lean pork, rabbit meat, turkey and chicken. Offal diversifies the menu: language and heart. The liver is also useful, but it is advised to give it no more than 1 time in 7-10 days, since it contains a large amount of toxic substances.
Duck and goose meat is not suitable for baby food because it is very fatty.
The same with lamb. Not a place in the children's menu and sausages. Sausages, sausages, sausages are harmful for adults, and even more so for children.
Fish
Twice a week it would be good to replace part of the meat portion with a portion of fish. 30–50 g will be enough. Fish is easily digestible, contains iodine, fluorine, copper, zinc, vitamins A and D, B vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and iron.
For the first acquaintance with fish dishes, nutritionists advise choosing not river, but marine inhabitants - they have a priority in terms of environmental cleanliness and the content of useful elements. In addition, they are less bony. You can start with low-fat varieties, such as pollock, cod, flounder. And later add haddock, navaga and horse mackerel to the diet.
The advantage of river fish is that it is not as allergic as sea fish. The most suitable for the children's menu are: hake, carp, river trout and river perch.
A strict taboo in baby food for smoked and salted fish, as well as caviar - so much salt is definitely not good for a child.
It is too early to indulge your baby with seafood: all kinds of crabs, shrimps, squids, mussels, lobsters and lobsters are too dangerous from an allergenic point of view.
Eggs
It is desirable that eggs be on the baby's menu 2-3 times a week. Starting from a year, a child can be given not only the yolk, but also the protein. It is better to choose chicken or quail eggs, which, by the way, are less allergenic. Eggs of waterfowl - ducks, geese, etc. - are banned, as they are most often infected with salmonella.
Because of the potential for infection, any eggs must be cooked before being placed on the baby's table. The “soft-boiled” and “pouched” options are not for the baby. The child can be fed with a hard-boiled egg, scrambled eggs with milk, or dishes with the addition of an egg.
Vegetables and fruits
About four times a day the child should eat vegetables and fruits. The kid has already met many of them. During the year, culinary acquaintances continue, you can try beets, turnips, tomatoes, cherries, cherries, strawberries, chokeberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, lingonberries, apricots, peaches, kiwi and citrus fruits.
When your child is one and a half years old, you can add seaweed salad to his diet. Naturally, it should not contain vinegar! Laminaria is rich in iodine, macro- and microelements, and is easily digestible.
Do not forget about dried fruits, compared to fresh fruits, they are several times more fiber and minerals: magnesium, iron, potassium.
Slowly begin to introduce greens into the baby's menu: cut it finely and add it to salads, soups, main dishes. Dill, parsley, cilantro, celery are especially useful - they have a lot of vitamin C.
Legumes
Legumes contain a lot of vegetable protein, fiber, B vitamins, vitamins C, E, PP, carotene, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron, etc. But they should not be more often in the menu of a one-year-old child 2-3 times a week, because they are known for their ability to cause increased gas formation in the intestines. Before giving a child legumes, they must be thoroughly boiled and, if possible, cleaned of coarse fibrous skin.
Green peas (fresh or frozen) and green beans are best suited for a children's menu.
Cereals
Cereals are the basis of the food pyramid, they should be present in the child's diet every day. In the morning - in the form of porridge, with or without milk. For lunch, as a side dish. Buckwheat and oatmeal have the first place in nutritional value. From these cereals, they usually cook, even before a year, the first porridge for the baby. Among the "firsts" are also corn grits and rice.
When the child has already tasted cereals from the main cereals, you can experiment with millet and cereals obtained from wheat - wheat and semolina. Note that semolina porridge is not held in high esteem by nutritionists, because it is the poorest in vitamins and minerals. It is not often advised to give it to a child, only for the sake of a variety of taste sensations.
Healthy barley and barley porridges are heavy for a delicate children's stomach. Barley porridge can be given to the baby only after one and a half years.
Barley - after three.
Pasta and bread
Pasta is a lifeline for a mother who is drowning in business, but has to feed her child urgently. Kids usually like pasta too. And only nutritionists are dissatisfied, they remind that pasta:
- can be entered into the menu of a child at 1 year old no more than 1-2 times a week;
- is better not to give to overweight children;
- should be excluded when the child is constipated.
Babies can be given bread per year, but not more than 60 g per day. It is better to start with wheat or rye-wheat. It is desirable to dry it slightly in advance so that it becomes easier to digest. Rye bread is made from sour dough, which causes fermentation in the intestines, so it is advised to treat a child to it only after a year and a half.
Butter
Butter not only improves the taste of dishes, but also enriches the diet with vitamins D, E, K, A. A one-year-old child can eat 10–20 g of the product per day, as part of dishes or spread on bread.
The oil should not be the fattest - the optimal fat content is from 72.5 to 82%.
Vegetable oils are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are necessary for maintaining the health of both children and adults. It is enough for a one-year-old child to eat 10-15 ml of vegetable oil daily. In addition to the popular sunflower oil, the baby's diet may include corn oil, olive and sesame oil.
Important! Both butter and vegetable oil should be added to ready-made dishes, they should not be subjected to heat treatment.
How to cook for a 9 year old baby0005
After a year, a very important stage should begin in the child's nutrition - a gradual transition to solid food. It is now very important for a baby to learn to chew food, so he will develop chewing muscles, improve the ability to voluntarily control the movements of the organs of articulation.
To begin with, try to offer your child vegetable stew, just thoroughly mashed with a fork, instead of “airy” puree.
A little later, you don’t need to knead the vegetables, it will be enough to chop them finely. Start cooking cereals from ordinary, not ground, cereals. Make salads with finely chopped fruits and vegetables.
An important principle in the preparation of children's food is to preserve the beneficial substances contained in the products as much as possible. Therefore, use gentle technologies: boil, bake, stew, steam.
Remember that a significant part of the vitamins is destroyed by heat and exposure to moisture and air. Never peel vegetables ahead of time - just before putting them in the pot. The water should be boiling by now. To preserve minerals in vegetables, boil them in salted water. The rule does not apply to beets - boiling in salted water worsens their taste.
Prepare baby soup without toasting. If the soup is meat, be sure to drain the first broth.
Is it possible to use salt and spices
Food for a one year old child can be slightly salted.
To an adult, children's food should seem undersalted.
It is acceptable to use spices, but in very small quantities - only until a light shade of taste is achieved. Bay leaves, basil, cumin, thyme, coriander, marjoram, rosemary, allspice, vanilla, cinnamon can be added to the dishes of a child from one to three years old. Spices such as red and black pepper, horseradish, mustard are too hot and are not suitable for children's dishes.
What about sweets
In our culture it is customary to treat children with sweets, and this is completely wrong. Sweets increase allergic reactions, lead to overweight and provoke the appearance of caries, so the later the baby gets to know them, the better.
You can sweeten food only if the baby refuses to eat unleavened food - cottage cheese, porridge, etc. But first, try to improve the taste with berries, fruits or dried fruits.
If you still can't wait to pamper your child with something sweet, let it be marshmallows, marshmallows, marmalade, jam, marmalade, jam or children's cookies.
But only after the main meal.
What you can and cannot drink
For a child, as well as for an adult, the ideal drink is ordinary water. You can offer the baby boiled water from the tap or buy a special one - in a bottle marked "for baby food".
Compotes from vegetables, fruits and dried fruits diversify the drinking diet. Try to cook them without sugar, most likely, the baby will be delicious anyway. Vegetable and fruit juices are also better to make yourself. However, it is often not worth giving them to a child to drink: there are no dietary fibers in them, but there is plenty of sugar and acids.
At the age of one year, the child can already be given weak herbal and fruit teas. It is useful to drink cocoa, it contains proteins, carbohydrates, fats and a biologically active component that can stimulate the activity of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Sometimes you can treat your baby to surrogate coffee, which is made from barley, oats, rye, chicory, soybeans, chestnuts, etc.
Do not give your child tea, cocoa, or surrogate coffee after fish or meat dishes. These drinks contain substances that prevent the absorption of certain nutrients, such as iron.
Do not treat your baby to carbonated drinks, even mineral water - the carbon dioxide contained in them irritates the gastric mucosa.
How to make a menu for a 1 year old baby
Experts advise you to make a menu for a child for a week in advance. This makes it easier to ensure that the baby's nutrition is balanced. It is important to immediately build a regular meal schedule and, if possible, do not deviate from it for more than 30 minutes. Thanks to the regime, the child develops a conditioned food reflex, and this helps to digest and assimilate food well.
A one-year-old child is recommended to be fed five times a day. three main meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner and two additional ones: afternoon tea and bedtime feeding.
A child from one to one and a half years old needs about 1000-1200 ml of food per day, from one and a half to three years - 1200-1500 ml.
The volume of food in one feeding should not exceed 300-350 ml.
The total calorie content of meals should now be approximately 1300 kcal. A child's menu per year may look something like this:
- Breakfast: porridge with milk 180 ml, fruit 30 g.
- Lunch: vegetable soup 120 ml, meat soufflé 50 g, rice garnish 80 g, compote 100 ml.
- Snack: fermented milk drink 150 ml, fruit 100 g.
- Dinner: vegetable stew 150 g, steamed chicken cutlet 50 g.
- At bedtime: breast milk or infant formula.
— share with your friends!
Read more
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Menu for a 1 year old child for a week, rules and recipes
Menu author: Natalia Dik - pediatrician. She graduated from the Chelyabinsk Medical Academy, clinical internship and residency, specialty pediatrics. She has been working in her specialty since 2007, from 2005-2008 she has been the head of the Allergy Department of the City Clinical Hospital No. 1 of Chelyabinsk, since 2008 she has been a specialist in clinical trials of drugs. She enjoys cooking and practices the Menu of the Week system in her daily life. |
What food should be on a child's menu after the first birthday? Perhaps there is no mother who would not ask herself this question at least once.
The baby more and more confidently eats not only pureed dishes, but also dishes with small pieces of food, his diet at 1 year old gradually expands, the menu becomes more diverse and as a result, the mother has a lot of opportunities for culinary experiments.
It is possible and necessary to experiment, because it is at an early age that a child develops eating habits .
You don't want him to turn his nose away from a plate of food in the future because it contains fried onions or baked broccoli, do you? Then start introducing him to a variety of products and how to cook them now!
Things to remember when compiling a menu for a child after 1 year:
- First of all, try to follow the same feeding schedule for the best production of digestive enzymes . It is recommended to give "adult" food to babies 5 times a day at intervals of 3.5-4 hours: breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and milk or kefir at night. It is very good if the mother's lactation is preserved, and it is possible to continue natural feeding on demand. Usually, children ask for a breast in the morning after waking up, in the afternoon after taking regular meals, or in between and before bedtime. With artificial feeding, babies usually continue to drink formula milk in the morning and before bedtime after a year.
- It is not difficult to diversify the diet: it is enough to include vegetables, fruits, cereals, protein products (milk and dairy products, legumes, meat, fish) and fats (vegetable, butter, sour cream) into it daily.
For example, if there was a cereal side dish for lunch, it is better to cook a vegetable dish for dinner, and vice versa. - The best ways of cooking are stewing, boiling (in water or steam), baking. But there are some peculiarities: if you cook soup in broth, it is better to use boneless meat and drain the first broth to avoid overstimulation of digestive enzymes
- You can gradually introduce children to various spices and seasonings (cinnamon, coriander, cumin, etc.). Of course, a lot of spicy additives (pepper, garlic) are best avoided, as well as products with artificial flavors (seasonings containing monosodium glutamate, etc.). It will be more useful if the baby learns to enjoy natural tastes.
- All mothers are well aware that water is very important for the health and well-being of babies, so make sure that your child drinks enough water between feedings (in extreme cases, unsweetened tea or a decoction of herbs, rose hips).
You can pour water every morning into a sippy cup or bottle in a volume of about 300 ml and periodically offer him a drink.
MONDAY
Breakfast: Wheat porridge
Lunch: Pumpkin puree soup recipe with chicken
Dinner: Zucchini and carrot casserole
Pediatrician's comment:lunch often offers broth and steamed vegetables. In my opinion, puree soups combine two dishes at the same time, thereby saving time on cooking. Complementing them with steam cutlets or meatballs (from meat, poultry or fish), we get a full meal.
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TUESDAY
Breakfast: Oatmeal Porridge with Caramel Apples
Lunch: Broccoli Soup, Fish Meatballs
Dinner: Zucchini and Carrot Casserole
Pediatrician's comment: At afternoon snack you can give your baby fruit (if there are still problems with pieces, then in the form of puree or grated), cottage cheese, yogurt or kefir with children's cookies. |
Wednesday
Breakfast: Puding from cottage cheese
Lunch: soup puree, fish telephotics
Breek porridge
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Pediatrician's comment:
Many children even a year prefer to have breakfast with breast milk or formula (if they are formula-fed). Dairy porridge has always been considered a tasty and satisfying breakfast. In addition, you can cook cottage cheese casserole or scrambled eggs.
Thursday
Breakfast: Omlet
Lunch: soup puree made of different vegetables, cutlets
Buckwheat
907 Pediatrician's comment:For dinner many children have enough porridge or vegetable puree. |
FRIDAY
If the baby has not yet given up five meals a day, then before going to bed drinks with pleasure either breast milk or formula (yogurt, kefir), depending on the type of feeding.
