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Here’s Exactly How to Feed Your 1-Year-Old (With a Sample Menu!)
Your growing tot has high nutrient needs—here’s how to meet them!
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Happiest Baby Staff
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At age 1, your little one has traded babbles for words, bottles for cups, and gummy grins for toothy smiles. During the first year of life, they grew at full speed, but now at 12 to 24 months, their growth has slowed, so their nutrition needs are slightly different. Instead of relying primarily on breastmilk or iron-fortified formula to supply them with nutrients, they are transitioning to a diet that looks more like the rest of the family’s.
It’s probably clear that these munchkins have high nutrient needs to support their developing brains and bodies, but what may not be so clear is what and how to feed them well. That’s where this guide to feeding young toddlers comes in! Here’s exactly how to feed babies between 12 and 24 months—complete with a sample menu for 1-year-olds!
Your toddler's appetite can change on a dime—and one day they seem to survive on air alone, while the next day, their belly is a bottomless pit. Rest assured, as puzzling and frustrating as these behaviours may be, they are totally normal! You can take the stress off yourself and make mealtimes more positive by considering Ellyn Satter’s approach to feeding young kiddos. Satter says a parent’s job is to choose when and where to offer nutritious foods, and a child’s job is determining whether to eat and how much. No one likes to be forced to eat, right? Your child is better able to develop a healthy relationship with food by following their innate hunger and fullness cues without external pressures to eat.
Nourishing meals for toddlers feature protein, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and grains. Many of these groups offer essential nutrients toddlers need, including iron for brain development, Vitamin A for eyesight, and zinc for growth and immune health. Every food provides an array of nutrients that play crucial roles all over your tot’s body.
A helpful rule of thumb is to include three food groups at meals and two at snacks to give toddlers a variety of nutrients they can. Here are the key food groups to offer:
Toddlers try hard to be independent at this age and may start pushing you away so they can try doing things on their own. It’s no different with feeding, and most toddlers demand active participation at mealtimes. That’s a good thing! Self-feeding skills may be linked to improved cognitive performance, according to one 2019 study. Here are some skills they may be developing now:
It’s no surprise mealtimes can be stressful (and messy), but these years don't last long! Your tot enjoys sensory exploration through food and gets exposure to different tastes, textures, and touches with their hands and mouth. This process is good and can be helpful in their development, and it gives them hands-on experiences with new foods to lessen picky eating. And if your little one throws food, there are practical ways to put an end to the meal madness.
Many parents agonise over their toddlers eating enough fruits and vegetables, especially when picky eating begins to rear its head around 24 months. But, here’s the thing, most adults aren’t eating enough fruits and vegetables, according to the CDC! Toddlers get increasingly interested in eating what parents have, so modeling healthy behaviours, such as eating nutrient-dense foods, will encourage your little to do the same!
Toddlers' tummies tend to fill up quickly, which means every bite counts! While it’s not uncommon for cookies, juice boxes, and popsicles to be rampant in social circles around these ages, it’s essential to offer high-nutrient foods the majority of the time. Taste preferences begin in kiddos under 2, and they may develop strong preferences for overly sweet foods. You can reduce added sugar intake by offering milk and water as all-the-time beverages and serving juice as a sometimes beverage and only offering 100% juice.
Salty snacks, commercial foods, and processed meats are high carriers of sodium, another ingredient to go light on. Offering whole foods as often as possible and seasoning with garlic and herbs help lower sodium intake.
Remember, a toddler’s serving size is a lot less than yours! And by piling their plate too high, you run the risk of overwhelming your little eater. Here are some examples of toddler serving sizes:
Toddlers should ideally have three meals and two snacks daily. Here’s a sample menu for toddlers.
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