Meal Plan for 1-Year-Old: What to Feed Your Baby

As soon as your little one reaches toddlerhood, you may encounter a fresh set of challenges that includes feeding him/her. A child at this stage requires nutrients like proteins, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats and more. However, it is difficult to decide their meals daily to meet the requirements of a balanced diet and keep them healthy. Following a simple diet plan for 1-year-old babies can help you sail through this phase smoothly. In this article, we have tried to provide a sample meal plan and basic guidelines for a 1-year-old/12-month-old baby.

12-Month-Old Baby Food Chart

The meal plan for a one-year-old baby is broken down into weeks to ensure you can include all the nutrition required by your baby in that month. This is a sample meal plan and you can make changes to it as per the availability of the ingredients and your convenience. You should try and include a variety of foods in your 1-year-old’s diet to develop his taste and to ensure that he eats everything that’s served on his plate. You need not follow a fixed meal plan for him; incorporate whatever you cook for yourself in his daily diet. Just remember to keep the menu light so that your baby can digest the food easily.

1. First week

2. Second Week

3. Third week

4. Fourth week

Since a lot of the dishes mentioned above will be introduced to the baby for the first time, he may resist them for their taste or texture. However, parents can make the transition easy for their babies by following the guidelines given below.

Basic Guidelines for Feeding a 12-Month-Old Baby

By the time children turn one, their bodies can digest almost everything adults eat. You may have noticed that your child is eating less than before, and that’s perfectly normal at this stage. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children at this age should be getting about 1000 to 1400 calories a day. Here are some basic guidelines for you to follow while feeding your year-old baby.

• Discuss any family history of food allergies with the paediatrician before you introduce any new food to your child.
• Do not force feed because toddlers generally eat when they are hungry and have no medical condition that affects their appetite.
• Don’t give liquids like milk or juices before mealtime. Limit breastfeeding to a maximum of 32 ounces, so that your baby has enough room for solids.
• Babies may hesitate in trying new foods. Don’t give up! Keep offering till the time your child accepts it.
• If your baby is still not used to solid foods, mash it lightly after cooking. Mashing the food also prevents choking hazards.
• Avoid adding spices to your baby’s meals. Keep the meals simple for your baby to get used to the natural taste of the foods.
• Control, but do not restrict fatty food items as fats are necessary for your baby’s health. They provide half the calories your baby needs at his/her age.
• While feeding your little one, ensure the food is it the Goldilocks zone, not too hot and not too cold. This will aid digestion and prevent mouth burns.
• Do not replace any meal with milk and if your child does not accept it wait for some time and give solids again.

The diet chart given above is a basic meal plan which consists of all the foods that will provide your one-year-old baby with the nutrition he requires. You would have introduced some foods already, while some will be new. Your little one might take time to get used to the new foods, so be patient and keep trying without force-feeding him/her.

Reference:

• Unicef