I recently had a great nutrition question asked by one of my readers and I thought I’d share it with ya’ll as I assume many of you might have the same question. I am always willing to answer any nutrition related questions you may have, so feel free to ask me!
“Hi Dietitian Brittany! I have a question. My little boy is nearly a year old. When he starts eating more solid food and relies less on breast milk, how do I know how much to feed him? What should I feed him??”
Hi, you bring up a great question! Many moms (including myself) have wondered this same thing! One year old is a big milestone. It is new territory going from your child getting most of their calories from milk to now getting most from food. Below I highlight some general guidelines on how much and what to feed your one year old, but keep in mind that all children are unique and so are their eating habits, likes and dislikes.
New things:
At twelve months:
- Your baby can feed himself with a spoon and his fingers. Let him explore the different flavors and textures of foods – even if that means making a little bit of a mess!
- You can transition from breast milk or formula to whole cow’s milk.
- You can feed your child honey. Honey is not advised before 12 months of age due to risk for botulism poisoning.
- Most toddlers usually drop a milk feeding – commonly the night/bed time feeding. Total milk intake should be between 16-24 ounces per day.
- By 12-18 months transition from the bottle to a cup or sippy cup. This is important for development as well as to prevent tooth decay.
How Much?
A one year old needs about 1,000-1,200 calories a day (depending on their build and activity level) to meet his needs for proper growth, energy, and nutrition. Most of your child’s nutrition will now come from solid foods instead of milk. This can usually be met in 3 small meals and 2 snacks per day. To learn more about toddler serving sizes, click here. Toddlers’ appetites vary from day to day, so don’t get too worried if he seems less interested in food for a day or two. Don’t force your child to eat all of his food. His appetite should return to normal within a few days. Maintaining a regular schedule of meals and snacks for your child is important so he will know that food will be available at certain times of the day.
What?
Just as you need variety in your diet, so does your little one! Provide your toddler a variety of foods and nutrients from all the food groups including:
- Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, legumes
- Dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yogurt
- Fruits and veggies
- Cereal grains, potatoes, rice, breads, pasta (you may wish to continue serving iron-fortified cereal until your child is 18-24 months old).
Remember that fats are also very important for a child’s normal growth and development, so they should not be limited at this time. Babies and young toddlers should get about half of their calories from fat. By the age of two you can gradually decrease the amount of fat in his diet. Some examples of fats you might feed your child include: whole dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt), eggs, avocados, and sliced olives.
Feeding Your One Year Old: What? How Much? and When? Share on X
What not?
By now, your child should be able to tolerate most of the foods the rest of the family eats—but there are still a few things to watch out for:
- Food that is too hot and will burn his mouth (test it yourself before feeding it to him).
- Choking hazards such as popcorn, nuts, seeds, whole grapes, hot dog pieces, cheese cubes, sticky foods, and chunks of uncooked fruits and vegetables. Mash or cut foods into small pieces that are easily chewed and swallowed to avoid choking.
- Foods that are heavily spiced, salted, buttered, or sweetened. Babies and toddlers tend to be more sensitive than adults to these flavorings and may refuse heavily flavored or spiced foods.
Just Remember:
Just remember that, in general, it is more important for your child get a variety of healthy foods in his overall diet rather than focusing on specific amounts in single meals. There will be days when he eats all of his veggies and others when all he does his throw them, but if your child is developing well, keeping up with his weight gain on the growth charts and is active and cheerful, then you can be self-assured that you are doing your job of getting him all the food and nutrients he needs to be a happy and healthy one year old.
You can also reference THIS sample meal plan for a one year old written by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Let’s chat: What difficulties did you have when transitioning your baby to eating more solid foods? How did you overcome them?
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