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1 TO 1½ YEARS

I’m ready to learn how to eat most of the foods you do.

I need your help to learn how to be a good eater and DO IT BY MYSELF!

WHAT
  • Offer small servings of several foods that are easy for me to eat.
  • I need soft, tender, and moist foods like cooked vegetables and soft fruits.
  • I still love to come to the breast to breastfeed but expressed breast milk in a cup is great too!
HOW
  • Offer me foods from a small plate or bowl.
  • I want to choose if I use my fingers or my spoon. Please be patient if I am messy.
  • Cut my food into small, bite-sized pieces no bigger than your thumbnail.
WHEN
  • I do best with 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and 2 or 3 snacks. Let’s eat at the same times every day.
  • I only need water between meals and snacks. This way I will be hungry – but not too hungry – when it is time for the next meal or snack. A small amount of juice is fine but no more than 2 ounces a day. Too much juice will fill my small tummy.
WHERE
  • Eat with me. I need your help and I learn a lot during family meals.
  • Stay and talk with me. I’m learning new words every day.
  • Let me eat at the table with everyone. I need to be safe, sitting up, supported, and if I have a highchair, buckled in.

Let me decide which and how much of the foods you offer.

Please don’t force me to eat more or less than I want.

Below are examples of meal/snack ideas and portion sizes to serve on my plate.

Here’s what my BREAKFAST might look like...

¼ cup diced kiwi
½ cup breast milk or whole milk
Breakfast Dish
½ slice, cut up whole grain toast
½ cooked, cut up egg

Here’s what my SNACKS might look like...

snack Dish
½ cup dry cereal
½ graham cracker
2 or 3 crackers with cheese
water between meals and snacks

Here’s what my LUNCH might look like...

½ medium sliced banana
½ cup cooked, chopped green beans
Lunch Dish
¼ cup cooked brown rice
½ cup breast milk or whole milk

Here’s what my DINNER might look like...

¼ cup diced strawberries
½ cup mashed peas
dinner Dish
¼ cup cooked whole grain pasta
½ cup breast milk or whole milk
2 tablespoons baked, chopped chicken

Daily Suggested Food Group Amounts

Fruits

2 servings a day
1 serving = ½ cup
(1 cup total)

Cooked or soft, raw fruit.

Mashed, sliced, or chopped.

Offer a variety: red, yellow, orange, blue, and green.

Vegetables

2 servings a day
1 serving = ½ cup
(1 cup total)

Cooked and mashed, sliced, or chopped veggies.

Offer a variety: dark green, orange, red, yellow, and purple.

Grains

6 servings a day
1 serving = ½ ounce
(3 ounces total)

Bite-sized pieces.

Whole grain bread, tortillas, rice, or noodles.

Dry or cooked cereal.

Proteins

2 servings a day
1 serving = 1 ounce
(2 ounces total)

Cooked, chopped meat, poultry, or fish.

Eggs.

Cooked, mashed beans, or peas.

Peanut butter.

Dairy

4 servings a day
1 serving = ½ cup
(2 cups total)

Breast milk (at breast or expressed) or whole milk.

Yogurt.

Cheese.

Look what I can do!

  • I can drink from a small, plastic cup at meals and snacks.
  • I am learning how to use a spoon.
  • I love learning how to walk with you.
  • I may know how to say some words. Please read, talk, and sing to me so I can learn more.
Baby with Dad

Keep me safe and healthy.

Please DON’T give me foods I could choke on like whole nuts, whole grapes, seeds, hot dogs, or hard candies.

I need check-ups and shots to stay healthy. I should visit the doctor at 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months.

Brush my teeth twice a day with a small, soft toothbrush and water.

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