Once your child reaches her third birthday, growth slows significantly as her eating patterns change. The period between 1 and 2 years old helps set the stage for the eating habits your child will have for the rest of her life. Offer plenty of nutritious options to give your little one exposure to lots of different healthy foods and ensure that she gets all of the calories and nutrients she needs.
General Guidelines
A serving of food for a 1-year-old is about 1/4 the size of an adult serving. You can feed your 1-year-old the same amount of servings as an older toddler or preschooler, but make the servings appropriate to your child's size. A good guideline is to give him six small servings of grains, three vegetable servings, two small servings each of full-fat dairy, fruits and meat or protein. Avoid foods high in sugar and saturated fats, but don't put your child on a reduced-calorie or reduced-fat diet because this could hamper his growth and development.
Nutrients
Most 1-year-olds do not need to take vitamin supplements as long as they consume a well-balanced, varied diet. Parents should strive to provide an assortment of fruits and vegetables, but not focus on any specific one food. If your child won't eat carrots or sweet potatoes, which supply the vitamin A precursor beta-carotene, offer her cantaloupe, a fruit-based source of beta-carotene, instead. It's fine if your child doesn't get all of the vital nutrients every single day as long as she consumes them at some point over the course of the week.
Introducing New Foods
Continue to introduce new foods with different flavors and textures to your 1-year-old, but don't expect him to eat everything you give him. A toddler may need 10 or more exposures to a new food before being willing to eat it, so don't give up if he rejects something the first time around. Try to always provide at least one familiar option at meal times so that your child won't go hungry if he isn't willing to eat the new foods you give him.
Special Concerns
A 1-year-old needs full-fat dairy, not reduced-fat or low-fat milk, because the fat is necessary to give your child the calories needed to grow properly. Once he reaches his second birthday, you may be able to switch to lower fat dairy. A 1-year-old child needs about 1,300 calories a day to thrive, including the calories he still gets through breast milk, formula or cow's milk.
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