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.
WHERE
  • Eat with me. I need your help and I learn a lot during family meals. Our time together is special. I feel so loved when you pay attention to me.
  • Let me eat at the table with everyone else. I need to be safe, sitting up, supported, and buckled in a highchair.
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.

Here are some examples of what meal and snack portion sizes might look like on my plate.

Breakfast

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

Lunch

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

Snacks

snack
½ cup dry cereal
2 to 3 whole grain crackers with cheese
½ graham cracker
water between meals and snacks

Dinner

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

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.

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.

Be with me during screen time and interact with me. Remember, to schedule plenty of non-screen time into my day.