Most babies at the age of 1 year already begin to walk, hold a spoon on their own and drink from a cup. But do not hope that the daily work of the mother to care for and feed the child at this stage will become easier. More movement – more energy consumption, so a child’s nutrition at 1 year should be balanced and saturated with vitamins and minerals.
Features of the nutrition of a one-year-old child
It is unnecessary to mention that the motor and mental activity of the child requires a lot of energy, therefore, not only the variety of diet increases, but also the amount of food.
Meals should be 4 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner.
The food should be mushy. Food cut into small pieces can only be given if the baby has chewing teeth.
The child begins to manifest taste preferences, a properly composed menu will positively affect the baby’s attitude to nutrition in the future.
Food should have norms, it is impossible to overfeed children or force to eat by force. The baby may develop an aversion to food and digestive disorders. But lack of appetite and malnutrition also have bad consequences. Try to offer your baby different food or take a game while feeding. Perhaps the child just needs to be more often in the fresh air.
We make up the menu
Let’s look at the approximate menu of a child at 1 year old, compiled on the advice of domestic doctors – nutritionists.
- Breakfast at 8.00: porridge in milk (pearl barley, oatmeal, buckwheat) 150 – 200 gr., Half a yolk, home-made fruit juice 50-75 ml.
- Lunch at 12.00 – 13.00: vegetable soup 30-50 ml., Wheat or rye bread 10 – 20 gr., Vegetable puree 150 gr., Cutlet, steamed 75 – 100 gr., Fruit juice or fruit juice 50 ml.
- Snack at 16.30: kefir 150 ml., Cottage cheese 70 gr., Fruit puree 50 gr.
- Dinner at 21.00 – 22. 00: vegetable puree (can be periodically replaced with porridge) 100 gr., Kefir or fruit puree 75 – 100 ml.
At night at 24. 00, you can feed the baby with kefir or breast, for those who still have lactation.
You can experiment with making the menu, porridge can sometimes be replaced with milk noodles, and cottage cheese with a piece of cheese. Vegetables that can be used for mashed potatoes at this age: potatoes, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, cauliflower. It is recommended at 1 year to gradually introduce cow’s milk into the child’s diet, possibly use it in tea.
Healthy Menu Tips
Any menu has its limitations or additions. A healthy child will need a normal diet, a sick or weak baby needs a certain set of products that meets the needs of his body.
In case of a question about baby food, you can always contact a pediatrician.
But there are several rules in the composition of the menu, compliance with which guarantees the baby a healthy development:
- Home-made food only, following healthy food guidelines.
- Meat and fish should be steamed.
- No sausages and sausages containing concentrates that are incompatible with the digestion of a child in 1 year.
- Obligatory presence of fermented milk products in the diet, promoting digestion and containing a balanced amount of calcium.
- Less sugar in foods! At this age, excessive sugar in food provokes the further development of caries, excess weight and loss of appetite.
- Of exotic fruits, only a small amount of banana can be used in 1 year. Kiwi, orange and other exotics cause severe allergic reactions. More preferably apples, gooseberries, some grapes.
The nutrition of a child of any age should be treated carefully and carefully. The older the children, the richer the menu, but do not try to enter adult products too quickly in the children’s menu. For the correct and healthy development of the child, it is required to follow strict rules for the selection of products. Even a strict menu can be tasty if you have a caring mother nearby.
