this should be common sense... but I am stressing over meal planning for a 12 month old

Amanda - posted on 05/24/2010

thank you everybody!! very helpful advice, I have been giving her a lot of samples of what we are eating, and so far she has not been picky! I just was worried because we are not always the healthiest eaters and I want to make sure she is!! :) thanks again for all the suggestions!! much appreciated!

Tracy - posted on 05/20/2010

Give her smaller portions of what you eat. Just be careful about spices! Not only can they burn her mouth, they can give her a bad rash on the other end. If you raise her to eat what everyone else is eating, then you will reduce your chances of her being picky later on. My kids will at least try everything once, or twice if it's sushi

Cindy - posted on 05/20/2010

Just give her whatever you eat in mini portions. Spaghetti, soft fruits eggs, soups. Dress your babydoll in only a diaper and remember half ends up on the floor but it is alot of fun.

Charlie - posted on 05/20/2010

If you eat healthy , nutritious meals there is no reason why your child cant eat what you are having in smaller portions :)

Cherie - posted on 05/20/2010

i have twin 14 month olds and from twelve months they have been eating what we have just mashed down. they love everything i put in front of them i also took them off formula at 12 months and gave them milk if at first she turns her nose up dont freat as she will not starve herself good luck

Sharyn - posted on 05/20/2010

don't worry about it too much, i don't cook seperate meals for any of my kids and i have 4 of them inc our youngest who's lactose intolerant, she eats what all of us eat, somedays she'll eat the lot the next day she won't, it doesn't bother me, because children will never stare themselves, they'll eat if they're hungry. Good luck

Stina - posted on 05/20/2010

Cook healthy, nutritious meals for yourself and give your dd small cut up bits of what you are having. Cook the veggies so they're soft. If she doesn't have a lot of teeth yet (like my 13 mo) Cottage cheese is a great source of protein to offer instead of hard to chew meat.

Offer a sippy cup of milk with meals. Maybe a little juice at snack time. (two snacks a day)

A day of meals might look like this:

Breakfast- Mom- Oatmeal, Banana and yogurt for you with a cup of coffee and juice or milk.
Baby- about 1/4 cup Oatmeal, part of your bananna, Some yogurt, a sippy with milk or juice.

AM snack: cheerios and yogurt or cheese for baby. And a yummy snack for Mom.

Lunch: Grilled cheese- seriously. I cut a sandwich into long strips and let my 1 year old go to town. She bites/tears off small bits. to add a veggie- heat up some frozen peas or offer some apple sauce.
I like to have Tuna/Avocado salad Sandwiches for myself since I'm trying to lose the weight- and grilled cheese is well... not helpful in that endeavor. Mix 1 can tuna with 1/2 avocado. this will make two sandwiches.

PM Snack- Crackers and a little bit of avocado for baby.... Snack for Mom.

dinner- for the adults: chicken, broccoli and mashed potatoes

for baby: cottage cheese if can't chew up the chicken- or puree some chicken in a blender. Cut off the tops of the broccoli and give those to baby minus the tough stock. and a bit of the mashed potatoes.

In our house, we give our 13 mo a little bit of everything, a spoon, a sippy of milk and let her go to town. It's messy but she's pretty good at feeding herself and doesn't appreciate us spoon feeding her.
With our first two, when we lived in a place with carpet in the dining room, I put a plastic mat like you would put under a desk to protect the carpet. After meals, I could clean up all the dropped food from the plastic a lot easier than if it had all landed on the carpet.

I personally think it's better to stress over ONE meal plan for yourself that will be suitable for the family. Have several snack options to choose from and fill in dinner with some favorite meals- experimenting with new things only when you have the energy and desire. If the meals for the family are nutritious, it's not too hard to feed a 12 month old off of what you are eating- and expect that all the nutritional ground is going to be covered by the end of the day.

Tamara - posted on 05/20/2010

Hi Amanda! Don't stress sweetie...simple is ALWAYS best!! Most breakfast things you eat (mashed or cut up a bit more...not sure the age to start eggs tho...been a while!!) lunch can be anything from lunch meat cut up, cheese and fruit...yogurt, soup, almost anything you are eating, just cut it up well. Dinner...meat. veggie and potatoes/noodles or rice...Just tiny bite sizes of big people food for the most part!! Easy as pie!

Anne - posted on 05/20/2010

do not stress.. you'll have real issues for stressing soon enough ! train of thought: offer only nutritional finger foods,( use your head, peel grapes and apple pieces, as well as any other fruit), stay away from foods full of chemicals, (hot dogs,etc.) use cheese, dry cheerios, kix, whole wheat toast (she may choke on bread), no peanut butter, no popcorn, use cooked vegetables, remember, if she wants to control, give her choices you approve of, and let her have at it ! fresh fruits are great ! most kids love watermelon, yogurt, scrambled eggs for protein. kids this age may try a spoon... but, not to worry. she will NOT starve herself ! offer her what you made for diner, judge intake of the food groups basically by the week, not by the day.
and ENJOY her learning, watch her as she finds things she likes, keep a record, so you can tell her in a few years about it.

Griselda - posted on 05/20/2010

Amanda, offer your soon to be toddler what you eat. It's very likely that your family eat a balanced meal so just give her a smaller portion for her. Just make sure to offer your child extra calcium such as whole milk yogurt, cheese and milk since you'll be weaning her off formula very soon.
Our daughter who's going to be 12 month on the 10th of next month has been eating table food since she was 7 months old. It this stage she eats a relatively healthy meal (what we eat). I don't make a special meal just for her... that would be extra work and I don't have that time.
When you start offering her more table food try to give her a balanced meal or you can start her off slowly and just offer her cut up veggies and cheese in one meal, scramble egg with a veggie mixed with some cheese on the side in another meal and for dinner meat/chicken, veggies and pasta (see how the whol family can eat this w/o having to do a special meal for your girl)

Gayle - posted on 05/20/2010

That was an excellent reply from Shelly there! Wonderful. Finger foods are the best way to go but also write down what your little one likes and dislikes so that you can get more familiar with her taste.

I used to like using dips too and making patterns out of the food, not really encouraging her to play with it but to make it interesting enough to want to eat it as certain placing of different colors and food types compliment each other. x x x

Sarah - posted on 05/20/2010

Give her small portions of whatever you're having. Obviously go easy on the salt and spices. That way she'll experience a range of flavours and you won't have to cook separate meals.

Chelle - posted on 05/20/2010

you dont need to worry too much. at 1 they can eat what you it as long as its baby portions. for lunch i had spaghetti bolognese and put some on her feeding tray...she only had two mouthfulls of it so i just cut her up some cubes of cheese and some banana slices and she ate them insted.



my daughter loves little veg like peas or sweetcorn. i think she thinks they are "fun" food. she also loves slices of tomato. small sadwiches with a meat/fish filling are always easy.



i still give my 12 month old 10oz of follow on formula a day, she will have 5-6oz of cows milk just before lunch and i also use cows milk in her cereals.....i will eventualy swap the remaning formula for cows milk but im doing it slowly because i dont want to upset her tummy

Shannon - posted on 05/20/2010

I search the net for nutrition facts and prints several page I use them to plan her weekly meals, I try to get a balance of all the vitamins and minerals, carbs, proteins she needs, in this process I have improving our eating habits. I always keep fruits and vegetable that are bite size and have a few organic snacks. Some days she eats well others day very little but I know everything going in her is a good choice. I understand that organic vegetable are the best for younger ones because of all the pesticide and waxes used to preserve them.

Amanda - posted on 05/20/2010

Its easy, if you are eatting it, give it to her. I have never made special meals for children (I have three of them). You are not a cook at a resturant, everyone eats the same things. It also helps with a child enjoying food, when they see their parents enjoying the same food they are eatting.

Shelly - posted on 05/20/2010

Don't stress. For my girl I would put down cheese, fruit, small bites of meat, and maybe a bit of bagel & just let her have what she wanted.

Oddly enough some days it would boil down to the colors of food she liked. Say she would refuse her favorite pasta, but go ga ga for bellpeppers. I just pop 3 or 4 small portions of finger foods on her table & let her choose what she wants, no battles.

I have never "planned" her meals per say, but at every meal I would offer her a varity / combo of fresh fruit, veggies, cheese, pasta, and meat. It has worked really well for us & she is not a picky eater at all.