what does your 1yo eat.. How much etc.

[justonesherryformedicinalpurpo]

My LO is coming up to 10m but I'm just preparing for when she turns one re: what food she needs, how much etc. I know every baby is different and this is going to be something that should be relaxed and enjoyable but I just want a base to work from I guess.

How do you know how much they need?
Water, protein, carb, dairy.. it just baffles me!

I'm not heading back to work for a while so am comfortable with this being a steady transition but I know milk is only very important up until a year.

She has a good appetite. Three meals a day plus pudding and sometimes snacks such as a couple of baby puffs or rice cakes. My rule of thumb which was advised by a HV when I started weaning at 6m was to try and introduce three carbs and 1 protein daily.

I've never been concerned because as long as she is having milk until her first year there is no need for concern. But once she turns 1 and food is important I feel I need to understand what quantities/ratios of food groups she needs.

From 6m she has always had dairy milk mixed with rice etc. (I never did well with expressing) so I'm hoping to gradually switch from bf to dairy milk and this shouldn't be too difficult.

I ebf and up until recently she has started having formula for her night feed so I am not concerned about her accepting the bottle.

so please tell me what you know and what your LO consumes daily inc. milk and water.

thank you!

Try not to overthink it. What my 17mo eats varies hugely day to day. Essentially he eats what I eat when I eat it, but we did BLW so this never really changed. We let him regulate his own appetite so if he finishes a meal then we offer seconds and sometimes he will just pick. We always offer dessert (usually yoghurt or fruit) whether he has eaten lots of very little. The only time we don't is if he eats absolutely nothing. In that case we just take it away and try later and if he still doesn't want it we accept that he's probably not hungry. He has never woken from hunger he wakes for every other reason but not hunger!

Snacks are usually baby rice cakes, fruit, biscuits, toast, whatever he can get his hands on really. Some days he has lots of snacks, other days none. Again, it depends on what we are doing and appetite.

He has a small bottle of milk of waking and before bed and water/very diluted squash is on offer all day (just leave a cup within reach) and with meals. He also has a multivitamin every day.

Hope this helps. Please don't stress if she still wants lots of milk for a few months past her first birthday. As long as you are offering a variety of healthy-ish foods at regular intervals and giving a multi vitamin she will transition away from milk when she is ready.

At 12 months my DD ate a LOT less than your 10month old. In fact until a few weeks ago she barely ate and she's 18months now. As PP said some days she eats a lot, other days nothing. She eats a reasonable mix overall if I look at her intake over a week, although day to day is certainly less balanced.

Thanks for tips. Will definitely leave a cup with water by her for when she's ready and introduce a multi vit.

Yes I've heard it's best to look at a whole weeks intake rather than day by day now that you mention it.

thanks again

Not a lot. Maybe a half slice of toast for breakfast with her milk, half a sandwich with a few bites of fruit and cheese for lunch but at dinner time she will usually have a good serving of mash, veg and gravy which she loves. Have also started adding in some supper of cereal or toast because there are days she's barely ate anything at all.

It keeps changing though, she used to be a better eater but at the minute just isn't interested.

My dd is 15 months and like pp have said, some days (most) she barely eats!
She is still bf but I try to limit this to mornings and night times only bfing in the day if she is unwell or teething particularly badly.

She has approx:

Breakfaat: Half a slice of toast with various toppings
Mid-morn: Natural yoghurt mixed with fruit and museli mixed in or oat bar (organix range or Ella's kitchen etc).
Lunch:Another half slice of toast various topping/ mashed potato with veg mixed in and spices/homemade veg samosa style things/tinned spaghetti
Dinner: One of the lunch options

In reality she will usually only eat a quarter of a slice of toast for breakfast and a very tiny portion of lunch and dinner. She is not a great eater.

She also drinks lots of water throughout the day.

This is what my 13 month old has eAten today:

Breakfast - bowl of porridge and prunes, 2 slices of melon, half a slice of toast, whole banana

Lunch - half a cheese sandwich, a whole apple and a yogurt. Plus a bit of my savoury muffing.

Tea - slice of smoked salmon & half a slice of bread, 2 fiat sized portions of vegetable curry, 1 profiterole & picked at fruit salad.

Plus a bf on waking and before bed.

We're on holiday hence the random selection of food but in terms of quantity I just thought I'd show another viewpoint.

Although I mean fist size portions not fiat sized portions! That would be a problem!

Wow silver, you've got a great eater there from the sounds of things. Does yours sleep well too?

Mine, 14m, has cereal for breakfast, either 1 weetabix or handful of shreddies etc and some fruit. snack of toast but usually eats about half a slice. Lunch is a sandwich (1 slice), yoghurt, fruit, sometimes soup. Afternoon snack usually a banana, potato scone etc. Tea is variable but about 1 adult fist size of veg, carbs and meat except he drops the veg off the side . Nursery is slightly different as he has cereal and toast for breakfast, early lunch of a cooked meal, another cooked meal before pick up then a smaller tea in the evening. He's still bf and feeds numerous times at night.

Today my 18 month old mainly ate biscuits

However, yesterday we had a sort of chicken/rice/veg dish, and she picked out all the veg and ate that.

She is a real snacker, unlike DS who has always been more of a 3 square meals type of boy.