What to feed 1 year old

[eyesbiggerthanstomach]

So my little one has just turned one. He has a healthy appetite. He is at nursery 4 days a week and gets good quality meals there, although I'm unclear about portion sizes.

When he gets home I just give him finger food for his dinner. Examples are fish fingers, bread with butter or cheese, bits of pasta, potato, veg etc. When it comes to the weekend or day I have off with him I end up giving him the same types of finger food. I'm worried his diet isn't varied enough. It's my own fault as I hate cooking. I don't even cook for myself and just snack on bits and pieces here and there. So, anyway I know eventually I will have to make proper meals but I am struggling with juggling everything at the moment and am hoping it will be easier as he gets older and I am used to it. Is it okay for him to have just these same finger foods and no 'proper meals' so to speak or do I need to get my act together?

Sounds good. Maybe just add a little bit of variety, like mini sandwiches with a variety of fillings like tuna or egg, and some fruit.

I gave DD just small portions & bits of what we were having.
Finger food snacks were always good - veg sticks, bread fingers, chunks of cheese, little muffins/quiches.

There are some good suggestions in this guide from the Caroline Walker Trust. It gives sample menus and even suggests portion sizes

Your diet isn’t much good, it would be better if you could cook one meal a day for you both. You could freeze half and have it another day? Spag bol, mild curry and chilli con carne are favourites in our house.

There's a good resource from the British Nutrition Foundation on toddler diet. I'd recommend the pdf they have a link to on this page.

My one month old generally eats the same as us. I make extra and freeze portions where I can, but some quick meals on our house would be:

Scrambled egg with smoked salmon/ham and peas mixed in. Offered with a crumpet or toast.

Lentil and sweet potato curry made in the instant pot, but would cook quite fast on the hob. Served with rice.

Tuna fish patties.

Roast root veg of any kind are always received well and require minimal effort. Served with whatever protein you are offering.

Steamed veg like baby corn, green beans, asparagus usually accepted.

Hummus and bread sticks with cucumber, olives and grated carrot/cheese.

Baked potatoes with cheese and beans.

Cheese on toast with chopped tomatoes/pepper and ham/chorizo.

Peanut butter or mashed avocado on toast.

You can buy pizza dough on a roll or puff pastry and top with whatever you like.

Meat options are trickier as my son doesn't have many teeth and isn't interested in gumming hunks of meat, but I use the instant pot with beef and lamb recipes to get them really tender without having to slow cook for hours. Failing that he sometimes gets meat balls or a sausage.

Frozen fish or even fish fingers are good to have in the freezer for a quick meal.

Meant to say my son is one year old not one month!

Honestly, in the long run you are best getting your head around cooking one meal a day, in my opinion. Eating together will be a social thing going forward, and I think it sets good habits in place.

Doesn't have to be fancy cooking. I used to use a lot of toddler friendly recipe books, and these still make up the basis of many of our meals now.

If you're not keen on cooking, are you all right with doing some simple stuff like cheese on toast? You could put some veg stick on the side.

Baby Omelette Fingers could be served with halved cherry tomatoes.

These fishcakes can be kept in the fridge or even frozen for easy dinners in the week.

Sandwiches and wraps might be your friend here too. How about tuna, mayo and sweetcorn sandwich with veg strips or a chicken wrap with veg on the side?

And Blueberry Pancakes would make a nice weekend breakfast for both of you

Squares of tofu
Boiled egg
Chopped up sausage (baked, not grilled as the skin would be too tough)
Chunks of cooked chicken
Falafel (can be bought from frozen section of supermarket)
Meatballs
Chopped up ham
Bean burgers
Strips of smoked salmon
Cubes of feta cheese
Pitta bread and hummus
Bagel and cream cheese
Prawn crackers
Guacamole on toast
Sweet potato wedges
Crab sticks

Can I just say that sausage is absolutely fine but it's recommended to cut it lengthways before serving at this age

I also hate cooking but try and batch cook with the slow cooker for 1 year old DS.
Favourites are sausage casserole, chicken curry, spag bol, meatballs. BBC good food have got lots of recipes for toddlers I want to try too.

Could also try making your own tomato pasta sauce with lots of hidden veg.

I've just remembered another thing mine loved at this age "bits". If I was stuck for ideas I'd put bits of whatever we had in on a plate, things like square of bread and butter or crackers,cheese, ham, olives, veg, dried fruit literally anything to hand. Some people serve it to their LOs in an ice cube tray

I tend to cook something like tuna pasta bake or shepherds pie a couple of times a week using simple recipes and jars if needed. I can then use leftovers for another meal, with different veg on side. Plus a couple of freezer based dinners such as sausages and premade mash or fishfingers and chips. It's easy to do some microwaved veg or tinned or frozen. I use frozen Yorkshire's and roast potatoes for convenience. So most of my cooking is reheating in the oven or microwave not cooking! Then for other easy dinners, pasta with pesto or sauce and grated cheese. Omelettes. There are nights I make toast fingers and cold bits from the fridge like cheese squares and salad veg. It doesn't need to be complicated, you don't need to be a good cook, and you don't need to cool every night. But it's a good idea to start adding some family dinners in while he's still small. Then you will be in the habit.

Thanks for all the tips everyone. That is helpful and I will look at the links as well. I think I will look at getting a slow cooker and also make ahead meals on a Sunday. I guess I am going to have to start eventually so may as well do it now!

Well you say you don't cook for yourself so that is an issue. Our one year old mainly eats his evening meal with us now so he gets variety there- roast dinner, stew, lasagne, pork chops and veg, cottage pie etc. We lack imagination for breakfast which is always reddy brek and mango, and he usualy has dippy egg and brown granary bread for lunch.

If you're going to start making meals ahead, they sell foil cartons with lids in Home Bargains, the type you get from a takeaway. These are great for freezing individual portions for yourself as you can take them straight from the freezer and pop in the oven. You could get sone small Tupperware pots for his portions maybe?