Once your 1 year old starts eating more solid foods, it can feel a bit overwhelming making sure they get all the food and nutrients they need in a balanced diet.
But it doesn’t have to be hard.
When I transitioned my daughter to solid foods, I quickly learned that I needed meal ideas and examples of foods to feed her.
So in this post, I’m sharing example meals that offer a balanced diet by including a variety of foods in each meal and all throughout the day.
In order to make sure your 1 year old is eating a balanced diet, you’ll want to make sure he/she is getting a variety of foods throughout the day.
You don’t have to only include these important foods at meals. Snacks count too!
So I’ve included breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner examples for each day.
What should a 1 Year Old Eat?
According to WebMD your 1 year old baby should be eating the following amounts of food.
- grains (3 servings)
- dairy (2 servings)
- fruits (1 serving)
- vegetables (1 serving)
- protein (2 servings)
For a complete list of food for 1 year olds in each food category, see this post: 75 food ideas for your 1 year old.
I find it super helpful to hear ideas from others and get inspiration from other mom’s. So I hope these meal ideas I have put together help you out as you feed your little one.
Many of these meals can actually be the same thing the rest of the family is eating.
If your toddler can’t eat everything you are serving, only give him or her the food they can eat. Fill in with another food from a different category.
For example, if you are having roast beef and it is hard for your toddler to chew, swap it out for another protein like chicken.
Maybe you are having salad that your toddler can’t eat. Give them different vegetable instead.
Okay, now let’s get on with the meal ideas!
PLEASE NOTE: Many of these foods should be cooked to a soft consistency and cut into small bite size pieces to avoid choking.
Balanced Diet for 1 Year Old
DAY 1
- BREAKFAST: pumpkin muffin and yogurt
- SNACK: strawberries and chewy granola bar
- LUNCH: chicken tenders, mandarin orange, green beans
- DINNER: pizza, cucumber slices
DAY 2
- BREAKFAST: cheerios and banana
- SNACK: grapes and crackers
- LUNCH: rice, black beans, corn mixed together and pear slices
- DINNER: rotisserie chicken, peas and corn, cottage cheese
DAY 3
- BREAKFAST: toast with avocado and sausage patty
- SNACK: yogurt and blueberries
- LUNCH: turkey and cheese sandwich, apple slices
- DINNER: fish sticks, sweet potato fries, strawberries
DAY 4
- BREAKFAST: waffle with nut butter and mandarin oranges
- SNACK: nutrigrain bar and slice of cheese
- LUNCH: pasta with parmesan cheese and cooked veggies (carrots, peas, green beans) and applesauce
- DINNER: meatloaf, baked potato slices, peas
DAY 5
- BREAKFAST: scrambled egg and strawberries
- SNACK: mini whole grain bagel with cream cheese
- LUNCH: cheese and bean quesadilla, cooked carrots, and grapes
- DINNER: spaghetti and meatball, steamed broccoli
DAY 6
- BREAKFAST: yogurt parfait with fresh fruit and turkey bacon
- SNACK: banana and granola bar
- LUNCH: hummus, turkey, and cucumber wrap with pear slices
- DINNER: bean and cheese taco with tomato and avocado and side of rice
DAY 7
- BREAKFAST: mini quiche, strawberries
- SNACK: half of English muffin with nut butter
- LUNCH. cottage cheese, pineapple, peas, and crackers
- DINNER: tortellini with pasta sauce, roasted squash
As you plan out what to feed your 1 year old, it’s best to refer to a list of ideas. Otherwise your mind goes blank and you end up getting into a meal time rut!
Get your copy of my Toddler Meal Planner to take the stress out of feeding your toddler.
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